A brighter outlook

It has been brought to my attention that many of my recent editorials have been rather negative - suited only to those for whom life is a never-ending source of bleakness and breathing an exercise clearly to be avoided.
So with this in mind, I have decided to turn the tables and write about two toAnd so to the first.
A recent survey by those great bastions of all survey companies, ACNeilsen, (shock, horror!) uncovered our biggest, dirtiest secret. Yep, by accosting nearly 500 of us as we went about our daily business on the net, it proved its theory that Aussies were deserving of the mantle as the world's worst dressed fashion skeptics. At first, the survey results made for sickening reading. Having been asked to peruse a list of 18 "leading" international designers, respondents were asked their thoughts on designer fashion. The survey found the vast majority of Australians believed designer brands were overpriced for what they were and only half agreed designer brands were of significantly higher quality than standard brands. Scarier than this however came the news that Australians were third most likely to opt for imitation brands and one in three claiming imitations were just as good as the real thing.
And then the penny dropped, could it be they hadn't factored in any genuine Australian brands in their list of examples? A closer inspection of the list ensued. Sure enough not a trace of Akira, Willow, Nicola Finetti nor sass & bide could be found.
I knew there had to be a reason.
And now to the second subject bringing a rare grin to my mug.
Here at your favourite fashion business magazine we are always seeking ways to improve your enjoyment of our mag. And while we ourselves reckon we're fountains of knowledge on all things clothes, shoes, accessories or textile-related, we're not always equipped to provide you with best practice solutions for the way you run your businesses. Sadly its true, sometimes even we have to ask for help.
With this in mind we have tapped into the skills of two long-standing industry professionals whom we hope will provide you with some valuable tips on how to make your business more profitable. It's meaty stuff - you know the kind of advice you don't usually hear about unless you are prepared to part with a suitcase full of dollars as well as giving away naming rights to your first-born.
Expert number one is called Brian Walker, who more commonly goes by the title of Retail Doctor. An industry veteran of some 20-plus years standing, Walker is a former executive of Westfield, The Athletes Foot and Angus and Coote who these days earns a crust advising retailers - among them major apparel brands Herringbone, Hallensteins and Glassons, on how to get the most out of their business.
Walker's column, which will run monthly, is somewhat unusual in that you our beloved readers will determine the subject matter by putting pen to paper and asking the questions you want answered.
Our second resident expert is called Matthew Nolan managing director of Provident Inventory Finance. Nolan has a 15 year-plus histroy in the banking and finance sector having worked as an executive at Macquarie, Westpac and ANZ. His monthly columns will address issues such as cash flow management, managing supplier relationships and capitalising on export opportunities.
So now we really can claim to have all the answers.

Pull quote: "Sadly its true, sometimes even we have to ask for help."