Henry Holland, Eleventh Commandment.
Streetwear brand Eleventh Commandment was launched by Henry Holland and Josh Oldfield in 2008. The unisex brand is made in Australia and currently supplies to around 25 stockists.
AB: How did it all begin?
HH: I first became involved with Fashion Future when I became aware of their mentor program. David has a tremendous amount of experience in the industry so I knew he would be a wealth of knowledge. It was when I saw him speak at a Fashion Future event I attended that I decided he would make a fantastic mentor as he had a very assured and direct manner and commanded a lot of respect from some of Australia’s most well known designers who were also present. Overall I just got the feeling he and I would get on well, which I think is very important in a mentor-mentee relationship.
AB: What do your meetings involve?
HH: The mentoring partnership officially kicked off in November last year. We meet approximately once a month, depending on our schedules. Outside of the face-to-face meetings we stay in touch through emails every couple of weeks and occasional phone calls. The first meeting was held in David’s office. After getting to know each other we discussed things such as customer analysis, scheduling, goals for the business, sales strategies and time management. The key points that have come out of recent meetings include methods for prioritising work tasks and linking with a sales agent. David was very helpful in putting me in touch with a number of different people, which allowed me to get a feel for the different options that were available. We have since signed with Paul Maloney Fashion Agency, which is now looking after all of our sales and PR.
AB: What else has it achieved?
HH: The main outcome that has been achieved through the mentoring program is that we now have the ability to develop a much more complete collection each season as I am better able to analyse our customer, their wants and needs as well as broader trends in the market. I have also implemented changes to the way I prioritise my workload and am much better at planning things long term as opposed to just working frantically all the time on the immediate tasks I have in front of me. Some of the changes David has helped me implement are only subtle but the results they have on the label are quite dramatic. He has given some fantastic advice regarding topics such as range development as well as allowing me to see things from a buyer’s perspective. The mentorship has only been going for a relatively short time but I can already look at our product and see areas in which it has improved as a direct result of his mentoring.
AB: can you provide more detail on the customer and sales strategies?
HH: Regarding customer analysis, David taught me to firstly analyse who our customer is and define exactly why they would be purchasing Eleventh Commandment. We then need to dissect his or her life and figure out what they do (where they work, where they socialise, where they go on holiday) and provide clothing options for each of these scenarios. Regarding sales strategies, David helped me to identify selling periods and emphasised how crucial it is to plan out deadlines for each step along the way and stick to them, whether it be for development, sales or production. He also gave me insights into how things are done from the perspective of a buyer and taught me certain ways to approach buyers that will make them listen to you even when 100 other people are grabbing for their attention. Emphasising the benefit for the buyer is really important. David mentioned that often when designers approach buyers all they have in mind is what’s in it for them, not what’s in it for the buyer, which is all the buyer really cares about at the end of the day.
AB: How long will the mentoring last?
HH: I believe the mentoring is scheduled for 12 months but I wouldn’t hesitate to ask David for advice on any aspect of business in the future. The experience so far has been very rewarding for me.
Jon Schembri, By Johnny.
By Johnny debuted at the 2009 Rosemount Australian Fashion Festival. The mid-market womenswear label produces trend-driven looks, with a sell-out signature woven jersey skirt still getting serious runs.
AB: How many stores do you supply?
JS: Capital L – Paddington, NSW; Tuchuzy – Bondi Beach, NSW; By San Sebastian – Coogee, NSW; Z A L I – Broad Beach, Qld; and our online store – www.byjohnny.com.au
AB: how did you first come to know about the fashion mentor program?
JS: I attended my first Fashion Future business seminar in July of 2010 and found it to be a very informative and motivating session. The amazing founder, Pamela Trantalles, organised a long list of fashion industry experts to speak. Some of the speakers included Alex Perry, David Bush, Edwina McCann, Melissa Hoyer, just to name a few. Being able to listen to what these influential fashion industry experts had to say about managing and growing your fashion business was an invaluable experience. When the opportunity came up for applying for a mentorship, I thought tapping into David Bush’s industry knowledge and experience would be invaluable and definitely benefit me and help grow my business. The mentoring officially kicked off in October, 2010.
AB: Why did you send an application specifically targeted at david bush?
JS: Being a designer and running a fashion business can be challenging at times. At first, starting out, I found it was all about creating fun and amazing clothing. Slowly, as I started to create a customer base, I quickly realised that in order to make a living out of all these designs, there needs to be a business plan and structure in place. Planning and structure is not something that comes naturally to me, however it is an integral part of establishing a strong fashion business. David has been a great help and a wealth of knowledge and support; he has assisted me in putting systems and a plan in place for By Johnny. David and I meet once a month in the David Jones head office and we do stay in touch outside of the meetings. I contact him for any support or queries I have throughout the month via phone or email.
AB: Can you tell me what you talked about in the first meeting with him?
JS: In our first meeting we were in his office and discussed both of our experiences, from college to present. It was really interesting hearing his background and where and how David started out. Then we went through and discussed in detail my label By Johnny, focusing on key areas that need to be improved. Going through a business plan, cash flows and budgets, marketing strategies etc etc. Each session David sets tasks I must carry out before the next meeting in order to monitor my progress. The mentorship will last for 12 months.
AB: What were some of the specific tasks you had to achieve for david?
JS: Some of the key points were: establishing a working business plan, creating the By Johnny yearly cash flow calendar and putting together an effective marketing strategy. The business plan goes through and describes the different aspects of my business along with key objectives and targets that I am aiming to achieve in the months and years to come. I actively use my business plan as a means to stay focused on my main goals. This plan is not set in stone – it is forever changing as time goes on. Creating a working cash flow calendar can be used to highlight important delivery dates into store and goes though and outlines all selling periods and design, development and production times. David has offered for one of the head buyers in his team to also sit in on one of our meetings and to provide advice and comments on my current collection; this opportunity would be invaluable. This has definitely helped me with time management by ensuring my business operates smoother. In terms of the marketing plan – it means clearly outlining the “how”, “who”, “what”, “where” and “why” of every idea.