Attire Accessories - Mar/Apr 2020 (Issue 81)

PROFILE 71 Tell me a bit about how the label was started. What was the inspiration etc? Classic Canes was launched in the early 1980s. My parents had bought a woodland in Somerset that contained a ruined house they wanted to renovate. While they were rebuilding the house, they discovered that the woodland around the house was naturally growing suitable raw material for the production of walking sticks. They made enquiries, found a factory to convert the wood to sticks for them, bought the finished products back and set about selling them to local retailers. How were the initial products developed and what was the response? In the early days the product range was quite simple and traditional. The sticks were all wooden and there were few ladies’ models: women had to make do with men’s sticks cut down to their height. These sticks sold well in local craft and gift shops, the owners of which soon encouraged my parents to broaden the range. What challenges did you face and how were they overcome when starting the business? Starting a business in the depths of the early 1980s recession did of course have its challenges but we were also fortunate in that several other suppliers ceased trading at this time. Nowadays, digital printing and photography makes it easy to do small print runs of price lists, catalogues or business cards, but then it was a much bigger financial undertaking. There also was no Google so it could be difficult to find out about suppliers and competitors; this usually required time- consuming work at the library looking through trade directories. What is it that sets you apart from your competitors? Having specialised in walking sticks since 1982, we have a wealth of knowledge about the subject that is difficult to replicate. We are firmly on the side of quality and good design, so we enjoy the loyalty of customers for whom this is more important than chasing ever cheaper prices. For years we have been extolling the importance of buying a quality product once rather than multiple throwaway ones, so it is gratifying that public opinion is now coming round to our point of view. How important is the location and history of the company to its success? A rural setting is very pleasant to work in and is a great help with staff retention. We feature the imagery of south Somerset heavily in our catalogues and social media so that our far-flung customers can imagine how we live and work. Driving to work down Somerset lanes past country houses, cider orchards and cottages seems absolutely normal to us, but to a buyer looking through our catalogue on the 28 th floor of an office block in Tokyo it is a most exotic way of life. Our history as a family business is also helpful. We deal mostly with independents, many of which are family businesses too, and I think we all tend to trust a family business more. Do you engage in social media and how does this help your business? We do, particularly Facebook and Instagram. We enjoy doing it and thought it would be a good way to connect with Classic Canes users as well as our retailers. The stick users of the world don’t seem to be the most fanatical social media users, but we have a loyal following and our retailers often share our images with their own followers, so it does have its benefits. How has the product offering changed since you started and how would you describe your current collection? The range has expanded a lot but the design of traditional walking sticks evolves very slowly, so we still sell many of the same designs we had in the 1980s and 1990s. However, alongside these we now have a vast choice of contemporary models and ladies’ canes. We like to think we have a stick for everyone, so even the patterned canes vary from discreet floral designs to make-a- statement leopard and psychedelic prints. How often do you launch new lines? We usually launch in spring and autumn, to coincide with the major trade fairs, but new products can crop up at other times. One of the most popular pages on our trade website is the New Products page, which most retailers seem to check out as soon as they log in to place an order. What trade shows do you attend and why? 2020 was our 31 st consecutive Spring Fair and is the one that produces most of the overseas new customers for us. This year we are also attending NAIDEX for the healthcare and