Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Pashmina colours for life

The warm weather is starting to leave us so soon we will be looking to pull out our winter wear.  Now is a great time to import clothing for winter.

What advantages do you have?

You know what is coming into season -  If you haven’t been looking at the recent catwalk events promoting winter fashion then go and do it now.  It shows you what colours and style trends are going to be big in the coming season.

Of course you will get the best value and profits on larger quantities and a larger range but don’t think that you have to start out with a whole clothing range.  For your first order you might only pick a small number of items and start there.  Jackets in a couple of different styles and perhaps  pants and a couple of shirts maybe enough to start with.    That will give you some variety of look when you put your displays together.

When selecting your products it is easiest if you work with one manufacturer so don’t create a line that needs knitted garments if you also want to import leather jackets.  One manufacturer may not be able to work with both materials and if you use different factories be prepared to to accept a minimum quantity at both.

Sizing can be complicated as there is no standard measurements.  You know yourself that a size 10 in one brand might fit you beautifully yet in another is too tight.  As this is your own label you can set the sizing.  Show the manufacturer similar garments in the sizing you would like.

Importing winter fashion is not difficult.  It is really exciting seeing your own creations come to life.  Don’t forget that we are always here to help you get started in import.  Have a look through our estore and grab a copy of our helpful books.

Happy Importing

Are you looking for a fun product to import?  Why not start your own business importing children’s dinnerware?

Children love bright, colourful plates and mugs and they love the clever little characters that often decorate their dishes.  Let your artistic side out and create your own designs.  Not artistic?  It doesn’t matter because there is a huge range of products to choose from.

Children’s dinnerware is usually made of plastics or melamine.  You don’t have to import the standard mugs and plates.  Look for colourful bowls of different sizes, egg cups, plate and cutlery sets or even tea sets like Mum and Dad use.  There are lots of possibilities.

There are some international safety standards in place that your products must meet and they may be checked for chemicals in the materials used as well as suitability of the product for little children.  If you are designing your own products remember that they will be used by little hands with little fingers.  Keep an eye on safety standards.

Children’s dinnerware is inexpensive and very lightweight so it won’t cost you a lot in freight.  You can make a good profit in this business while still having all the fun of the children’s colourful products.

So, what will it be?  Plates, bowls or mugs

Happy Importing

When I think of travel I first think of bags but it isn’t always the lack of luggage that causes problems for travellers. Sometimes it is the lack of basic necessities especially when travelling off the beaten track.

If you are looking for products to import why not think about travel towels?

Modern manufacturing has produced some wonderful materials that are highly absorbent yet very small in size. These materials make excellent travel towels. Just think about micro-fibre cloth and how much water it can absorb despite its size. Wouldn’t they be perfect to pack for your holiday or camping trip? They would be great to take with you on family trips to the local pool or even for sports people to throw into their bag when they head out.

You could have travel towles made in different colours or sizes for different purposes. Create a travel wallet that has a towel included. Design a clip on purse big enough to hold the towel and clip onto a beach bag or laundry bag so that it doesn’t get lost. Create a range for children featuring cartoon prints or a range that will fit into a handbag for that unexpected night away from home.

Travel towels would be very handy on long overseas trips but just as useful for daytime family outings. Choose your market and create a range to suit. Add some fun and spice to a very useful product.

Happy Importing

Importing fashion is a great opportunity for anyone in Australia to consider.

With the import tariff down from 17.5% to 10% how can you resist. There are constant free trade agreements coming into place with many countries around the world such as Thailand that make it easy to import from.

Looking at fashion the options are endless; you can import things like ;

• tshirts
• hats
• boardshorts
• kids clothing
• baby clothing
• pajamas
• underwear
• swimwear
• theme fancy dress for kids and adults
• ski gear
• work clothing
• wedding dresses
• formal dresses
• christening gowns and more

The options are truly endless. When importing clothing it is great to have your own brand to add to your imports. This helps you stand out in the crowd when you go to sell your goods in Australia. Packaging can be fun to. It is so cheap and easy to make a gift box with your logo to put PJ’s in or a cute give away draw string bag with your brand on it for underwear, even a branded beach ball to go with swim-wear.

Clothing importing has a few restrictions such as quantity and sizing to be aware of. The cheaper and simpler the item the greater quantity you will be asked to buy from the factory. Not always the case but very common. Swim wear uses so little fabric but the fabric mill requires a big purchase to make your original fabric so this is something to think about in advance. No problem if you have good capital backing though.

Sizing is so varied throughout the world and unfortunately in Australia we do not even have a sizing standard for clothing. We all know the  8, 10, 12, 14 etc sizing but the actual measurements of these can vary dramatically from brand to brand and store to store. This is something you can dictate when you order your fashion from overseas – the sizing. Best thing is to get a set of sizes of similar clothing to yours or patterns and send to your factory.

Do not get caught thinking you must have samples or patterns or designs even before you can start. Really all you need is an idea !

Lets talk fashion – we have much experience in fashion importing and look forward to sharing it with you.

Kind regards and happy importing

Have you seen the look for the winter season?  It is quite retro with its short, shaped jackets, leggings and high heeled boots.

What do I like?  The boots!

The gorgeous shoes in this picture are from the Myer winter fashion collection.  Just look at those heels!

If you keep watching the fashion trends throughout Europe you will be able to see what styles are coming our way in future seasons.

That gives you a head start when it comes to designing shoes for your own label.  You want to be ready to offer the same style boot that is on the runway for Australian fashion shows.

There are so many styles you could work with.  Retro, diamonte, studded, classic, bridal,military, evening, punk… the list goes on.

Look for what is coming, think about what really appeals to you in a shoe and combine them both into a style that is uniquely your own.

If you know what you want then start now while the Aussie dollar is still strong and the import duty has been lowered.

Don’t forget to check our estore for some helpful ebooks on importing.

Happy Importing

Design and Import PU Handbags

As you know, I have a weakness for Versace handbags b,9ut I am also quite picky about the style of my bag. Don’t you hate it when you hunt high and low for the perfect bag and you just can’t find it? The chances are that if you can’t find the perfect bag then no one else can, either.

The best solution is to design your own style of bag. You don’t have to use expensive materials like leather. You can work with PU leather, which is a great material that looks like leather but is actually synthetic. It is widely used in the making of bags and footwear and can simulate leather, patent leather and even crocodile skin.

With PU leather the design opportunities are amazing. Think about the style of your bag. How big, what colours, how many pockets, internal or external pockets, what colour hardware….? There are lots of ways to individualise your bag. Try adding a signature element like a logo on the outside or printed into the zip tag. What about removable flaps or expandable bases as unique design elements? You can let your imagination run free when you are designing. Think of everything that you would love to see in a bag and add it. Once the manufacturer sees your design he will be able to tell you what is possible and what isn’t, but don’t limit yourself before you even start.

When I find a bag that I love I want to buy it in a whole range of colours, so think of me. Don’t just go for black. Try reds, plums, tans, even metallics and animal print. Look overseas on the catwalks of Paris and Milan and see what colours and styles are coming into fashion and have them ready for our season.

Importing in bulk and selling locally has always been a profitable venture but in the current market the profit margin is huge. Combine the wonderful exchange rate with the fact that no duty is payable on PU goods and you have a highly profitable business just waiting for you.

You know, I think I would be happy to have a wardrobe full of bags. I am sure I can find an excuse to keep them all.

Now, should we talk about purses?

Happy Importing

Jolt Consulting

Visit our ESTORE for importing howto products…