In Real Time
They're young. They're talented. They're human. Three fresh-faced designers offer an insight into the challenges they've experienced as fashion exporters.
Justine Davis, founder of couture label Davis Eyes
The biggest challenge I’ve found in exporting goods is calculating price points for each market to ensure the product is positioned most effectively for the brand. The retail mark ups can range from around 2 – 3.5 and attract different taxes and duties per country depending on what local industry they are protecting. Trade Agreements need to be considered and freight is becoming more expensive which all affect the shelf price for each country. The other one is FOB versus DDP and how to ensure pricing is consistent worldwide. I would love if someone put together a global user manual listing all the fabrics/products and duties/taxes in each country, please let me know if it exists!
Jacqui Alexander, founder of womenswear label Jacqui Alexander.
A major consideration when exporting is always the seasonal difference between my own market and that to which I’m exporting. I’ve found it challenging in the past to sell trend orientated garments within strict seasonal styling – i.e. heavy winter and light summer - as trends change season to season and there is always a market left behind. The most effective way to overcome this problem has been to keep my collections mostly trans-seasonal. This allows it to be sold at any time to any market and is the most advantageous strategy for international selling. This idea is also relevant with global and environmental changes which effect markets at home as well as away.
Kanchi Williams, founder of luxury brand Kanchi.
Export documentation is a nightmare. When I first started exporting, I didn’t realise that different countries had different Certificate of Origin requirements - that is, if the value of an order goes over a certain dollar limit then that order needs to be accompanied by a certificate. I discovered this after one of my international orders was stuck in customs for a week and as a result, I didn't meet a delivery deadline. When I was notified of the hold up - at 5pm on a Friday with a deadline for the following Monday - I had to find out how to organise a certificate, what it was, where to get it and of course, pay the costs associated with it. To make things quicker, the courier company advised me to fax a copy of the certificate as well as post the original. Customs refused to clear the faxed certificate and to make matters worse, the courier company lost the original certificate internally, so I had to wait around for another day until they located it!