All that jazz

How does one wholesaler manage to grow its export sales by 500 per cent in three years? Assia Benmedjdoub joins the ranks of High Society to find out.

It stands as one of the great paradoxes of an industry which celebrates youth - the most successful fashion businesses are often those which have clocked up a few miles on the road. Much like a seasoned world traveller, they know which sites are worth loitering about and which are best avoided all together.

High Society, a New Zealand womenswear wholesaler and manufacturer, has done some wise travelling in its time. Founded in the early 1960's as an importer and distributor of American apparel, the Auckland-based company is approaching its 45th anniversary in good health, having experienced the best and worst of local ragtrade. 

There was its successful move into vertical retailing in the 1970's where, buoyed by the launch of its first-ever wholesale brand 'Society' and a favourable retail climate, the company evolved into a sizable operation with as many as 15 stores throughout New Zealand. Back then, it was known as Society Fashions and its stores, dubbed Queens, had an equally royal-sounding moniker. 

Not long after the retail upgrade however, its crowning position within the New Zealand market came under threat with the infamous market crash of the late 1980's. It was a time when many fashion businesses were forced to rethink their retail strategy and in the case of High Society, cease it indefinitely. 

Creative director Laurinda Sutcliffe says the downgrade proved to be a miracle in disguise.

"The business was reassessed and the labels currently designed by High Society began to evolve," she explains. "All of our four brands today are at the high middle to premium end of the market and are 100 per cent New Zealand made. To that end, we are offering something that is increasingly unique in this age of Chinese imports."

Pitched at four different areas of the womenswear market, these brands include Catalyst, a 13-year-old sparkler which caters for event and special occasion wear; Mosaic, a 'wardrobe building' label which boasts practical, multi-functional items for the busy woman; Obi, a bohemian brand largely manufactured from natural European fabrications and Chocolat, a label that caters for the full-figured woman.

Sutcliffe says each of the brands are promoted extensively throughout New Zealand and Australia, with seasonal POS packs distributed at a retail level and PR representatives at a broader, national level.

"To create further brand awareness within the community, we partake in celebrity charity events, fashion shows and dress local celebritites whenever the appropriate occasion arises," she adds.

So thorough is the company's approach to marketing and promotion that in 2000, it was awarded the prestigious Trade New Zealand Export Award in recognition of growing export sales of 500 per cent in three years. Australia, which it successfully cracked in 1996, now accounts for 60 per cent of its business. 

"Without wanting to sound arrogant, our launch into the Australian market was blissfully smooth and uneventful," Sutcliffe says. "We chose to initially work through a distributor which to a great extent eliminated a lot of the logistical teething problems and tackled one territory at a time."

Once the company found its grounding in all Australian territories, Sutcliffe says it appointed individual agents to each state. High Society continued to fortify its expansion strategy into the noughties with the adoption of a New Zealand Trade and Enterprise re-branding program known as Better By Design.

"It was an extremely in-depth process," Sutcliffe says. "We analysed every touch point of the brands and the business as well as reassessing our approach to the design process in the pursuit of becoming more design-led in everything we do."

Having had its fill of the Pan-Australian market, with 350 stockists throughout Australia and New Zealand, the company is now looking to take its offering further afield. An agent has already been appointed to sell Chocolat in the US and a potential distributor lined up for the Middle East.

"Looking forward, I feel there are some potential challenges ahead, especially as we move into the Northern hemisphere markets. More than ever we face the challenge of overcoming competition from cheap imports so our focus is very strongly on continuing to enhance our brand awareness and desirability through effective marketing and design led product."

By Assia Benmedjdoub