Fashion goes

to the dogs
Business partners Erin Hassall and Jane Francis have launched
a new designer pet wear venture that, considering New
Zealanders' love for 'companion animals', is a dead-cert for
success. Glenn Baker goes behind the Chinchilla brand.
Daisyboo, Chilli, Fraggle, Leo - the
topic of conversation when I meet
up with Chinchilla's Erin Hassall
and Jane Francis is understandably
those cute and cuddly 'fur babies'
that an increasing number of
Kiwis are pouring their hearts, and
considerable expenditure, into.
According to The Companion
Animal Council 2011 survey, almost
70 percent of Kiwi households have
at least one pet, and 29 percent of
households own at least one canine
companion. Pet ownership here is
higher than any other comparable
country and we spend more than
$1.58 billion a year on our little
darlings.
Erin and Jane both come from
commercial fashion industry
backgrounds. Originally from
the South Island, they met while
working in Auckland 12 years ago
and stayed good friends and work
colleagues within the fashion
industry. Erin is 'mum' to Chilli,
a Foxie cross, and has fostered
Fraggle, "I'm attracted to strays,"
she laughs. Jane's dog, a cheeky
little Griffon named Leo, was a
birthday present last year, and
was instrumental in starting the
business.
When it was time for Leo to go
walkies, Jane discovered a distinct
lack of fashionable, high quality
dog collars and leads to match her
designer bags and shoes - as well
as no designer kitchenware for the
doggie treats, bowls and feed mats
to complement her home interior or
stylish blankets for her car.
A glaring gap in the market had
been exposed. Erin and Jane went
to work for most of 2012 designing
a range of products. Chilli, Leo and
some other canine chums were
hired as product testers, and the
Chinchilla website went live early
this year.
So when they were at fashion
school did Erin and Jane ever
imagine they would end up in the
pet accessory business?
"When I graduated in the late 90s
there wasn't as much of a dog craze
as there is now," says Erin. "My
family and friends aren't surprised
that I have ended up with a pet
business, I have had dogs for about
ten years; my first dog was a tiny
1.5 kg Chihuahua. She has passed
away, but was super spoilt and
went everywhere with me. We now
have a rescue from the pound who
we think has the largest amount of
collars, beds, toys and clothes than
any other dog in the world, and of
course the most adoring parents!
That's what we tell her anyway!"
Jane tells me she has had a fear
of dogs most of her life after a
Golden Lab defaced her pixie doll
when she was two. "My family still
can't believe I have a dog let alone
have built a business around them.
Family and friends in the South
Island find great humour in the fact
that Leo goes to day care a couple
of days a week, and my husband
limits his overseas travel so he's not
away from Leo for too long.
"Scepticism is still rife from
many people regarding a luxury
brand for pets, but this only fuels
16 NZB November 2013 nzbuslin'ss.co.nz
B I Z / I C H I E V E R S Y
E rin H assatl (left) and Jane Francis.
our desire to prove them wrong
with our success. There is also
confusion with the term 'pet wear'.
People think that we are selling frilly
dresses for animals; but that is far
from what we are doing."
The business is still young, but
there have been lessons already.
"From our initial research prior to
launching we almost missed out on
some market share with imported
pet homeware products. We thought
this area was already saturated,"
recalls Erin. "Customer feedback
led us to develop this area ofthe
business and it is has become
the fastest growing for us. It's a
reminder to always be flexible and
able to change tack quickly [in order]
to achieve our company goals."
Chinchilla has an online retail
store and wholesales to upmarket
vets and boutique stores (such as
Remuera's Hedgerow).
"Most of our marketing budget is
spent online," says Erin. "We ship
all over the world so we need to be
targeting international customers.
Boutique dog accessories have been
really
popular overseas for a long time
now, and it is growing here with pet
ownership Increasing.
"In New Zealand we are careful to
align ourselves with business that
complements our brand. Branding is
so important; we focus a lot on that
to ensure we keep our standards
high."
Erin and Jane have joined
a cluster group through NZTE
consisting of other pet businesses
with export potential, and are
tapping into 'New Zealand Made'
resources (the leatherware is made
in New Zealand). The main export
targets are Asia and the US - and
the options either to use a third-
party logistics provider or appoint
distributors in each market and
have a stronger brand presence at
retail level. But it's still early days
forthat decision, and Erin and
Jane are determined to get their
export business model right before
committing.
Playing to their strengths
Having known each other for a long
time Erin and Jane believe they
know each other's strengths
and weaknesses
and that they
complement each
other. "Generally
we are on the
same page but
sometimes one
of us has to be
reminded of our focus,
or we talk to work out the
best option for the business," says
Jane.
As Chinchilla evolved they had to
clearly define their roles to enable
efficient time management. Erin
looks after online business, social
media, and New Zealand production.
Jane travels offshore to visit
suppliers and source trims etc, and
manages the finance and costings.
"As we both have strong
backgrounds in sales we have split
our stockists between us so we
each look after a certain number,
but we always know where each
other is at and can step in at any
time," says Erin. "We design the
range together and approve samples
together.
"Any areas that are not our
strengths we outsource to ensure
that professionals from these areas
are doing the job well," she adds.
"We are constantly networking.
For us great communication and
frequent meetings are essential.
Being friends can make time
management more difficult, but
we try to ensure meetings are
structured and discuss what we
need to; then chat and socialise
afterwards."
Jane has other business interests
with her husband, but has employed
key staff and implemented systems
so that by the end of 2013 she will
be fully focused on the Chinchilla
brand.
Erin still works two days a week
in fashion retail, but is also pulling
back to concentrate purely on their
business. By this time next year they
hope to be in export markets, have
a higher local retail presence - with
a longer-term view of their own
flagship store in Auckland.
That should set a few more tails
wagging!
Glenn B aker is editor of NZ B usiness.
H e wrote this story while babysitting
R uby, his daughter's Pekinese/
Pomeranian cross.
NZB November 2013 nzbusincss.co.nz 17