Interview - Benah Part 2

Brenda with her equally talented partner
Ben Briand 

In Part 1 of my interview with the lovely Brenda Harvey we learnt about her background and what inspired her to start her own label. In Part 2, Brenda tells us about some of the challenges of working in a competitive industry such as fashion.

6. You have chosen to produce your pieces in Australia. Why have you decided to do this, and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing so?
All our leather pieces are 100% Australian Made. This has been a conscience decision from the beginning. Starting off as a small business it is important to set the standard you believe in and be consistent. I have a wonderful relationship with my craftsmen, who hand cut and hand make each bag, belt and so on. 

Having pieces produced in Australia allows me to control the quality, remain exclusive and produce smaller runs for my boutique clients. For me the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The only thing being that 100% Australian made is reflected in the price, but you get what you pay for. I make it a priority that my pieces are accessible, and that you are getting timeless quality and great customer service. 

That said, I do have pieces that are produced off shore by specialist crafts people that specialize in their fields. All our cashmere is woven in Mongolia by a company that only deals in Cashmere yarn. The Scarves are made in a factory that only produce scarves. They are experts at what they do and this shows in the finished product. I am very quality focused and love seeing the finished product I am proud of.

7. Focusing on the business side of a label is essential to achieving success in a competitive industry such as fashion. What have been some of the major business challenges you have faced since starting your own label?

Everything is challenging when you first start out. But I have been lucky to work in the industry for a number of years so have learnt from others mistakes and gained from some amazing experience. 

The new Benah Nico bag

Some of the biggest challenges have been stock standard business 101; managing cash flow, sustaining growth, meeting demand. Challenging but overwhelming, things that come hand in hand with being a small business owner. Also having a baby 11 month ago certainly came with its challenges but my little girl Milla makes every day more wonderful so I wouldn’t have it any other way.

8. You have decided to focus on expanding Benah into Europe and America. Why have you chosen to target these particular markets?
Exporting has always been a part of the bigger plan. I think it helps to build brand awareness here in Australia as well as opening you up to a much bigger market. As previously said, with the digital age well and truly here to stay, reaching a global audience is much easier than it use to be. The Benah atheistic seems to resonate with the European and American market so it seems like the logical step. We have also started exporting to Japan this coming season.

9. What do you believe are the major issues facing up-and-coming labels in the fashion industry today?

People have to remember that they are small business owners and that this will take up 90% of their time, the other 10% if you are lucky will be designing. Every business decision that you make in the formative years will impact on how creative you are able to be in the future. Sustaining growth and managing cash flow are basic business skills but can sometimes be overlooked in the creative fields. Believing in what you are doing and having faith in your decision making can be hard when starting out so it is important to have a great support network who believe in the project as much as you do. Australia has some of the best support systems for young designers so if you don’t know how to do something or are just unsure, get an expert into help.

Staying true to your vision and making sure you are customer focused is important. You can produce the most amazing collection in the world but if no one is buying it than you may not be able to produce the next.

If there is one piece of advice I continue to give, it is to always appreciate and respect your staff. Without them, the day to day running of your business would be very very hard. It is easy to lose sight of this when you are all working so hard. But remember, to them it is just a job so give them a reason to make it more than that.

10. What do you have planned for Benah over the next five years?
So many things! Benah has just been signed to an amazing PR agency in LA so the next 5 years should be action packed. Exciting collaborations, bigger collections and more of the same. It makes me excited just thinking about it!

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Thank you Brenda for taking the time to give us an insight into the challenges of starting a label. It sounds like Benah has a lot of exciting projects in the works and I look forward to following your success over the coming years and seeing more of your beautiful designs! All the best!

Check out Benah's website here.

Follow Benah on Facebook here.

Follow Benah on Twitter here.

Check out Ben Briand's fantastic work here.

Images courtesy of http://blog.thedepartmentstore.co.nz/

Interview - Benah Part 1

After working for two of Australia's most popular fashion labels, Lover and Kirrily Johnston, the talented Brenda Harvey decided to channel her energy into creating her own line of luxury accessories under the label Benah, her childhood nickname.

Stocking in boutiques such as Incu, and online stores such as My Chameleon and The Department Store, Benah is quickly gaining in popularity.

After catching my eye with her Kodi Mini Bag which is fast gaining cult status in Australia and overseas, I wanted to learn more about this talented designer and her experiences in the fashion industry.

1. Benah is your long term passion project realised. Why did you decide to pursue a career in fashion?

I always knew that I would work in a creative industry, and that I always wanted my own thing. Working in fashion was a natural progression of things that just came together. At school I was drawn to graphics and architecture. Even today if I wasn’t working in fashion I think that I would be an industrial designer. Moving to Sydney was a big turning point for me and opportunities came my way, which made the dream of having my own brand more of a reality.

2. You have decided to focus your label on accessories such as beautiful scarves, belts and bags. What was your decision behind doing so?

I come from a garment background so accessories were not the obvious choice. The more I thought about creating my own brand the more it just felt right. I love accessories and the freedom they allow you to have. From a business point of view it was something I could produce at a certain level of quality while still making an accessible product. 

3. What are some of the things that you have discovered in your nomadic upbringing that have inspired your designs?

I think travelling a lot even though you tend to be surrounded by people, can be quite isolating. I learnt from a very young age that it was ok to enjoy you own company and essentially be alone. It taught me independence. Growing up in the country you really needed to make the best of what you had. You are definitely your most creative with limited resources. This has come in very handy when starting a small business! My upbringing has shaped me as a person and defines my creative process, which in turns flows into the design of each piece.

4. You have collaborated with your partner, film-maker Ben Briand for your SS 09/10 campaign Castor & Pollux and your SS 2011 campaign Living/Light. How did these collaborations come about and how have they helped your brand?

I really encourage and enjoy the collaborative process. You learn more when you are open with your ideas and share your knowledge and experience. I once read that the more you’ give away’ the more comes back to you. I really believe in this.

Ben is a very talented man and also my future husband so I am very lucky indeed. I love all the films and imagery we have done together and even looking back on it now, being a few years old, I still love them and they don’t feel dated as a lot of other fashion imagery does. It has given Benah a point of difference, which is very important in this industry.

5. You have a Facebook page for your label and you have an online store for your products. Why do you believe it is important to have an online presence for your brand in this day and age?

These days having a digital footprint isn’t so much an option it is a necessity. You connect with your customers directly and you are able to foster a global brand. There are no boarders, time zones have no meaning and the seasons are all blending into one.  As online shopping has firmly cemented itself as the next retail frontier, keeping up to date and being relevant is so important. It’s a big wide world out there with so much potential. The possibilities are endless.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this interview!

Images from Benah's You Promise Me collection taken by Ben Briand:

Images from http://thebenah.com.au, http://stylemeromy.com, Brenda Harvey

Désir du jour - Benah

Today’s désir de jour is brought to you by Benah, created by New Zealand born, Australian based designer Brenda Harvey. Her brand is a favourite of model Agness Deyn as her luxurious items are quickly becoming a staple on the New York fashion scene.

Benah prides itself on combining hard elements with soft elements, for example sharp prints on a soft silk scarf. When asked to describe the brand, Harvey states, “Benah is a person, it can be a place, it can be a mood. I don’t see it as a finite, tangible thing necessarily. This is exciting fashion to me, as the possibilities of what Benah can and will be should traverse traditional boundaries.”

With my love for red, I just couldn’t go past this Kodi Mini Leather Bag. Coming with shoulder strap, this simple but luxurious design will be a timeless piece for any woman’s wardrobe. This bag was described by Agness Deyn as “teeny but kind of fat and chubby so it’s even cuter than a baby koala”. How could you go past a bag with a description like that! Also available in black and olive, you can purchase this lovely bag from Benah’s online store for $470.

With all Benah products Australian made, she is definitely not only a designer to watch, but a designer worth supporting.


Information sourced from http://www.thebenah.com and http://theportableagency.com/2011/02/naag-loves-benah/