United We Stand
In an industry that places a premium on youth, it's often experience that translates into serious dollars. Fashion brand management firm United Front is a case in point, as Assia Benmedjdoub discovers.
If operating a fashion business is akin to mastering a juggling act, then United Front might just be the circus industry's next big thing.
Founders Shelley Norman, James Lunney and Dean Clyke have pooled together 30 years of industry experience to create a company which specialises across three very different fields: manufacturing, distribution and brand management. Founded just over a year ago, its (juggling) balls have yet to drop.
"We've focused our attention on building and grooming brands, new labels and established designers to succeed domestically while also giving them the structure to take on international markets," says sales and marketing manager Dean Clyke, a former brand manager at cult labels Buddhist Punk, True Religion denim, Obey and Pani.
"As a young company, we've couple new brands with tried and tested labels such as Pani, providing a pre-existing structure, databases and a strong profile to give them the opportunity of steady growth."
The group's portfolio spans across several fashion categories from Pani (founded by Norman and stocked in more than 180 stores nationally including department store David Jones) and newcomer Gary Bigeni to international denim brand 4Stroke and footwear powerhouse Creative Recreation. United Front is also responsible for designing, manufacturing and distributing surfwear label My Brother's Keeper and Luna, a young streetwear brand that offers trend-driven collections at a value price.
Operating a company which services a customer-base that spans from age 15 to 35 presents its own unique set of challenges, Clyke says.
"We always ask questions like does the brand have a point of difference? Does it have relevance to the Australian market? Will it suit our customer-base? Does it compete with other brands in the portfolio? Does the brand have the resource and style to cater to our domestic market and do they have a good track record with trading internationally?
As we have a varying portfolio of brands, some require more aggressive marketing strategies - like our surfwear division - while some are price-pointed with a simplified approach and are quick to market."
In the past three months, United Front has spread its reach into key international fashion markets such as the US, Canada, Italy Israel, Indonesia and Singapore. It currently services 300 domestic wholesale accounts and predicts that by 2010, it will have "well over" 1000 accounts worldwide.
Needless to say, the staff count has risen from the three founding members to 20 full-time, part-time and freelance employees.
"Without a doubt, choosing the right and best staff for the right jobs was part of our strategy from early on - each brand manager is an expert in their field," says Clyke. "Our success is also about finding the right external management teams, top service suppliers and selecting the hottest brands that product the most up-to-date fashion to support our retailers."
While the company does not rely on advertising initiatives to grow brand awareness across Australia, Clyke says PR strategies are integral to the success of United Front.
"The heavy investment is paying off and opening doors into major publications and a network of fashion editors and stylists," he explains, adding that product placements are also integral in building the profile of their brands. "We are always looking to expand our network and customer base and with the current tightening of our economy, we're looking to provide more value with better made products, cutting edge designs and marketing to boot."
By Assia Benmedjdoub