Amelia Adey
Loss Prevention and Compliance Manager KOOKAI
We pride ourselves on providing a unique in-store customer service experience
The KOOKAI Australia and New Zealand story began in 1992 when Parisian label was introduced into the lives, and wardrobes, of the Australian women. Through its 37 boutiques across Australia and New Zealand, KOOKAI offers a unique shopping experience with a simple concept of fashionable, high quality pieces at accessible prices. In conversation with Fibre2Fashion, KOOKAI loss prevention and compliance manager Amelia Dey discusses the brand’s journey, supply chain, sustainability, and much more.
How did KOOKAI start its garment manufacturing journey? What factors have majorly contributed to its success?
KOOKAI was originally founded in Paris in 1983. However, the Australian chapter of the KOOKAI story started in Melbourne in 1992 with the opening of our first boutique on Chapel Street. Initially, we were importing product from the French part of the business, but quickly moved to designing and manufacturing our own product to tailor it to the Australian customer. We opened our own factories in Fiji, and subsequently Sri Lanka, which produce the majority of the KOOKAI collection. This vertically integrated model allows us to take a design from concept to finished product in an extremely short timeframe, which allows us to be quick to market, release new styles into stores weekly, and make changes to our collection mid-season in line with trends, demand and market conditions. We also have more control over quality, as well as environmental and ethical standards.
What is the company’s current size and scale? How many people are employed with you? Where are your global footprints in the world?
We manage the global business out of our Melbourne headquarters, with global offices in France, Fiji and Sri Lanka. Our business is currently focused on Australia, New Zealand and Europe, but is rapidly expanding in terms of our bricks-and-mortar stores, digital presence and our wholesale network.
How does your supply chain network work? What regions of the world are part of your supply chain?
Each piece in our collection is designed in Australia, with the majority of these styles then produced in our own factories in Fiji and Sri Lanka (currently up to 85 per cent), with raw materials sourced both locally within Australia and globally. Specific components of our collection, such as footwear, accessories and knitwear, are sourced through third parties across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
What percentage of your sales is through online channel?
During COVID-19, our online sales grew to almost 35 per cent of total sales and has stayed fairly consistent.
How strong is the brand’s online retail approach?
Our primary focus has always been our bricks-and-mortar locations, as we pride ourselves on providing a unique in-store customer service experience, so we foresee a lot of room for opportunity to expand our online presence. We are working on exciting new ideas for KOOKAI in the digital space to bring more elements of our in-store experience online.
What is the USP of your products?
As a design-focused business (rather than development focused), we aim to offer customers styles that are unique and released in relatively limited quantities, as retaining an element of exclusivity to our brand is something our customers seek out. For this reason also, KOOKAI products in Australia and New Zealand are only available within our own boutiques and online stores. We’re also extremely focused on quality, and producing garments with longevity and versatility.
Which are your major international markets?
The EU is our main international market, and is served primarily out of our office in Paris. We’ve recently started expanding the brand’s presence in Asia and have plans to expand into new regions throughout 2022 and beyond.
Now that there is a gradual recovery from the pandemic, what are the consumer engagement strategies and innovations you are engaging in to enhance the shopping experience of consumers?
We are really focused on the use of data and technology to enhance the customer experience. Our primary focus is stock availability, leveraging on our partnership with Avery Dennison on our RFID project to be able to provide our customers with an endless aisle. Closely tied to this is introducing more delivery and distribution options to get product to customers when they want it.
Transparency, sustainability, and circularity are all key buzz words today and critical to the health of the planet. How does KOOKAI check all of that?
We have a dedicated Ethics & Sustainability Committee that is composed of representatives from all departments to ensure sustainability is at the forefront of all business decisions. Each year we have participated in the Baptist World Ethical Fashion Report, which we use as a benchmark to assess how we are performing in this space. We are aware of the garment industry’s role in championing change, and are continually assessing our supply chain and processes. We are excited to again partner with Avery Dennison to assist us in improving our supply chain visibility.
Do you see an increase in sustainable and conscious living among brands and consumers amidst the pandemic?
We felt the demand from customers shifted during the pandemic from sustainable choices towards a desire for convenience and affordability. For business and consumers alike, the pandemic evoked a sense of survival, and took away the luxury of choice in some circumstances. We have no doubt that the consumer focus on sustainable and conscious choices will return with a sense of normalcy.
Is it true that brands are not fully embracing sustainability due to the high costs involved? What is the way out?
Traditionally it is more expensive to use sustainable materials and ethical processes, however as a brand we’ve always prided ourselves on the high quality of our raw materials so the shift to using more sustainable materials has had a negligible impact on our costs and therefore on the selling price of our products. In order for sustainable options to become more affordable generally across all product types and industries, the demand for them from customers needs to be there, as well as the willingness to make that investment.
What are the new products/additions you plan to bring into women’s apparel?
We love the idea of bringing more of a ‘lifestyle’ element into the KOOKAI collection, with an expansion of the breadth of our product offering rather than depth, with new product types to complement our fashion and accessories range.
What is next on the cards for KOOKAI? What new announcements are in pipeline?
In the near future, we’re looking forward to continuing to expand our retail network in Australia and New Zealand, as well as exploring new opportunities for the brand globally.
Published on: 12/01/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
