Egg cracks the Philippines

New Zealand maternity brand Egg has given birth to a host of new opportunities for pregnant women in the Asian marketplace.
The Auckland-based brand, which already boasts 14 stores across Australasia, opened its first Philippino store in Manila's prestigious Glorietta Ayala Mall late last month and has plans to open a host of others across Hong Kong and Singapore. Included in the brand's aggressive expansion strategy is a second Manila store, in the SM Mall of Asia, expected to open within the next few months.
Egg co-owner Colyn Devereux-Kaye, who launched the brand five years ago with designer daughter Charlotte, said the chance to open in Manila came about after the pair aligned itself with a former work colleague based in the Philippines and did some research.
The trio discovered that although there were two million babies born in the Philippines in 2004, there was few, if any, stylish and comfortable maternity wear available to mothers-to-be.
What made the move even more attractive was the fact Manila has wonderful shopping, fantastic malls and its women are "incredibly stylish", Devereux-Kaye said.
The move has generated plenty of interest from local media with the girls' conducting up to 20 interviews a day during a short visit to Manila earlier this year.
However while media played a central part in ensuring the success of the new stores, of more importance was ensuring the range was relevant to the Asian market, Devereux-Kaye said.
To this end, the mix will include underwear, tank tops, shirts, cargo pants and jeans, together with the brand's signature piece - a five-way skirt able to be worn as a skirt, a sarong tied at the side, a dress with decorative straps, a tuber dress or a dress with a halter top.
Devereux-Kaye said since most Filipinas are of a slighter build than their caucasian counterparts, sizes will vary from between "double zero" (an Australian 6 to 8) to five (an Australian 16 to 18). With 70 per cent of the Egg range manufactured in New Zealand, each piece in the collection would be made from "soft, stretchy and comfortable fabrics" with a reasonable content of natural fibre. Prices will range from around $A50 to $A270.