Raw and Ready
Fashion agents are often described as the 'middle men' of our industry. But, as Assia Benmedjdoub discovers, Raw Fashion represents more than just a shaking of hands.
If you've ever doubted the power of a good pat on the back, then take a cue from fashion agent Faith Agugu. It was during her tenure at domestic womenswear label Fleur Wood, that she set the foundations for her own agency Raw Fashion. Foundations which sprouted on nothing more than a few solid pats from Wood herself.
"I was very lucky because I was working in-house as a sales representative and Fleur recommended me to other great designers," Agugu says, adding within a short time she had four core clients and a small business on the rise.
"The Australian market was very competitive but I found there was a shortage of fashion agents in the marketplace. There are more and more high quality designers needing representation and the number of agents does not meet the demand." Although Agugu founded her agency in 2004, she believes this is still the case, with many designers struggling to find suitable agents. If any at all.
"Designers would come to us for representation and if we could not take them on, they were stuck. In many cases, other agents had not replied to their emails and they did not know where to turn to for advice."
Using her years of teaching experience at fashion college FBI, Agugu decided to introduce a full consultation package to assist fledging designers twelve months ago. This service includes a complimentary one-hour "evaluation" session and advice on selling, PR strategies and other professional industry advice. Agugu also offers a tailor-made database service which includes a list of stockists relevant to the designer's target market.
To assess a brand's suitability to her own agency, which specialises in mid to high-end labels, Agugu asks potential clients a number of key questions. Her current stable of brands includes Jayson Brunsdon, Rebecca Thompson, Flamingo Sands, Mrs Smart while her PR arm represents Antonia Paris, Gina Kim, Secret Wardrobe, Brooke Benson and Taega jewellery.
"We look at price points, quality, how long the label has been in the marketplace and the designer's experience in the fashion industry," she says. "This will have a strong bearing on their possible longevity and how realistic their expectation is. A new designer usually has an unrealistic idea about what can be achieved in the first few seasons of selling their product."
She admits an unseasoned label is often unprofitable for both agents and buyers. At her end, it means a significant investment in time and promotional activity while for a buyer, it could spell seasons on the sales rack. A belief in the product is essential for it to succeed.
"The advantage of a designer having an agent and being in the showroom is the buyer will be exposed to the range when they come to see a label they already buy," Agugu says, adding buyers can often feel jaded by receiving "loads" of look books and enquiries from emerging labels. "This exposure is great for a new label and on many occasions, they have had the foot in the door as a result."
Working hand-in-hand with public relations is also crucial for fashion labels today, with many buyers influenced by spreads in fashion magazines and newspapers. This is why Agugu is considering streamlining her number of sales representatives to three, bolstering her public relations arm to six and enlisting more key volume brands.
"We're also working to increase the number of consultations we do as I see this as a growing area of our business," she says. "There are designers out there who are frustrated and don't know where to turn to advice – we offer professional industry advice when they have no-one else to turn to."
By Assia Benmedjdoub