Then & now - Jane Wei

Every edition Ragtrader talks to a previously profiled brand about how it has developed in the intervening years. This week Tracey McEldowney caught up with Faye Brown director Jane Wei.

Company Faye Brown
Director Jane Wei

What were the key issues or challenges for your company five years ago? What are they now?
Five years ago were around simply getting the product out there, getting it known [and] covering territory. The key challenge today is maintaining the signature of the label, but also keeping it sharp and fresh.

What was the range like five years ago? What is it like now?
Faye Brown now has four drops per year with seven samples in each range. Then it had 40 samples and two drops per year. We showed the label at a Hong Kong fashion show earlier this year, and we're selling in Europe and plan to show at a European trade show later in 2008. We've focussed on keeping the handwriting of the label, but have evolved styles in the direction of what worked for our buyers - looking to respond to the market, but also to throw in a little bit more.

How many stores/wholesale accounts did you have five years ago? And now?
We started with 15 accounts in the first season and now have more than 70 in Australia and 15 in New Zealand. We have also started selling internationally. We have opened an office in Gueng Zhou, China.

What was the retail climate like for your business five years ago? How has it changed?

Overall the market is probably stronger, however shoppers are more specific, they want outfits they can wear to a wedding, and then adapt the outfit to wear with jeans, or mix and match with work and weekly dinner wear.

What was your approach to marketing and promotions five years ago? What is it now?
Early on we ran advertisements which took us to a level, but word of mouth has been our strongest network.

What was your approach to staff training five years ago? How has it changed?
We were all on a learning curve. Our staff has increased as the business developed. We put in a sales manager who oversees the staff and her focus is building relationships around good product and understanding the clients.

How many staff did you employ five years ago? Now?
We started off as a small team. We now employ over 16 staff in Melbourne. We have branched out in New Zealand and have established an offshore manufacturing facility in China so we can control the quality of the production.

What was your approach to retail technology five years ago? And now?

While we've always been computer savvy in terms of using technology to aid design and manufacturing, stock control etc, the web has only become a focus for us over the past two years. We've always produced catalogues, point of sales graphics and window posters inhouse.

What was your greatest moment/most significant development in the past five years?
Watching the label develop is really exciting. The feedback from word of mouth has been inspiring and invigorates us to keep sparking. I also work with people who understand each other and we love the clothes. Taking the label to Hong Kong ... seeing the response built up our belief in Faye Browne as a label.

By Tracey McEldowney