The land of Oz

Love From Australia was launched in 2003 by business woman and mum Tara Knapp, then 33 and pregnant with her second child. Originally set up alongside a Melbourne-based partner, the concept was to discover great iconic fashion products from around the globe, give them a design twist and launch them on to the UK market. It started with a trip to Australia and the discovery of the sheepskin boot that has been worn there by surfers since the 1960s. The timing was perfect, happening just at the start of the Ugg craze. A factory was found and the Love From Australia concept was born.

Tara, now a mum to five, is joined by her two sisters, Emma who handles all financial matters and Kate who runs the sales operation. There are six other permanent members of staff based in the UK and the company PR, Leah who works from her home in Barcelona. Tara talks to us about the business...

How were the initial products developed and what was the response?

We started life producing all the boots by hand in a small ugg factory in Melbourne. The first customised design was the Venus ? a tall wrap boot with metre long binding style ribbons which tied around the leg. The response was phenomenal. We sold them in bright contrasting colour combinations ? one of our boutique stockists, Cricket in Liverpool, sold baby pink with fuchsia ribbons and sand with lurex gold ribbons! After the collaboration with Matthew Williamson we added Cupid and Gypsy Stud and developed more variations with jewels, faux fur trims, studs and more ribbons.

In 2005 the Nomad was produced - a tall luxury sheepskin design with metal eyelets holding the long ribbon laces up the front of the boot. Sienna Miller bought a pair in a trendy boutique in Notting Hill just before she left Jude. Her picture was in every national paper and magazine for weeks all while she was wearing her Nomads. The phones rang off the hook and the waiting lists ran into the hundreds.

What challenges were overcome when the company was first starting out?

In the early days the biggest challenge was establishing the brand as an alternative sheepskin boot to the American giant brand Ugg. We were helped by some great directional buyers in the early days who saw the brand's potential as a more design-led and feminine option. We soon made it into the shoe departments of Harrods and Selfridges and stocked the shelves of influential boutiques like Cricket in Liverpool.

In Australia ugg is a generic word meaning `pull-on sheepskin boot′, but here Ugg is a registered brand name and there was often confusion as people mistakenly thought that all other sheepskin boot brands were "copies" rather than alternatives. We were also miscredited a lot - a celeb would be papped in a pair of Love From Australias and the magazine would credit Ugg.

Now it's different - uggs (small u) are a wardrobe staple and there are many different brands in the market place. And that presents a new, more current challenge which is to maintain our position as a premium brand and keep a step ahead of the growing competition.

What sets Love from Australia apart from its competitors?

Our longevity - we are one of the longest running luxury sheepskin brands alongside super-brand Ugg and the big mid-brand Emu. We are definitely the longest running British-designed niche sheepskin brand.

Our originality is also vital - we design everything ourselves and focus on what works well in our medium, which is Grade A, twin face sheepskin rather than trying to harness trends and shape them into a sheepskin boot.

I have a major bug bear with the number of new "designer" sheepskin brands popping up who have simply taken a selection of styles from across all the other sheepskin boot brands and stuck their own heel branding on. There is not a jot of originality in sight and certainly no "design" in the designer.

How important is the location and history of the company to its success?

Very important. We are a British company - most people assume we are Australian.

The Australia part of the branding is a credit to the origins of the little sheepskin ugg boot and a reference to the source of the best sheepskin in the world.

We are based in the UK, a great fashion nation, in Northampton which is historically a shoe town. The UK is our primary market although we are growing in Europe and have plans to expand to the international market.

We produce the boots in China in small regulated factories where every pair is hand finished. The Chinese get some bad press but they are a great race - they are quick to the markets in Australia to scoop up the best quality sheepskin and were putting the specialised equipment in place to enable them to produce today's shape of ugg boot long before the market even knew they were a trend phenomenon.

How has the product offering changed over the years?

The biggest change is the move towards a more tailored shape. We have always used a more feminine shaped sole and slimmer cut leg than the more traditional sturdy ugg look. Recently we developed a range on a lightweight suede covered wedge heel - for women who want the comfort and warmth of sheepskin but aren't comfortable wearing flat shoes. There are a lot of brands who cover their boots with prints and studs and over-trim. We are keeping the designs simple, classy and wearable but with the trademark Love From Australia twists clearly recognisable.

How often does Love from Australia launch new lines?

We are a winter product and as such only produce one collection per year for the autumn/winter season. More recently, to keep the shelves looking fresh and interesting, we have added a second deep winter collection (faux furs and accessories) and party collection (crystals and prints for the festive season). Many of the classic designs have been in the collection for five or more seasons and are still selling well. For the first time we will offer a spring/summer collection for 2012 at Pure in August, 2011.

What are the current best-selling designs?

Currently our new cuff style wedges like Roxanne and Nikita are selling the best in the wholesale market so we will back that up with our photo shoot and advertising campaigns for autumn/winter 2011. The campaign theme is undercover, spies and espionage - think secret agent chic meets Jackie Onassis glamour.

The flat sole designs being picked up by retailers at the moment are the Foxy zip and the latest version of our best seller Cozi with a oversized fairisle star knit. The campaign will follow on from the success of last season?s Fallen Princess theme - the styling looks so beautiful in the stores and ad campaigns.


Which trade shows prove most successful for Love from Australia?

In the UK, Pure is very successful for us. We decorate our stand with swirly gold wallpaper and our gorgeous lifestyle images, fill it with samples and serve cava and chocolates all day.We also do two trade shows in The Netherlands which work well for us. We tried Bread & Butter last year and had probably the best fun yet - but it's too big a show for us and we can't really compete in the "who can build the biggest stand out of the maddest materials" competition.

When was the website launched and how does it support the business?

The website was launched at the same time as the business. It's a shop window for the consumers and leads them to a stockist as we do not sell directly online ourselves. There is a trade area which is password protected for our clients and the press to access all the information they need to preview collections, find images and logos, and check best sellers. Eventually we will expand this area so that shops can re-order stock directly and communicate with other shops who are selling Love From Australia products.

What have been the key milestones in the business?

We set little goals and targets all the time. The first was to get to 25 stockists, then we wanted to reach a turnover of £1m. It was a great feeling when we achieved this as there were just four of us and we worked from my home at the time. Most of the key milestones that catapulted the business in the direction of success were good fortune rather than carefully planned strategy; when we were given prime position in the Harrods shoe department on Christmas Eve; the Matthew Williamson tie up and the collaboration with Antique Batik; celebrity endorsement from Sienna Miller, Nicole Scherzinger, Jessica Alba, Katie Price, Kelly Brooke and launching in European territories Benelux, Spain, Germany, Greece, and more recently Russia and Eastern Europe.

How do you view the current market and what trends do you see emerging?

The market is tough right now. We are lucky to be at the luxury end where the recession is still painful but bearable, many of the customers who shop in boutiques we stock are blissfully unaware. We are careful not to overprice despite rocketing sheepskin prices and are offering discounts for loyalty and for buying in packs to further improve the premium margins we already offer. At the same time we still allow free size ordering and carry stock all year so that our retailers can call in extra products during the season. Drop shipping is becoming increasingly popular and buyers are being so cautious with forward orders. We are keeping distribution tight to maintain exclusivity.

What are the future plans for Love from Australia?

There are many and they are all secret. Diversity is key and there is a big world out there to expand into.

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