3 Times This Paid Off For Designers
What are the winning strategies employed by Australia's most talented designers? Three designers reveal their winning hand.
1. Pip Edwards: be an individual
Pip Edwards says after a 15 year stint in the industry working for Ksubi, Sass & Bide and General Pants Co., the recipe for success has a key ingredient – branding.
"It seems as though everyone is getting into the activewear game from startups to established retailers – new entrants are being announced weekly."
"According to research, the activewear category is on the rise and will continue to grow".
"The global sports apparel market which includes womens active is set to grow to $178 billion by 2019".
"So while other people are doing classic activewear, clashing print on print combos, P.E Nation has its own take. We are our target demographic - we are the active mum, we are the fashion girl, we are the fitness enthusiast."
At P.E Nation, this sort of confidence is paying off.
On its launch day, P.E Nation ran out of product and had to action replenishment orders immediately.
2. Rebecca Vallance: be open to ideas
Earlier this year, Rebecca Vallance met with buyers in Paris following shows at New York Fashion Week and trade exhibition Coterie.
"It was great for us in Paris to be able to continue the conversations we had in the US."
"For example, there's a retailer that was interested in picking us up in the eveningwear category and that was something I wasn't totally convinced about".
"Then once we got to Paris, there was an etailer who suggested that as well and I was like, 'hang on, there's something going on here."
"In addition to that, we had another agent say, 'I'd love to pick you up in eveningwear' so the message was really clear for me."
Vallance launched an eveningwear capsule at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in May.
3. Alexandra and Genevieve Smart: be willing to diversify
In 2013, Ginger & Smart launched its diffusion line Akin by Ginger & Smart as a way to try and include a younger market into its proposition.
"We introduced Akin by Ginger and Smart as our sister brand a few years ago. We really wanted to cater to a more casual market."
"Landing with an offering of playsuits, relaxed shirts and pants, Akin by Ginger & Smart continues to sell at a significantly lower price point than its older sister".
As a diffusion line, that seems pretty standard, however when tapping into the youth market, price is a key ingredient in creating brand value.
For the record, the global spending power of millennials is projected to hit $1.4 trillion by 2020 in the US alone.
Today, Akin by Ginger & Smart has forged distribution partnerships with David Jones and The Iconic.