youth@craft·design

We're not sure if we have really answered the question of this blog...
"How do I get my stuff seen by those who matter?"

We work on being as involved in as many things as possible, whether locally or nationally, globally or whichever way - this creates opportunity and exposure and "those who matter" will find you!

Unless we employ the services of a PR company (where fees can work out at $3,000/month) or have an in-house publicist - it is a difficult task to maintain "being seen"... We just focus on doing things we like - we really do love meeting people and enjoy almost everything that we've been part of. We rarely say no to anything. We expect rejection and 9 times out of 10, we are rejected!

Expect the worse, hope for the best. This motto helps us through most situations! If you come across another (possibly more effective) marketing way we can try, we would love to give it a go! Email or contact us, keep in touch!

x x x Rowena, Juliana & Angela @ HIGH TEA

(image : stretching silk on a rainy day with Shiina-san)
Yamagata-ken, JAPAN - Oct 2006

Hey Gaida,

Yes, intellectual property is certainly a hot topic - to trademark or not to trademark.

We are constantly being adviced to trademark our name, register our designs and so on. Especially as we are getting into exporting, and even so, as you suggested - the globalisation that is occuring with internet exposure and cheap airfares... all of this comes at a cost. We feel that as we grow, we must look more seriously into how to protect our identity and our product. We have heard examples of fashion designers registering every piece of design that they are manufacturing in China. And then there is a famous story about Louis Vuitton, possibly one of the most copied designers in the world, changing their tactic in saying that their true target customers will always buy original design (for status) and all the copied products out on the street will help in promoting the brand... they can't possibly track down and stop every black market production and sales of their designs.

Designs are "copied", "inspired" and "adopted" all the time. We think that it is best to keep a level head, stay realistic about these things, keep on our toes and keep moving forward. (Ask us where we're at in 10 years time!)

Now, getting back to living - WWOOFing in Japan was really terrific! We stayed at an organic farm and our host makes silk floss from imperfect silk coccoons to weave and craft into art pieces and garments for exhibition and competition. We have new found appreciation for silk and also way of life! Now that we are back in our work reality - we are approaching it in better perspective eventhough the work is pile high!

We have new inspiration to learn languages and make time... x

- - -

Hi there Jeramie!

You did it! You're making a living from what you love! That's really terrific as we are working towards it ourselves... You may feel that it is a little difficult to be part of the art communities in cities but it is also a great advantage to be based in the country because you can really focus on your work and it is also easier to stand out in many situations like competitions, exhibitions, in your field etc. Luckily we have internet, you are accessible to the world!

The toughest job we all have is to continue the growth and production of good work at the same time maintaining exposure. You have a good list of credentials and you seem to be getting on top of all of this anyway, in time it will lead to many people and many opportunities. Just hang in there!

You make some interesting work with great detail - probably we would like to advice that you reassess your website design and work on the the online sales section. You may well be making a good amount of sales for all we know but if you worked on better "security", we think it would encourage more online sales. Only because you are selling quality jewellery designs, using materials like pearl and gold. It would help to consult a website company or designer who can program this kind of security for you and you need to create more atmosphere on your website to compliment and enhance your work.

Check out these websites to look at the way that high-end jewellery is presented and sold online...
http://www.elizabethbower.com/
http://www.sophiekyron.com.au/

Some good sites that show the products very clearly and beautifully.
http://www.angusandceleste.com.au/
http://www.polli.com.au/

We hope this is of some help to you! Do contact us if you would like to have further discussions or anything! Cheers!

Here are some websites with runway images from our show at Shanghai Fashion Week...

http://photo.163.com/photos/fashionweek/103319440/

http://www.pbase.com/laxman/austrade

The other Australian designers that showed were Ess Laboratories, Jayson Brunsdon, Fashion Assassin and also Australian Alpaca Association (check out the alpacas on the runway :) - the alpaca show was designed by Hoshika and Tatsuyoshi from Ess Laboratories, their work is simply stunning...

(image : Dani, our Chinese interpreter standing at our stall in Xintiandi)

Hi all :)

Our apologies for the delayed blog entry... we've just returned from doing our debut overseas runway show at Shanghai Fashion Week and now have a story to share! It was quite an interesting experience. We are so grateful to AUSTRADE and Powerhouse Museum for giving us this Market Development Award, it was great opportunity to make contacts and look in China and surrounds for a potential market for High Tea with Mrs Woo.

So, we will start from the beginning... (got your cup of tea?)

We arrive in Shanghai after WWOOFing for a week on a silk / organic farm in Japan.
Imagine this... we hadn't seen any cars, shops or many people for over a week - staying in remote hillside town, making floss silk and fire to cook, bathe and keep warm. The very day we leave this peaceful existence, we fly cross the East China Sea, land in mega metropolis Shanghai and watch our lives flash before our eyes (several times) in the taxi on the way to the hotel. Crash, land, culture shock.
It's late. We check in at 11pm, some oily noodles for dinner and read our documents to find out that we had to press all our garments for our stall at the Celebrate Australia event the very next day. To our dismay, we discover the only iron in the entire hotel belonged to housekeeping down underground on Level B2. It was almost 1am. We had 20 garments to press. We catch the elevator down to the bowels of the hotel. Weaving around a few corridors, we come to an old door. After knocking twice, a sleepy lady lets us in to her cell. It's a 24 hour service. Housekeeping equipment, shelves filled with detergents and linen keep her company. She surfs the net while we attempt record speed in ironing. We get to bed at 3am.

We have an early start - AUSTRADE has arranged a business seminar at 8:30am. We meet with everyone that is part of the Celebrate Australia Week event, from Australian Alpaca Association to Art Investments. We hear stories about lifestyle, trading and working with the Chinese by guest speakers from the China Daily, an Australian lawyer based in Shanghai and most interestingly, an IP consultant.
* We have bananas for morning tea (we're in a room full of Australians after all, it's a talking point...!).
Intellectual property is an interesting issue. In China, there is no value in "design". The Chinese have no qualms about reproducing models or designs that they like. Many do it for profit but many have also replicated famous architecture just because they really like the style. It is said that copying is the greatest form of flattery. We come away from the seminar feeling like we should have armed ourselves with trademarks, registered designs and copyright protection. Realistically, this is a worldwide topic for debate and concern. (Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property for good explanation) - and the Chinese government do recognise this problem now and are taking some steps to change their attitude and laws... slowly!

We also discover that there is little value in "handmade" in a country where labour is abundant and extremely cheap. We find this surprising considering China has such an amazing history of art and craft. Is this value becoming extinct, can it be saved?
We set up our stall in the afternoon in Xintiandi, a charming part of the city with upmarket boutiques and restaurants. Celebrate Australia Week is a showcase of Australian products in a temporary "house" set-up on the lake open to the public to generate awareness and education about Australia, as well as to specifically invited industry guests and buyers. It wasn't what we imagined but it was great to get to know the other businesses in our little "room"... We have Shanghai dumplings for dinner and end the night early, passing out back at the hotel.

The following two days of Celebrate Australia Week is not as eventful as expected. We meet some curious public, several fabric suppliers / manufacturers promoting their own services, journalists, ex-pats and two retailers. We only hand out 30 fliers out of 3,000 that we had made. Where is everyone? It was slow going. However, the Australian chef who was showcasing his Shanghai-based restaurant (Messa) served up a terrific barbeque which kept everyone's bellies filled.

Many Australians have China in their sights because it is a huge market where anything is possible. And it is true to say that the Chinese are quite open-minded. They are discovering new ways of seeing things and they are grabbing and trying anything that comes their way, like children in a lolly shop... it is an exciting time but at stampede pace. For us, it was interesting to experience the reality of the marketplace for our industry. There is mass distribution or high end luxury, and the middle / niche / boutique / independent market is still just building up now.

By the end of this event we were quite exhausted but we were busting to hit the streets. We wanted to find real people and to see what was happening culturally and creatively... and to find local cuisine! We have one free afternoon and we were so happy to finally find some local talent on Taikang Road - some Shanghainese fashion designers with their own boutiques! It was a breath of fresh air. (We also ate vegie buns and traditional sesame biscuits, yay!)

Hi there Ann,

Your question about the design process having to include the satisfaction of the customer/client as well as the artist maker - it is something that affects all business people in the creative industry. It is difficult to balance creativity with financial survival. At the end of the day, no audience is ever entirely happy! It sounds a bit cliche, but we have found that if we stay true to ourselves, there will be people who appreciate and support us.

In regards to the Craft Australia / Department of the Exterior show - we are pleased to have Susan Taylor from Dept. being so enthusiastically involved in supporting Australian designers. She is great at extending her creative style to promote us all! Hooray for Susan!

Cheers!

The 'Expeditions 06' Jewellery and Object prize opened last thursday to a packed house. More people than I had actually anticipated came along to support friends and family of the participants, making it a long and enjoyable evening.
After much deliberation the prizewinners for the four categories were chosen and announced on the night.
So for those of you that would like to know those results, here they are:
Prize for contemporary jewellery, predominately precious metal -
Mei See Liang-Jackson
Prize for contemporary jewellery, predominately non-precious materials -
Anne Oberin
Holloware and Objects -
Daehoon Kang
Student Award
Brooke Crowe
Congratulations!...and thank you
The works will be on display at metalab until the end of November.

So the processing of most of the entries for "Expeditions 06' is complete. We've received 180 entries from all over Australia.
Gaida asked a good question regarding issues of quality and how Metalab will deal with entries that aren't up to scrtatch.
How do we let people down "gently" ?

Well generally speaking, leaving this particular exhibition aside for a moment. When asked to consider work for inclusion as Metalab stock, we ask artists to put together a a package comprising a current CV, artist statement, pricing and mostly importantly good quality images.
We prefer to have this package prior to making an appointment to meet so that we have ample to time to discuss the work and make decisions.
Now if we decide that a particular body of work does not fit our criteria or is not "up to scratch", then we can only offer suggestions and give critical feedback.
In the beginning I must admit to finding it very difficult in having to do that part of my job.
14 months later and many lessons learnt we realise the importance of careful selection.
Now having said all that, with "Expeditions" we will endeavour to be as inclusive as possible.
The project is an initiative of A&E Metal Merchants and it has been our collective decision to include as many participants that have satisfied our criteria for entry.
This is the inaugral A&E Prize so we eagerly await the outcome and will then evaluate the response from our visitors.
Regardless of all that, we are really pleased to be able to give an exhibiting platform to makers of varying experience and skill.
Opening night will be fabulous! with such a big line-up we expect that each participant will want to attend and also bring a few friends and family.
Here's an image of Diane. Liz and Nina sorting through some of the entries....and also eyeing off which pieces they'd like to purchase themselves I dare say.

A lot has already been written about "Freestyle : New Australian Design for Living" by my fellow bloggers and I can only echo their sentiments. It is indeed a fantastic exhibition. Congratulations to everybody involved in that wonderful project.
I also came away from the show completely inspired and now more anxious than ever to get behind the bench.
While I'm at it, thanks again to Phoebe and Blanche for taking time out for a chat and giving us some really great directions for getting around Melbourne.
Nina and I got to as many galleries as we could in our short stay. Firstly to introduce ourselves and also to learn from what other galleries are doing. Melbourne has what is seemingly a large metal and jewellery making community and are fortunate to have a handul of dedicated venues for the display and sale of said works. The galleries/retailers we visited each differ in their approach and concept and we came away feeling once again inspired and pleased to have made contact with some enthusiastic and like minded people.
For those of you looking for a gallery/retailer to stock with, don't be afraid to sit down and chat with owners. They are in a very good position to offer you advice about what their clientele is buying and you'll find it is in their interest to learn as much as they can about you and your work. The only other advice I would give on that front is ....present yourself in the best light.
That is, have a current CV, the best images of your work you can possibly get , work out your wholesale pricing, lead time if you're asked for commissions, packaging of work may also be a consideration. I am always impressed when I'm given a package containing all those things. An e-mail is a often a good way to introduce yourself but I would recommend making an appointment and meeting in person.
Thought I'd get in nice and early today and be sure that I beat the early bird deliveries. It's 6:30am and I feel as though I've already done a full days work. There might be something to be said about early starts.

It's not usual for us to be late to work but yesterday morning we flew back into Sydney and got to the Gallery by 11:30 (30 mins late) and gee did we cop it by an eager lot awaiting our arrival. I can certainly understand their point of view and take this opportunity to apologise to the few people we missed. Just goes to show that people do pay attention to detail so be wary.
All the fuss concerns the submission date for our next exhibition..."Expeditions 06".
All of those details will be posted on our site ...just as soon as we sort out a few tech. problems.
But for those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about...Expedition 06 is an initiative brought to us by A+E Metal Merchants of Sydney. We've collaborated to put together an exhibition of jewellery and objects. The invitation was extended to any person that had purchased an A+E product over the past 12 months and needless to say they have quite a comprehensive database. We have received approx. 300 "Intentions to Participate"!
It is our collective intention to be as inclusive as possible provided the work meets our loose criteria which means the exhibition will feature the work of practitioners at every level.
We are currently tagging each piece and creating a database so that all work is accounted for. Tomorrow begins the most challenging part (well for me , anyway) and that is to design a layout that will accommodate all of the works.
New display systems have been devised and are being knocked up in our spare time (just kidding) they'll get done.
Anyway on that note....

Hi again......Am writing this morning from the comforts of a hotel suite in Melbourne. There was a small window of opportunity to get away from Sydney (however briefly) before things really wind up with the end of year exhiibitions.
We've come down to meet with some of our artists, check out other galleries and enjoy the "State of Design" festivities.
Hi Gaida..Beta-testing is a term borrowed from the computer industry which simply refers to the "first" release of a product for testing.
Will post up a few photos a little later this afternoon ....

....and hi to everybody else out there.
Thanks for your questions and apoolgies for not getting to them earlier.
Before I get to them I thought I'd just quickly point out that we are opening another show on Saturday 7th October.
The exhibition of new works in Jewellery by Marcus Foley and Dore Stockhausen are inspired by serendipitous events.
So if you are interested in meeting the artists they will be present at our 'high-tea' event from 12 - 4pm.

In response to some of your questions....
I'll start with Reginas' question regarding how to start selling work in a global market.
Firstly I would recommend that you are absolutly certain of which market/s you intent on entering.
A quick SWOT analysis can help you determine holes in certain markets.
Listing your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats will force you to determine and document who you are likely to be competing against. And also help you formulate a plan of attack in entering those markets.

Armed with a good knowlege of your product and a very good understanding of your market, you can then begin to design a marketing strategy based on where you would like to position yourself, how you would like the general public to perceive your product and also on your financial plan.
All sounds a little daunting...I'm justing trying to highlight the importance of being prepared and minimising the margin for error.
Reaching a global market will entail making contacts that will have the means to distribute your work for you (at a cost of course). Agents or distributors are a good way to make good leg work in markets where you have little contacts.
Travel of course is a costly exercise, however it is perhaps the only way to seek out for ones self where your product could find some success.
There are numerous other factors to consider however this may be a good start and hopefully some food for thought.
I think that beta-testing your product in a local market is a good way to receive valuable feed-back, it will help you to develop a working methodology that suits you and will also help to hone your business skills.

You also asked what the first thing would be to do if opening a diamond jewellery store and also if makers would jump at the opportunity to stock with you.
Having a limited range of diamond jewellery, I can't really comment on how one accumulates a large range of diamonds.
I would suggest contacting a diamond merchant for more info on that front.

"If you build it, they will come..." . There is a good deal of truth to that old saying so be prepared to meet with makers eager to to show you their wares.
We made a few decisions on our stock before we opened and have added and substracted stock as we've gone along.
We, in the first instance contacted the people whose work we wanted show. We have since met with a number of people that have shown interest in exhibiting their work at metalab.
Since redesigning our space we are now able to show more work without cluttering the gallery.
We are now able to hold exhibitions and also maintain a full and complete range of stock.

Ann asked if has been difficult to balance the business of displaying and promoting other peoples work with making my own artwork.
Very good question, and I have to say that it has been very hard to make my own work at this stage.
I do make time everyday to put my own ideas for work down on paper. I have despite all of the demands of the gallery managed to make enough work for exhibition in early 2007....so I'll keep you all posted.
Commissions have also found their way onto my bench in recent times so that is another facet to the business that is actually on the increase.
Metalab Creative has been the perfect vehicle to offer my services to a broader audience and also to work closer with industry.
I have been asked to design exhibitions, Jewellery, provide props for conventions, graphic design and also drafting services.
I take each job based on the exposure that the gallery will receive. So far these ventures have been fulfilling however time consuming. The day to day operation of the gallery is more than enough for the two of us at the moment. Early next month we will however introduce a third member to our fold.
You were correct to say that we have tried different ways of reaching a broader audience. We are constantly meeting with potential collaborators and yes we do and must choose our collaborators very closely.
After our next show which opens this Saturday we then have a Group show in conjunction with Sydney based A+E Metal Merchants and then in December with F!NK & CO.
Making my own work has had to take a backward step whilst I put the finishing touches to our re-vamp. By the time I install and then bump-out these next couple of exhibitions we will be in a new year. I can then assign a few months to piecing together my own exhibition before we kick off our 2007 exhibiting calendar.
I am currently involved in a project that will bring together a few artists and designers in a concept Tea-house here Sydney set to open early January. I think I'll be more than ready for a few Christmas Ales whilst this project comes together!

We have done our homework and are constantly reacting to our customers needs and wants. we are in the best position to be able to do that and often we relay these wishes to our artists.
Metalab, as a space for viewing Contemporary Jewellery and Objects now has a more destinct seperation between stock and exhibition work. We impose our own requirements from our artists if they wish to show with us and we continue to cement our identity as a venue that exhibits well designed and made objects for a discerning market.
Showing the "right" work guarantees that we will attract the clientele we have already met and showing work that fits outside that scope attracts a different audience.
We welcome competition and are happy to work closely with other galleries to help promote the work of our artists.
We also have our own concept for metalab and artwork that in our opinion does not fit within our vision for the space we will have reservations in exhibiting.

Lastly, with regards to our website. It is an example of yet another of my attempts to save money.
I designed the site and with the help of a programmer and a photographer was able to put the site together quite cost effectively.
We've had the site now for just under 12 months and have learnt a great deal from it.
PLans are under way to re-design and simplify the site to make updating a lot easier.......more on that later.
thanks for the questions....see ya later time to take stella for a walk.....

Hello Rhonda!

Wow, you remembered our name from over 18 months ago? Exhibiting at Object Gallery was pretty much the start of this amazing ride we're on...wow 18 months has flown by! Thank you for ally our encouragement!

Great pic, where were you picnic-ing? Now that's what we wish we could do every evening, dinner by sunset...! Lovely :)

How did you go with setting up your website? It's definitely a good idea as it is so convenient now to have your portfolio online - anyone can look at it without obligation or confrontation.

Our website was a design collaboration between myself, Emma Davidson (graphic designer) and Jonathan Stilts (programmer). We wanted the site to retain an old HTML charm (no Flash) but still interactive. It took some time to set up. The process of hand illustration, then converted to vector drawings, working out the rollovers, colour changes etc... Emma and I illustrated the interface and Jonathan made it happen! They're an amazing team to work with. You can check out other great sites they've done - http://www.unconundrum.net/

Generally speaking, if you are studying media and design and/or find it easy to figure out programs then it is just a matter of having good design and practice. WYSIWYG programs like Macromedia's Dreamweaver and Flash (if you want more scope in interactivity and animation) are fairly standard but I'm a bit out of touch with new programs and tools for building websites. I think - keep it simple, easy to navigate and a good reflection of yourself...

Good luck with everything! Let us know when your website is live :)
(Rowena)

Hi Catrina!

Thanks for the great feedback regarding the Craft ACT/Department of the Exterior fashion parade. We're so bummed we couldn't make it but we saw some pictures and the presentation looked amazing! We are so lucky to have met Susan who runs Department, she is so thoughtful and creative and we're thrilled that her store represents our label in Canberra. With a name like "Department of the Exterior", how could you not be blown away by her store?!

(Angela)

Hi Tia!

Thank you for a great question.


Firstly sorry for such a delayed reply! You know that feeling of trying to run up a down escalator? Well that's what it has felt like for the last two weeks! No matter, that's the beauty of running your own business! You make all the decisions and are responsible for them too, none of that 'blaming the guy that works down the hall' business...:)

Yes, we love to tell stories through our clothes. I guess it's our own way of travelling without actually going anywhere, expressing our feelings without saying anything. Fabric is at the core of our designs (and our passion!) and as much as we would love to say that we swim against the current tide of fashion and trends, it is not quite that simple. If you were able to design and print all your own fabrics and perhaps live in a bubble, not being influenced by anything in your surroundings at all, then you would truly be considered completely independent of current trends. But we have to choose fabrics supplied by our suppliers, and they are highly influenced by current trends - colours, patterns, drape, fabric composition etc - and they then decifer this information and create the prints to offer their clients. Then we come along and choose the fabrics that suit our story, or build a story around the fabric we choose, then the fabrics are converted into garments.

I guess our 'resistance' of trends stems from the fact that we do not consciously look at other designs or follow the styles and colours of the season. We are fairly inward in our design process, especially because we live and work in Newcastle and we're not constantly exposed to the 'fashion world', so we tend to just look at our own personal environment and feelings to design our garments.

From a marketing point of view, it has worked for us most definitely. Perhaps it is because it is refreshing for people to see something different, not your usual one colour or one print garment. However the drawback is that we often don't fit in, which does happen to our label alot - hence the difficulty in finding stockists!

(Angela)

Hi again....and hi to Karen who put forth a few good questions.
I'll start by answering a few of them. As far as the contemporary jewellery market here in Sydney goes, it is small as you would expect but resilient and very active. We have received a warm reception by the those well informed on the state of affairs of the contemporary jewellery scene here in Sydney.
We expected a quick response from local makers and collectors, word of mouth ensured that happened swiftly.
The JMGA conference was also an important event that enabled us to showcase our intentions and invite people who hadn't visited us to come in and check out what we're about.
In terms of advertising the gallery, we've only experimented with two publications and are still reviewing the success of these ads.
We have been more pro-active in seeking editorials for our space and our artists. Targetting publications that reach a larger audience in what we deem to be our target demographic has brought us tremendous results.
Lifestyle as well as design journals both locally and abroad have until this point been our focus.
However we actively search other avenues to promote the gallery in order to reach those who have yet to hear about us.
Metalab Creative is the vehicle through which I can take some of our artwork to other venues and to that end gain a different viewership. In the past we have organised exhibitions and private viewings for some of our corporate clientele.
We are also working on another venture in which I will be working closely with a group of craftspeople to produce a range of objects for a new store here in Sydney. The details will follow shortly.
We have been methodical in our approach to gauging customer response to the gallery and the works we exhibit.
Change has been the best way to get a response from our repeat visitors and maintaining an open dialogue with them has given us an important insight to the needs of both our customers and our artists.
With regards to exhibiting at metalab, we do take submissions and our rates are negotiable depending on a range of things.
Please feel free to submit an enquiry directly to me.
I'd better get back to work or these new showcases will never get done.....cheers

Hi again Yumi :)
So, your questions again... and our answers following.

1. Who it is that you define as your target market and how you researched this market?

--> Target Market
Our designs are about us and our stories so we define our market as women who like our style and our stories. We have come to understand that we attract women as young as 16 and as mature as 80 but women aged 25 to 45 predominantly support us. However, it's all about wholesale unless you can afford to have your own stores... so, it is often that the retailer's market influences your survival.

--> Market Research (it's different for everyone, but here's our windbag version!)
We have been in business for 5 years, our label only for 2 years. Prior to any of this, we used to make a few things to sell in a local second hand boutique. Realistically, that's how it all starts - test the market first to see if there's anyone out there who loves your style and your designs and is willing to part with their hard-earned cash to own it. We just made garments we would wear and, with fingers crossed, hoped for an audience. There was enough of a response from blue-collar, surf and turf Newcastle to encourage us to keep going.
A year into our business, we decided to do the Glebe Markets in Sydney. Encouraged by another designer who was making ends meet selling her designs there, we were struggling to survive just selling to the Newcastle market so we took the plunge and did Glebe for a year. It was an excellent means of cashflow, market/product/price research and exposure. We met all kinds of people and, importantly, retailers. And so we started wholesaling.

--> How the hell do you target a market, we asked ourselves?! Needle in a haystack. However, we share a great passion for our business, we arm ourselves with information because we never think we can't do anything and we thrive on challenge. So we try to attend as many seminars, workshops, read more (talking books!), enter competitions, apply for grants, create projects, collaborate and so on. Being interested in things and consequently building networks and contacts has got us this far and the world is a big place with many more people! The best advice we were ever given was when we met Brian Parkes at OBJECT Gallery and he tells us, "Say yes to everything." We have for the last 2 years and are completely and utterly exhausted! but it has also gotten us a whole lot of attention, experience and alliances! - now we're doing this BLOG, next month we're going to Shanghai to do our first overseas show!

--> Clothes are clothes at the end of the day, there are so many ways a dress can be cut and only so many styles of pants that flatter. We asked ourselves, what makes us different from anyone else? Why would someone want to know about us and what we do? Why would they want to buy our style of skirt over someone else's? Anyway, we're happy to leave some unanswered for now! We move where and how the wind blows, we can't force people to want us... but we can sweep them off their feet ;)

2. In knowing this, how do you reach your market?
--> We reach our market like a snowball, rolling down mountain - gaining momentum into an avalanche, taking out a few innocent by-standers (ie. parents, partners, friends) then turning into water down a river (retailers), down waterfalls (media), into a busy harbour (our terrific customers!) then out to sea (general public), lightning, thunder, wind picks up speed (and a few new Mrs Woo fans?), rain, hail and snow falls and the cycle starts again... gee, what a ridiculous answer! but sounds about right, ha!

3. Also, i wanted to ask how High Tea is divided?
--> We are divided into entree, main course and dessert ;) The business is split equally amongst the three of us with certain focus on responsibilities each. For starters, Ange does crunchy accounts and small budgets, then Julse is in charge of our main course - a piece of retail store with julianned merchandising, peppered with accessories. Finally, Ro puts the icing on the website cake presented with catalogues and prints.

4. What is your organisational structure?
--> Everything we've done so far is with trial and error, we started our business backwards y'know - the shop first then wholesale. Now we want everything to stop for awhile so we can catch up with ourselves, take a few steps back - but if we swim against the current, we'll get too tired and drown. Anyway, we're trying to work out a system that will allow us the freedom to travel and study more. So we really are still figuring out our business and organisational structure. Throw in lots of commonsense and work on things until they feels right and comfortable, we can't go wrong! In any case, we work really close together so that each of us are aware of what's going on and are able to pick up each others responsibility/process if the need arises...

- - -

Gosh, we hope you can make some sense of all this! Seriously, Julse and I did marketing at Uni in our Graphic Design degrees and I did very poorly in the subject. Both of us disliked it immensely - but Ange is great at connecting with people (luckily at least one of us can!)... The "marketing" style that seems to be working for us is by word-of-mouth, we are often recommended to and by others. So we figure getting out there to meet as many people as possible is important. This is difficult for behind-the-scenes folk like us but it's a skill we are enjoying learning :)
(Rowena)

Hey Gaida!
When we are not fantasising about food, we are dreaming of eating something but in cinematic surroundings ;) Spiced with nostalgia, mystery, drama and travel - in a more romantic era definitely! We really do love to bake a good story, have our cake and eat it too! As you can see, we are quite adept at keeping ourselves amused. I believe this is how we keep from going insane - nothing glamorous about being a "fashion designer" at all... we live in a constant state of sleep deprivation and we work 20 hour days!
In answering your question - we name each garment in a collection with a title as though it is a chapter in a book or a scene in a movie. Each garment is titled according to where we imagine it worn by the character in that collection. With cult films on SBS late at night (or very early in the mornings, depending on which side of midnight...) and we have Asian satelite TV and The Young and The Restless in the day keeps us entertained while we work. Our love of travel, film and music is like that leaky tap, dripping incessantly and eventually overflowing! If we can't physically travel and then at least our imagination can, through our designs.

Hi all,
Thought I would start by telling you more about myself and metalab.
Having returned to Sydney after completing my studies in Canberra in 2003 I was forced as all graduates are, to contemplate a strategy to help kick-start a career for myself.
Sydney had just lost a gallery that was promoting contemporary craft and was about to lose another specialising in showcasing contemporary jewellery. Realising the significance of these losses, I shifted my thoughts from creating my own artwork to filling the void left by these closures.
The first thing I did was enrol in a short business course. In 8 weeks I had consolidated a concept, written a marketing plan, financial plan and decided that the business idea was worth pursuing. I found an ideal venue, spent a good while cleaning it up and opened for trade some 13 months ago.
I found the business plan an invaluable companion as it is always on hand to ensure that I don't stray too far from my original concept. Having said that, the plan is constantly updated to include new ideas and strategies to keep things fresh and to keep challenging myself.
Allowing for some flexibility in my concept has meant that I have been able to more precisely respond to the needs of my target market and also gain entry to new markets. The gallery has grown in size and I've added other facets to the business to allow for different streams of income and also attract a different viewing audience.
I now have a much better understanding of what the gallery needs to be and have responded by redesigning the layout for the space and rebranding, which includes new corporate colours, a new twist on our logo and a new website all of which will be launched very soon.
Physically remodelling the gallery is what has taken up most my time these last 3 months or so. We closed for business for 2 weeks and have only just re-opened this last Saturday. The fit-out is abot 90% complete now and has made a significant change to the overall sense of place.

So that should bring you up to speed as to my current activities....I have bunch of other exciting things happening and about to happen but you will just have to keep checking back to hear about them...in the meantime how about some questions...

Hi there Yumi :)
Yes, we design through stories and they are usually fueled by issues, events, someone, something (etc) that are affecting us at the time we start to think about the next collection! Business and pleasure are one and the same for us so we're constantly absorbing everything around us and channeling it through our wares... so the answer is - yes, stories inform our creative process. However, we didn't set out to design in this way to interact with our audience. Somehow people started to relate to something in what we're doing and luckily, it has kept their attention! I think we're easy to remember because, not only are our designs highly identifiable, we're THREE Asian sisters... from our observations, this appears to be strangely magnetic. I guess there's something about family businesses that have some kind of old-fashioned charm (but not that charming when you're actually part of that family, ha!)

Speaking of magnetism, we've had the pleasure of meeting a few of your lovely peers from CIT at the Young Blood Markets and Danielle who won the Department of the Exterior competition :) You guys rock!


Rowena Foong

Hi there! Anyone care to start with a question?
Yes, it's almost 3am Saturday morning and we're still working. No rest for the wicked...

We are three sisters, Rowena, Juliana and Angela, working together as a design team who run the label "High Tea with Mrs Woo". We design and make women's wear which is currently represented in about 17 boutiques across Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Our close working relationship means that we experience a range of different dynamics.

We have stories and experiences to share with craft practitioners and students looking for some honest answers to some business questions, and we love to hear other peoples' stories about their encounters, adventures and ideas!

My name is Cesar Cueva. I am a metalsmith and the director of Metalab Creative Pty Ltd. I trained as an industrial designer and more recently in Gold + Silversmithing. In late 2004 I established Metalab as a means to begin promoting my practice. Given that I have established different facets to my practice, you can expect to be updated on the progress of not only the gallery, but also my production and consultancy as well as the development of my artistic practice.

When approached to be part of this project, I agreed with no hesitation and look forward to sharing my experiences with others.