Kiwi fashion brand poised to expand after Japan move
Jenny Drury’s five-yearold fashion label Ketz-ke is now stocked in six countries, including Japan. Laura Walters reports.
NEW ZEALAND fashion label Ketz-ke has continued its overseas expansion by moving into the Japanese market following on from success in Australia and North America.
Aucklander Jenny Drury set up the womenswear label after the birth of her son.
Ketz-ke, the name inspired by a United States’ street label, is now stocked in 90 stores in New Zealand and in more than 230 stores spread across Australia, Rarotonga, the United States, Canada and now Japan.
Drury says it took two years to crack the Japanese market.
It is vital to find the right distributor, she says. It also took a while to gain the trust and loyalty of the local people she works with.
However, Drury has done the groundwork and expects the brand to grow ‘‘significantly’’ in the Japanese market during the next year.
The Japanese people love that the clothes are from New Zealand and they embrace Ketz-ke’s baggy style, she says.
Drury has been living and breathing fashion since she left school at 17 to manage a clothing store.
After working as a retailer, sales rep and then a designer, Drury decided to set up her own business, which trades under the eight-year-old company Jenny D Agencies.
Drury originally set up fashion label Isaac under Jenny D Agencies but re-branded and revamped the company five years ago to Ketz-ke.
The Cambridge girl grew up on a farm but never planned to take up farming. Instead, she picked up on her mother’s passion for clothes.
The design and wholesale company was a bit of a family affair with Drury working alongside her sister. She employs several parttime staff when things get busy.
Drury will not say how much the company generates in sales, but they have grown between 10 per cent and 30 per cent each year since launching its first range in 2008.
Despite the success of the company so far, Drury does not have plans of global domination.
‘‘My goal is to grow in the exciting markets we have.’’
She has no plans to open bricks and mortar stores. However, Ketzke launched an online store in August to help expand the brand. Why did you become an entrepreneur? I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny. What have been the biggest obstacles in running your company? You probably work the hardest you ever have in your life. You can’t run away from it and it’s very difficult to switch off. Name one thing you’ve learnt while in business and from who? I’ve learnt you can’t please everyone. What are your business and personal goals? My goal is to be as successful as I possibly can. Do you have any tips for budding entrepreneurs? Don’t be afraid to make the move to work for yourself. You will never look back but do be prepared to give up a lot if you are really serious about making your business a success. What have you sacrificed to be an entrepreneur? Time is probably the biggest sacrifice. I do miss out on a lot because I am working, but then again, I love what I do so I never feel hard done by. Are you prepared for failure? I have a saying: ‘‘Failure is only for those who stop trying’’. I am an optimist and failure is not an option. What would you do if you weren’t running your own business? I would be travelling around the world What do you do in your downtime? I run and go to the gym. I also like to catch up with girlfriends for a coffee or wine, it’s great therapy. If you were an employee rather than running your own business, which company would you want to work for? After owing my own business, I don’t think I would want to work for anyone else again. Do you think businesses should ‘‘give back’’ to the community? I’m a firm believer in what goes around comes around, so a big yes. Where is your favourite place to relax? Anywhere that has a deck chair, crystal blue water, no shops and beautiful weather. What is one thing readers would be surprised to learn about you? I was brought up on a pig farm.