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The year 2020 marks the celebration of 30 years of business, knowledge and friendship sharing for the Fashionline Group.
It’s almost ironic that the 30th anniversary gala for Fashionline has been interrupted by the COVID-19 global pandemic, because looking back to the very early days of Fashionline, it was the pilot strike of 1989, severely disrupting domestic air travel and making a significant dent in many businesses, that was the first major challenge for the group.
Luckily, for Fashionline’s Life Members, John Wood, (Wagga Blinds & Awnings), Ray Watson (Watson Blinds, Canberra) Joe Turner (Image Blinds, Brisbane), Bruce Hemment (Decorama, Tamworth) and Ray Chatterton (Creative Blinds 2000, Ballina), most of whom have now retired from their respective businesses, it was only a momentary glitch.
The late ‘80s were a different time for business owners and for the industry, with no internet, hardly any ‘ready-mades’ and limited access to products and suppliers and in some cases pricing that added an additional challenge. Frustrations with supply and pricing within the Australian Market compelled John Wood to come up with an idea, an idea that got him to pick up the phone to his mate in the industry, Ray Watson. Ray and John had met a few times previously at trade shows, and being almost ‘neighbours’, they had kept in touch.
Ray Watson recalls that phone call as an initial turning point.
“We didn’t know exactly what we wanted to create, but we knew we wanted to talk to some other business owners that were having the same challenges as we were, and maybe we could start a buying group, or some kind of group of business owners to get together and gain some power with suppliers and may be even look at bulk buying to support our businesses.”
Soon there was enough interest to schedule the first informal meeting of the yet-to-be-named buying group. These early meetings were held in Randwick in Sydney. When the airlines had recovered from the pilot strike in mid-1990, it was time for the first official meeting, held in Port Macquarie, NSW. “From those first informal get-togethers, we gained lots of interest, both from people that attended, and then the additional businesses that we met as a result of these connections.” Ray Chatterton was one of those members that came to the first meeting as a result of an introduction.
The Independent Home Improvement Group began to form, and in those early days was a purely volunteer group with the business owners, mostly young men with wives and small children, using their own time and business resources to gain traction for the group. With many of the original members coming from “down south”, the warmth of Queensland in winter sparked the idea for the Annual General Meetings to be held in places like Surfers Paradise, Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays, so members had a chance to “defrost and recharge”. In fact, the week-long trip away for the AGM became an annual treat for members and their families, and is where many lifelong friendships were born, and still live on today for people who may have even retired from working life.
As the group gained momentum with members and suppliers, they began to branch out, and moved to a more marketing-friendly name, Fashionline. Ian Hay had joined the group, and according to the early members, had two unique talents – marketing and choosing the best restaurants! But it was the marketing skill that the group was seeking, as a way to develop the Group brand and name within the industry. Fashionline became the trading name, and members were encouraged to add ‘Fashionline’ to their buildings and materials to grow the value of the brand.
To also have representatives from Hunter Douglas (Ted Madazac) and Uniline (Christine Brown) coming together, was unheard of previously.
Keen to try the next challenge, negotiations were made by John Wood, who worked with Carmello Luciadi, the owner of a company named Sbriggs, one of founding companies for what we now know as Rollease Acmeda, and an order was placed for a 40 foot container of vertical blind componentry. This, together with the forming of a partnership with Bradmill Textiles, and in particular Bob Needham, National Sales Manager, showed the industry that Fashionline meant business.
Up until this time blind makers dealt with canvas wholesalers, so it was unprecedented that Fashionline was able to deal directly with a canvas manufacturer. Bradmill gave the group great support, including developing a new product, Insulcoat 2000, the only insulated awning fabric available on the market. Then jointly, a Tartan acrylic fabric was developed, which was also a first for the market. The strong affiliation with Sbriggs and Bradmill put the Fashionline Group on the road to success.
From these victories, many new projects were put together by the group. From developing a canvas insulated awning product that was unique to the group (and that may still be hanging on awnings in Canberra) to a custom designed vertical track, Fashionline began to build its own brand of items for its members that were just not available from other sources at the time.
The group also used its group funds and resources to pool together and produce brochures and magazines, at a time when printing was cost-prohibitive to the average independent business owner. “But as a group, there were enough people contributing to make sure we got the best bang for our buck,” says Ray Chatterton. “Even TV advertising was done as a group, as there was enough distance between members that competition was not an issue.”
“We even could afford a colour logo for Fashionline,” says Joe Turner. “In the old days this would have cost a fortune, but as a group it was achievable.”
But the key drawcard for the group was the face to face meetings. “The information sharing and product knowledge within group has always been one of the most valuable parts of Fashionline. And a key part of working together and sharing information has been the lessons and help from visiting other member’s factories,” says Ray Watson. This has become part of Fashionline’s tradition. When the meeting is held in a city with a member, that member will often host members for a tour of their factory and showroom.
A recent tour was to Clark’s Blinds and Screens in Melbourne. Brothers Luke and Glenn Vandeligt joined Fashionline in 2017, having purchased the business in 2012. Luke and Glenn opened up their new renovated facilities and used the knowledge they had gained from others at Fashionline meetings and tours, including tips on showrooms, manufacturing systems and procedures. When asked what feedback he got from the Fashionline members when they, in turn, visited his new factory in 2019, Luke said: “It was really humbling to show industry veterans around and have them commend us on the flow and cleanliness of our facility. We felt very proud at what we had achieved and thankful we had been able to tap into the knowledge of the group”
Another pair of recently joined members are Bronwyn and husband Jay, of Ede Shade Solutions, in Townsville, Queensland.
Bronwyn Ede-Mansbridge is a fourth generation blind manufacturer, starting in the family business straight out of school. Now the first female director of the 100+ year old business, she reflects on why such a firmly established business would want to be a part of Fashionline.
“We were stuck in a rut and were not growing anymore,” she says. Joining Fashionline in 2016 has exceeded their expectations, she says. “We have increased our range of products and doubled revenue with our new found knowledge. However, the networking with other like minded professionals has been the biggest advantage. It’s through this networking that we have also branched out to participate in more industry events, such as trade shows, which have also opened our eyes to new ideas and ways to grow our business.” Bronwyn and Jay are active members of Fashionline, participating in the Training Committee and Board respectively.
Today’s Fashionline is led by a Board of seven directors, all with established businesses across Australia.
“These days, we see Fashionline as a broader, business development group,” says Travis Davidson (Davidson Blinds & Shutters, Ballart, and a member of the Board). “The knowledge of the group, and the strength and longevity of many of the businesses within Fashionline allow for open knowledge sharing on both blinds manufacturing and general business sense. As a group we are seeing more of a push towards using technology in business and marketing, especially now with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Fashionline still holds regular meetings three times a year, with the Annual General Meeting held mid-year. “This is one of the traditions the group always sticks to, the mid-year ‘thaw’ for the southerners,” says Adrian Moscheni of Straitline Blinds, Darwin (also a member of the Board). “I was thrilled to play host again recently in 2018 for the Fashionline AGM, with our Mini-Expo & Gala Dinner. Our Expo-format for Suppliers and members was a great success and filled our Greek Community Hall to the brim. The gala dinner was a fantastic night held at the renowned Pee Wee’s on the Point restaurant.”
“The relationships and value of working closely with some of the industry’s leading suppliers are among the key benefits and accomplishments of the group that I can see,” says Mel Brice of ABC Blinds in Perth, who is also a Board member. “Suppliers know that Fashionline will always provide valuable feedback on products, supply and what we are experiencing with customers and at the ‘coal face’. We may also ask for the best price, but we do our utmost to back that up with value and sales in return. The fact that they can get feedback from a single source, but many different businesses in size, scale and location is of great benefit.”
So what does the future hold for the group? As this article was being written, Australia announced the economy had entered recession, mainly as the aftermath of the COVID-19 disruption begins to settle and people find their feet again.
“There may be some tough times ahead for businesses that may have already been struggling,” says Adrian Moscheni. However, he adds that the travel restrictions for COVID-19 have seen an increase in customers deciding to spend their ‘travel money’ on improving their homes, a trend that looks set to create opportunities for well positioned businesses.
“I guess now they have been stuck at home, customers have finally got the time or space to invest in their surroundings. How long this will last is anyone’s guess, we are in uncharted territory, and no previous trends or reporting will be able to predict the coming months’, comments Dyson Wood, of Scorpio Screens and Blinds on Queensland’s Gold Coast, who also sits on the Fashionline Board as Vice Chairperson
“As a part of a subgroup within Fashionline that also offers a wholesale range of ‘readymade’ products, we are seeing changes in the industry that are pushing more for independent businesses to have ‘buy-and-install’ type businesses, rather than the traditional manufacturing style business,” adds Wood. “This has seen more businesses able to get started more quickly due to less cost and structure; it’s an interesting development within our industry, which has traditionally seen businesses operate their own factories and manufacturing. As an industry group, we need to consider that the future of Fashionline may need to include these businesses that are solely retail operations. We also see that this business model can be of great value to the group and to those businesses where we can empower them with knowledge and skills, in return for new customers for the group and its suppliers and manufacturers.”
Taking the reins of Stan Bond SA from his father David, Andrew Earles sees a bright future for Fashionline. “Customers want both the service of local independent family companies, along with the quality, range, systems and marketing of national companies. Through Fashionline we can have the ‘best of both worlds’, that is the ability to run our businesses to the standards and style that suit our local market needs, but also use the power and structure of a group business model to be successful the way only bigger brands or chains can be. By working together we can share the costs of large investments in online research and advertising, and apply them to a local level”.
“Spending time with business owners that are open to sharing this knowledge and driving their businesses forward, also inspires our business to push forward and be a leader not only for our region, but within the industry itself”, comments Andrew, a Fashionline Board Member.
2020 sees Fashionline celebrate its 30th year with 30 members around Australia and New Zealand, and five members recognised as Life members for their contribution to the group and industry as a whole. Fashionline is spread across both countries to encourage open sharing and collaboration within the group and at meetings. All members are currently retailers who manufacture some (not all) products that they supply to customers. The group enjoys partnerships with many key suppliers. Income raised from the members and suppliers is reinvested into training, marketing, promotional and technical projects for the group.
