Josh McDonnell speaks to Cue marketing director Kirsty Brokhoff and retail brand manager Kate Bielenberg about the changing landscape for Australian fashion labels.
In regards to the recent developments regarding Marcs, Herringbone and the like, is there anything Cue will look to capitalise on? Is there a shift in market share and a new approach as a result?
Bielenberg: No one likes to see well established Australian brands folding, so we certainly feel for those brands who have had difficulties in recent times.
Essentially our business model is based upon delivering fashion forward product to our retail and online stores, each and every week. What we do is quite unique in the marketplace.
We are designed here, produced here and Rodney Levis has built relationships with some of the best luxury fabric houses for most of his career.
We have access to fabrics that enable our product, combined with our design teams attention to detail and the encouragement the business gives the team to experiment and take some risks.
It's very much a fashion forward focus that we strive for and believe we achieve, rather than many of the lifestyle brands out there. We are certainly committed to continuing on that path and getting better and better each season, which is what we do.
Brokhoff: It's about fashion and everything about fashion changes.
The changing landscape in fashion and retail is something that this business has been built on. It's a family run business with a true entrepreneurial spirit.
It's such a big part of the Cue DNA in making sure that we're offering a point of difference in the Australian marketplace.
The timing we feel is right to really highlight and shout from the rooftops that we are an Australian fashion brand that is owned by an Australian family, still owned by the family that founded it.
Do you see your market share increasing in regards to my original point?
Brokhoff: There are two ways of looking at that. There is so much more choice in the retail space now, be it online, you can shop internationally, a lot of the international brands are coming to our shores and there are new up and coming designers.
It's our job to get them to become our customers and to ensure we can create that market share. As long as we are offering a fantastic and unique product I think we'll always have success in business.
I guess it's not really a focus of ours we just want to do what we do and do what is expected of the Cue brand. That’s what we want to build the confidence on and deliver to market.
Bielenberg: It's important for us to stay true to our group and provide our customers with the things she has come to us for, all of these years we have been in business.
What are some of the opportunities for growth in 2017?
Bielenberg: We currently have close to 80 stand alone stores across Australia and New Zealand and we are available in every Myer store as part of an exclusive arrangement with Myer.
We're the number one fashion brand within the Myer business. Veronika Maine has entered Myer in the last 8-12 months and Veronika Maine is due to commence phase three as part of the launch of Myer toward the end of this month.
What does this involve?
Bielenberg: Because we were opening quite a lot of stores we were opening them in phases to be manageable. When we first went into Myer for Cue we opened 10 stores in 10 days.
That was quite interesting, but we got there. Veronika Maine we opened in three phases. In a concession model we are currently available in 40 Myer locations, with 13 opening in the next month.
How has Veronika Maine performed since entering Myer?
Bielenberg: We've been really pleased with the Veronika Maine performance and its something that has definitely been improving on a weekly basis since we entered.