NEW ZEALAND: Kiwi fashion designers looking to broaden their business base have been invited to attend a free "nuts and bolts" workshop on exporting.
The intensive one-day course, subsidised by New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), is designed to provide strategic advice to those yet to begin exporting.
Subjects covered in the seven-hour course include 10 key steps of the export process, strategic market selection and research, pricing for export, making the sales pitch and intellectual property and branding.
Presented by SME business trainer and Fashion Industry of New Zealand board member Dianne Ludwig, the course is open to staff from fashion businesses that employ less than 50 full-time staff and are aiming to export within the next 12 months.
Past attendees include burgeoning Auckland-based designer Cybele Wiren. Limited spots are still available.
The announcement comes just days after NZTE creative sector director Dame Cheryll Sotheran confirmed her organisation was not cofunding a collective presence at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week this year.
Just three Kiwi designers will present collections at Australian Fashion Week this year - 10 less than last year.
However Sotheran denied the economic slump was behind the decision.
"NZTE has co-funded New Zealand designers at Australian Fashion Week for eight years to help raise awareness of the New Zealand designer fashion brand profile in Australia. Our innovation and leading-edge design is now well recognised in the Australian apparel market, so we're looking at other ways to raise New Zealand's creative profile."