Australian INfront

Tash Sefton has been working with the General Pants Group for the last ten years working in the development of vertical brands within the organization.

Tash started in the industry after completing a 3 year scholarship studying fashion design at The Whitehouse School. Her first job was doing production for Ben Sherman when the short sleeve “slim” fit shirt was the must have fashion item for men. Tash then began working for Dolina, a large organisation which developed brands for Myer and David Jones.

Tash then moved onto the General Pants Group with a focus on developing their in house or vertical brands and growing their product offer. Her extensive knowledge of trend forecasting and research, sourcing, design and manufacturing product in price pointed high volumes has seen the General Pants portfolio of in-house product become a huge success. Starting with small local production runs and then moving to overseas production to meet the demand and the growing need for margin. Her department has grown significantly and extends from apparel to accessories and footwear.

Tash is an industry leader when it comes to fashion forward speed to market designs and plays a central role in the progression of the style savvy youth market.

http://www.generalpants.com.au

The senior women's buyer for General Pants provided sound advice on creating a commercially viable product and achieving success with buyers.  Natasha delivered a concise and productive speech which encompassed the reality of becoming a fashion designer which is far from the glamourous world that is presented in glossy fashion magazines.

Natasha made the point that ultimately, fashion is about selling clothes and not about what people see on the catwalk. Designers need to begin with an end point in mind, paying particular attention to who the audience is. Designers need to look for a gap in the market, create a customer by creating a specific personality to create for and then define their brand positioning.

Successful designers straddle a fine balance between the commercial and the creative and striking that balance involves paying careful attention to their work.  Designers need to ensure that the work that they present to buyers is carefullly audited and that the emotional connection to any particular pieces is removed, to ensure that  each collection is an adequate representation of their brand and the story being communicated.  Designers also need to ensure that they are up to date, having spent a significant amount of time researching production, manufacturing and also what is happening in the design world around them.

Natasha also provided detailed information about dealing with clients. Potential buyers need to be researched before making contact and simple details such as learning names and the products they supply, make a difference in ensuring that a designer makes an impression.
Designers need to ensure that they treat potential buyers repectfully and remain diligent in following through with queries, without stalking their clients.