Physical Address: Christchurch. Due to earthquakes and kids, we're working from home - hope to change this situation soon! A larger warehouse would be nice.
Operating Since: 2010
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| Brian and Agnes McLintock |
What are you all about?
We are two lovebirds that met, married and are living happily ever after. The happily ever after includes three little ones under 5, a clothing line (that's Tava!) and all kinds of wild adventures as we try new ideas and strive to balance all that. Busy but fun times!
We didn't wake up one day and decide to start a fashion line, we fell into it and have gained momentum, enthusiasm and a genuine love for what we do. We're always awed at the response we receive from Tava's customers; we're so blessed to have this support!
What kind of clothes do you make?
Wearable, versatile and happy clothes! Versatility has always been important for us - why have a simple skirt when it could be reversible. (One sleepless night also brought about the Tava 4-skirts-in-1 concept.) We love strong bold colours and having spent years wearing black pants and tops, I know how fun it is to finally get some colour into one's wardrobe! We work hard to make all our designs very wearable, yet very feminine. (Excluding the menswear, of course.)
Tava also realises that most women don't feel comfortable forever tugging their skirt down or tugging at cleavage so we try to eliminate those issues in our clothing. Life is too short to be wearing clothing that doesn't work for you, or makes you look like everyone else!
Who makes your clothes?
It depends on how big a run we're doing. There are a couple of factories in Christchurch that we work with; smaller runs are cut in-house - these are sewn by a team of seamstresses who work for us almost full-time.
Who sells your clothes?
We have some great stockists, mainly in the South Island but also in Australia. We'll be announcing some new stockists with our new Tava summer range too. We also sell directly through selected events (e.g. Hamilton Field Days this year).
Can we buy them online?
Yes, our online store can be found at www.tava.net.nz if you don't have a stockist in your area.
What price range are your clothes in?
It varies but the Tava range is approx $89 - $200, mostly around $140. Our girls reversible skirts are only $45 and our popular merino gloves are only $39.
Why do you think NZ clothing labels outsource their manufacturing overseas?
It's simply cheaper. The mark-up on NZ-made goods is tiny, especially compared to imported goods. It's mostly a matter of labour rates, of course. NZ-made fashion isn't an easy or high paying industry and we can understand why many go overseas. It's very tempting.
What could the Government do to help clothing labels keep it in NZ?
I hate to say it but possibly look into whether minimum wage increases actually help people (great if they do!!) or whether they just increase inflation and therefore make things harder for the manufacturing industry when competing with the international marketplace. (At Tava, we pay quite a bit more than minimum wage but of course every wage goes up with the increase; meanwhile the Chinese stay just as cheap.) Would be an interesting study. We could be wrong, of course. (Would prefer to be wrong in this case!)
General help and support (not necessarily financial) for small business would be super and it would be good if the public realised how important it is to keep New Zealanders in skilled jobs. I would rather be buying select high quality NZ-made clothing than paying for cheap imports & then consequently higher taxes to support our skilled workers who end up unemployed for lack of jobs. Having said that we do believe the Government is there to govern and not get involved in business too much. An encourager and supporter but not a player. It would also be great if there were more MPs that had a working understanding of small business ;o)
Anything to add?
We are always excited by blogs such as this and people that believe in NZ-made & will walk the talk and fill their wardrobes with NZ-made things. I get excited every time I recognise a NZ label being worn so if you're wearing something made in New Zealand and find some random couple smiling at you, it's possibly us!
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