Knitwear royalty rules the waves
Sydney knitwear doyenne Vivian Chan Shaw's quintessentially Aussie offer has always been an winner overseas; but exporting is not all plain sailing as Belinda Smart reports.
When Bo Derek takes an interest in your creations, it seems fair to assume you must be doing something right. Vivian Chan Shaw's high-end boutique creations were first discovered by the movie star in Jeunesse boutique - located at the bottom of the Sydney Hilton where Derek was staying - back in the heady early '70s. Since then, Chan Shaw has acquired some star power of her own; crowned "Queen of Australian knitwear" by Harpers Bazaar and a "master of knit to rival the Missonis" by Sportswear International.
One look at the signature, draped silhouettes and flowing lines of her hand loomed and crafted knitwear, and the monikers seem more than justified, particularly given that another key point of difference for the label is that it is made locally. This unique branding proposition has seen it exported to a broad range of markets over the years; including the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. More recently it has focused mainly on the US - now its primary export market and closely followed by the UK.
Vivian's daughter Claudia Chan Shaw - the company's co-designer and sales and marketing director - says the intricacies of exporting, pricing in particular, have represented a challenge over the years.
"While quoting FOB [freight on board] prices is not always possible buyers generally want to know the absolute bottom line including duty and freight," she says, adding that Australia's famed tyranny of distance has a price.
"We really have to work hard with buyers to instil them with faith in the collection so they place future orders from look books and swatches. It's also important to keep in constant contact with our accounts because we are so far away."
Then there's the more intangible question of taste and fashion sensibilities, which can vary widely from market to market, meaning a "put it out there and hope for the best" approach won't wash.
"Certain colours that may work well in Australia are not as popular in different markets. One year while selling in Chicago, the buyers did not care for what they called 'poison green'. Meanwhile a trip selling in London saw the focus firmly on black, grey, red and navy, rather than what the London buyers called 'Australian' colours."
Strongly differentiated product is nothing without a solid marketing strategy, she adds.
"When showing new collections in the US we work closely with boutiques to stage trunk shows and interface directly with retail customers. New look books and swatches are sent to overseas stores throughout the year and we also regularly exhibit at Fashion Exposed boutique showcase Preview."
The label is also featured on government export body Austrade's design export website Stylefile and was recently selected to show its wool collection at Austrade's G'Day US Promotion in New York in January 2008.
According to her daughter, while Vivian Chan Shaw has no plans of renouncing her knitwear crown any time soon, she is not averse to product diversification, particularly if she can bring her brand of crafted magic to bear on the project, which recently took the form of handmade jewellery.
"We had been buying beautiful handmade pieces from Paris for our salon in [Sydney's] Queen Victoria Building and Vivian decided to create her own collection. She works with natural gemstones, crystals, cinnabar, silver and the resulting pieces have an unmistakably exotic handwriting."
With inexpensive imports flooding the market from China and India, a unique offer is critical to the future of any Australian export business, she adds.
"More than ever we feel now is the time to emphasise and celebrate the fact that our product is made by hand in Australia. Hand crafted products have an integrity that cannot be replicated by mass production."
Belinda Smart