TRIMAPEE – BIRTH from TRIMAPEE on Vimeo.

 

From humble beginnings in a concept store in Fitzroy, Trimapee is now touted as one of Australia’s most celebrated and fashion-forward labels. TWR caught up with dual force Mario-Luca Carlucci and Peter Strateas to hear about being a niche brand (and being really good at it), going international and everything in between.


Those people who know about stuff like concept stores in Fitzroy and underground Australian fashion label origin stories will know that Trimäpee started life as a men’s only brand selling their wares at a little concept store in Fitzroy called The Milk Shoppe Gang. And those with a wider knowledge of concept store spaces will know this one was pretty unique – do you think the store itself is essentially an extension of the brand?


Yes definitely. The store, like any other facet of the company, is essentially an extension of the brand. The best part of having your own retail space is being able to present the collection the way you envisage. The space – like each collection – alters and changes to suit the mood or the story being portrayed. Consistency is key for any brand – anything with your name on it, from the garments, to show music, models, and even staff, speaks for the brand. Therefore every process in our business is thoroughly thought out.

 

After closing down your concept store in Fitzroy you packed up and moved to the city, establishing two stores in Melbourne’s CBD. Why the big move? How influential do you think location is in terms of customer demographics?

The main decision to re-locate was growth. Our studio was located on the first level in Fitzroy, and when our lease expired we felt it was a good opportunity to move into a bigger space. Change is always good. A new space gives you the chance to start fresh, creatively and physically.

We were crammed in a small room, where our cutting table took up most of the space – we now operate out of our manufacturing factory, which has ample space! We chose the CBD as we felt as the label was evolving, so was our customer. The city undeniably has much more foot traffic and brand exposure, so on a business level, this was a smart move. Location is everything in terms of customer demographic. And while our more loyal fan base didn’t seem too upset by the move, it also gave us a great opportunity to expand with new customers.

Like many wholesale businesses, we found it difficult financially to continue to sell the range and retrieve funds from stores. So a few seasons back we made a decision to stop wholesaling the label locally, and focus our attention on our own retail and other projects – expansion overseas, for instance. This is not to say that we will never wholesale locally again. We are content with how business is doing for us at the moment, so we are not hungry to place the label in other stores. Exclusivity also helps tremendously as a selling point.

 

Your PR agent is Melbourne based photographer Jamie Wdziekonski (www.ohjamie.com) whose audience is orientated around Melbourne’s creative/underground party scene. Do you think this somewhat dictates/limits the brand exposure?

Jamie has taken on the role as Online PR and Communications for Trimapee in-house. Peter and myself still handle majority of the PR requests, however we felt it imperative for the growth of the business to push our presence online. Rather than simply relying on his audience from his own blog he has developed new relationships, strengthened current relationships and continues to push personal expectations and tasks we set out for him.

Our most recent online campaign was working with our fashion film “BIRTH”. In the first week alone we received staggering reports of 40,000 downloads and the film itself being posted over 20 local and international online publications and blogs. Like the brand itself, Jamie’s demographic is niche and definitely not mainstream. Our aim is not to reach the masses. So as our relationship grows, as the label grows, so will our audience. So no, I think the brands exposure has actually developed since Jamie has joined our team, and hasn’t been limited at all.

 

You’ve talked about Trimäpee being a niche brand – what are the advantages and disadvantages of having such a distinguishable product and audience?

With any niche product, the main disadvantage is demand, which as a result affects any company financially. Advantages are having creative freedom, pushing personal boundaries, staying excited and enthused and the chance to refine your art and vision seasonally. The biggest challenge is to stay commercially viable as a business – making the pieces you love vs making pieces that can sell. Not to say that the pieces we love don’t sell – it’s just trying to find a balance between the two. A huge advantage is each piece is recognizable in it’s own way, this makes it stand out from others.

 

It’s said that Australia being an island country is very unique when it comes to all things creative. Do you think this has changed much with designers and consumers being Internet savvy and having 24/7 access to what’s going on in the fashion industry around the world?

Yes definitely. The Internet brings the whole world to your fingertips. The latest seasons looks and collections from Paris and New York, to brands you may have never heard of. Social networking is changing the way people communicate, therefore the way information is being communicated too.

Once upon a time you needed to be in the front row of a show, or invited to see a collection exclusively, whereas now due to the Internet, you can see any collection only moments after it has come off the runway. This means two things for the industry: 1. the internet can be a great tool for communication, reaching a global audience at a next-to-immediate rate; and 2. the romance and exclusivity is lost, lending itself to a huge array of problems from counterfeits to competition. This has had a huge influence on Australian fashion. What was once considered a surf and beach culture country is now producing some amazing talent which can sit next to some of the worlds leading brands.

Locally, we still have a long way to go to educate our consumer, however internationally a spotlight has been put on Australia in recent years. Is the Internet changing the way Australian designers design? Yes. Now not only competing locally, Aussie designers are stepping things up, and having the means to do so, by “checking out” what the world has to offer.

Trimäpee is available online through The Grand Social (www.thegrandsocial.com.au) which only stocks Australian and New Zealand brands but ships internationally. How important do you think it is in this day and age to have an online retail presence?

Online sales are imperative to any business. As I mentioned, the world is at your fingertips and vice-versa. So you are potentially opening up your business not just to local dwellers, but also to a world stage. Online in any sense is the way of the future that is why this realm is so important to any business – established or emerging. Even if you look at some of the world’s iconic brands, they are all making the move online. The problem with this is that anyone with a laptop can operate an online store – therefore the competition becomes fierce. So although online is the way of the future, innovation is still key.


What countries are your pieces being shipped to? Have you noticed a pattern – and if so, why do you think that is?

All over the world – throughout Asia, Europe and the States. Sometimes you find a really obscure country where you never think your product would end up. There is no real pattern as such, basically just as your brand becomes more popular or the awareness raises, so do your orders.

Trimäpee is yet to expand their brand significantly overseas. Has this been a strategic decision not to? Do you think it is important for designers to get global exposure, particularly given the effects of globalization? What factors do you think designers need to consider when launching their brand overseas?

Introducing a brand into any new market basically means a fresh start, from marketing and PR exposure, to shows and events, then to the buyer. All buyers, no matter what country they are from, are following the same formula. So before you can find yourself sitting on their racks, you need to build a strong foundation. Typically you only really have one shot to make it happen, so you want to get it right. We have held off in the past due to this reason. We wanted to perfect our product, make sure our quality and fabrications were at the standard they needed to be, and be confident in our manufacturing capabilities, which all occurs locally.

One bad season, or one bad production run can tarnish any relationship with a store or worse off, consumer. We are now pursuing the global market as we are at the right stage in our business to expand, and are in the right frame of mind. My only advice to any designer, is to be prepared – don’t get too excited and move on all opportunities. Sometimes it’s better to wait and attack when the time is right.


How important do you think industry support is when it comes to emerging designers breaking into international markets?

It is very important, but not crucial. Obviously any support you get from the Industry – local or international – will always boost your profile, or perhaps jump you to the front of the cue. However, if you have a good product and a strong vision, if you are being innovative and are determined, things will happen for you eventually. And when things do begin to take shape for your brand, it is amazing the amount of support that comes out of the wood works!

You guys a renowned for your strong design philosophy. While this makes Trimäpee a success story, do you think this may need some change when trying to enter a broader international market?

Yes and no – you will always have two sides of the gun. One, where consumers / buyers / press etc completely understand your vision and support it, and the others who don’t understand the vision and just want nice clothes. Like anything, it’s about creating a good balance without compromising your vision too much. Hopefully for us, our philosophy becomes a selling point like it has locally. So far, so good.