NEWS
Sundog Eyerwear reports that Sundog wearers Hunter Mahan and Mike Weir tied for sixth and eighth, respectively, at the British Open.
Padraig Harrington wears Hi-Tec shoes en route to British Open victory.
Puma signs José-Filipe Lima to an endorsement agreement. Lima will wear Puma Golf apparel and selected accessories -- like the leaping cat logo on his belt -- on course.
Bette & Court introduces its 2008 spring collection to 25 U.S. sales representatives as well as its international distributors.
Q-AND-A
Marje Helfet and Annalisa Sullivan, Fairway Skins
Marje Helfet and Annalisa Sullivan established Fairway Skins in 2005, looking to fill a hole in the golf apparel industry with a line of elegant, leather women's golf gloves in a colorful print. The Kentfield, Calif., company started small, merging Helfet's business and sales experience with Sullivan's artistic vision and apparel industry background. Though the business partners want to be successful, of course -- an original goal was to land on the cover of Fortune magazine -- they didn't want runaway growth to turn their lives upside-down, either.
"We thought we could fill a niche in the women's golf world and still have much needed time with our families," said Helfet, the company's 54-year-old CEO. "So far we have been successful."
They are excited by the company's growth to date, having introduced a new floral pouch in January and expanding their sales through resorts, private clubs and golf communities. "I think we both see now that the fashion aspect of women's golf can support much more," said Sullivan, 50, Fairway Skins' artistic director/production manager. "It's not as conservative as I expected."
They both recently spoke with Apparel Wire correspondent Megan Jones about the company and its future.
Q.: Why start a company like Fairway Skins?
Helfet: We noticed that women's leather gloves were particularly boring. There were just five or six different colors with no design on them. The gimmicky gloves existed … but no quality glove with anything elegant on it.
Also, we are two mothers who had retired from their careers many years ago and were getting quite bored.
Because the golf industry is a friendly and fun industry. People who play golf really love it. It's what they "treat" themselves to, for doing all the other not-so-fun stuff they have to do. As more and more women are taking up golf, and fewer men seem to be finding the time, there's a whole fashion trend evolving: fashion with a purpose, targeted to women who generally have very good taste.
Q.: How is the company doing?
Helfet: We are quite pleased with our sales to date. Our learning curve continues to look like the beginning stages of a Challenger launch -- straight up. Marketing, advertising, product development, hiring sales reps, compliance, managing inventory, etc. are all pretty new to us. As we become savvier our sales continue to expand. All in all I think we are doing very well.
Q.: Where are your products sold?
We seem to be doing well in the resort market, as a point-of-sale gift item. We're a perfect gift for men to bring home to their wives from their "guys golf vacations." Other significant sales have been for tournament prizes, because we're new and unique and all about golf.
Helfet: To date our biggest markets have been resorts in Hawaii, private clubs in Southern California and upscale golf communities. The remainder of our customers are really scattered across the country, as well as parts of Europe and South Africa. Gift shops have also proven to be valuable customers.
Q.: The company started by offering one product: botanical print gloves. This year you added a new collection of floral pouches. Do you plan to continue to add to the Fairway Skins line?
We have started small because we're just learning the market. We want to make sure we can walk before we start running. It's our goal to add one item at a time, and to change the images printed on the products seasonally. Marje and I come up with new ideas all the time, and we can't wait to try them. We just don't want to get ahead of ourselves.
Q.: What are some of the obstacles?
I think it's getting our product out there. If people see and touch it, they understand it and like it. My biggest obstacle on the production side has been getting the quality of the image reproduction right from the factory. They've gotten it right finally, and it's easier to really stand behind our product.
Helfet: Budgeting our marketing dollars and finding good sales reps have been our largest obstacles. We were very lucky in that we found a manufacturing company who has held our hand through the entire process from production to shipping and customs. We also located a wonderful public relations person who has been in the golf business for a number of years and helps to steer us in the right direction. Strategizing as to when and how to allocate marketing funds has been a process. Finding good sales reps has been difficult. Our line is small; consequently gross sales are small compared to other major glove companies.
Q.: Is it harder to break into the woman's golf niche, or into woman's accessories in general? What specific challenges are associated with selling a line that targets women?
We are using women's accessories to break into the golf industry, and the niche happens to be a perfect fit for us. We "are" our target market and our timing is good. Women, golf and fine accessories put together make our entrée easier.
Helfet: Actually, we are finding that many golf shops are realizing that women's needs must be addressed. I would venture to guess that if a survey was taken, 85 percent of a golf shop's inventory is for male consumption. More and more women are playing golf. Women love to shop. Women also care about how they look. If the merchandising person in the golf shop is a woman, we have a much better chance of making the sale.
Q.: How important are internet sales?
We are not sure yet. Our website (www.fairwayskins.com) serves us more by letting people see our line. We have been reticent to sell our products online, other than on our own site, because we don't have enough employees to do a big volume of drop-ship orders. I think it will prove to be something we can't avoid as we grow.
Helfet: Internet sales are very important for a number of reasons. Internet sales mean that people are seeing our gloves/pouches and care enough to look us up. Our product is being seen by people who can't find us locally therefore word of mouth is spreading. Most of our sales are wholesale to shops, clubs and resorts. Internet sales are done at the retail price with no middleman.
Q.: What are your goals? Have they changed?
Helfet: Both Annalisa and I value our time spent with our families. Our goal was to start a business, land on the cover of Fortune magazine and get taken over by another company for a huge premium within three years. However, we didn't want to work 10-hour days. We wanted to create a quality product that was in demand and satisfy a niche in the market place. Our goals haven't changed.
Our original goal was to do botanical prints and then maybe butterflies, coral, etc. on leather, focusing on the art as the main design element. … We are much more interested now in coordinating with other lines, to complete their fashion statements. Color and fashion are key.
|
