March 2017

26 APAC / March 2017 , 1702AP35 A Dedicated Follower of Fashion Perri Cutten, is an iconic fashion house that has been dressing stylish Australianwomen for over 35 years. The designs offer timeless appeal, incorporating classic styling, magnificent fabrics and superb cuts. Perri Cutten founded the company in 1981 and have become one of Australian’s most respected fashion designers and businesswomen. The collection is available in over 30 locations around Australia, from selected Myer and David Jones stores, stand-alone stores and online. Perri Cutten’s signature label exemplifies smart, styled and high quality fashion that continues to reflect the customers’ needs. The range has evolved to offer a modern classic look with an element of contemporary design enabling the company to attract new customers and reflect ‘on trend’ looks. The mission of the company is to always listen to the customer about their ever-changing needs but also to inspire them. To achieve the outcome, the company has a disciplined business approach and committed to presenting high quality garments offering good value. As well as the quality of the garments, customer service is highly attuned to the needs of the customer and is one of the key attributes of the company. When starting a new Collection, customers’ needs form the foundation of the range, with trend interwoven throughout. One of the key factors differentiating Perri Cutten to other brands is that we source the best fabrics globally and are proud of the fact that 75% - 80% of our product is manufactured in Australia. The company has a small group of makers who have been working with the company for many years. Perri Cutten continues to be recognised with the Ethical Clothing award. Fashion in Australia is becoming increasingly difficult with the influx of International brands. Perri Cutten continues to focus on the company’s core values, and the customer who is 30 years or older. This continues to set us in a different age bracket, compared to the many other brands that are new to the Australian market. The other key point is the quality and the time the company takes to produce the product. We are not ‘fast fashion’, indeed each garment has taken more than two months to produce. The fit of the garment is the number one priority and that focus has continued to set us aside. With an ever-increasing Asian market and in particular the Chinese customer, the company has introduced smaller sizes to meet the needs to this growing market. In recent years, Perri Cutten has also been available online. This has been a positive platform for our customers to research product they are searching for, as well as a valuable tool for overseas and Australian customers in rural areas to make a purchase. Within the business, there is a unique culture. People are the priority and the creative team have been working together for up to 18 years. This has enabled a very strong and consistent level of understanding about what outcomes are expected. The office is left in an ‘open plan’ environment to ensure conversation and direct communication is never compromised. The creative team collate a simple and very effective manual of product information to the retail staff. As well as this we have set times throughout a fashion season, where workshops or conferences are held to continue to give the staff the tools they need to achieve a high level of customer service. Over the next five years, Perri Cutten will continue to build on the already strong base the brand has, fine tuning areas of the collection to meet the ever-changing customer needs. We continue to raise the level of brand awareness and the images that are used in any advertising medium, but ensure what is portrayed is a true representation of the product available. The focus will be to continue to offer timeless, refined luxury, that is good quality, good fit, at reasonable prices. The online business is a growing area but we are still very much focused on maintaining and nurturing the customer service aspect of the business. The Perri Cutten website has given us a way to tell our story, not only in words but also visual. It is also an effective tool for Perri Cutten to sell product to customers who are not physically near a store location. The Perri Cutten brand was established to cater for the businesswomen who wanted well designed clothing, made with quality and to have consistency. We still keep this as our prime focus and recognise that our customers’ needs change. Time and time again, people comment on the company for the level of happiness and engagement of the people employed across the business. There is very much a ‘family’ feel about the business and a sense of humour is never too far away.