The womenswear designer has partnered with her husband Anthony Stockdale and his management and investment company, The Republic, to establish a sourcing agency. Called Sourcing Mate, the company specialises in finding small run suppliers in China for Australian fashion businesses.
The decision to found the agency arose out of Tolosa's own experiences of China when she began manufacturing there three years ago. She was disappointed with the service offered by a “very greedy” agent and perceived a gap in the market for agents keen to service local labels in need of small runs.
“We've just found there's a huge market out there,” Tolosa said. “I know a lot of labels that want to go overseas but they don't know how to.”
Tolosa revealed Sourcing Mate has already secured four clients and she hopes to have 15 to 20 on the company's books by this time next year. She and Stockdale are relying largely on word of mouth in the fashion trade to generate business.
Among the services offered by Sourcing Mate are pre-production assistance, production assistance including quality control and freight help, and guided sourcing trips to China, for example to meet suppliers and visit fabric and accessory markets.
“For new labels, if they need that helping hand we can hold their hand the whole way,” she said. “But if they're an established label that can deal with the factories directly then we can just put them in touch with them.”
She added she and Stockdale had found suppliers happy to receive small orders.
“Our services are for people that want to do your 20 to 150 [order quantities],” Tolosa said.
She and Stockdale are based in Sydney but will travel to China four times a year with Sourcing Mate. The couple also has an employee based in China full time and plans to use Sourcing Mate to service other industries beyond apparel.
The new venture comes in the wake of a recent ramping up of Tolosa's international sales, with the designer revealing her US orders now eclipse her Australian business. Tolosa said she has over 50 stockists within the US and also sells online.
Erin O'Loughlin