13 years of moochi

9th May 2013

13 years of moochi

It's been a busy but successful 13 years for moochi Creative Director Kellie Taylor and her husband, Chris Taylor. For more than a decade the pair have developed a unique business model that has seen moochi go from strength to strength, with 2012 proving to be a great year.

Last year more than a quarter of a million people came through the doors of their nationwide moochi boutiques, and year on year the number of customers purchasing has increased. Incredibly that figure was beaten by an overwhelming 286,000 people who visited the Moochi online store in 2012.

This year moochi has already added another boutique to the list with the opening of their brand new Ponsonby Road store, bringing it to a total of eight unique fashion stores across the country.

Managing Director, Chris Taylor explains what sets their company apart from the rest.

“While the New Zealand economy has been through peaks and troughs, the moochi business has grown organically. It has always been self-funding and we’ve never had to borrow money or seek investment. Recently we have made a strong move away from the traditional seasonal 'sale' model, where discounting is used to drive sales, instead focussing on innovation and protecting our customers investment in the product,” he says.

All designs are created in house at the moochi head office with a team of designers. Products are mostly made in New Zealand, with pattern making, fabric cutting, sewing and pressing all happening locally. The head office is also home to their production, sales, financial and marketing team who work on the brand side of the business and keep in touch with their database of almost 30,000 loyal customers.

“My vision for moochi was always to develop a unique, wearable, fashion forward label that women would love. The range includes everything from the perfect t shirt to a party frock, must-have trousers to sexy heels.”

“The key for us is to create demand for desirable product, made in limited numbers, with new styles arriving in store every week. It’s all about keeping people inspired and interested with clothing that’s relevant,” says moochi Creative Director Kellie Taylor.

Stepping into a moochi boutique brings the shopper into a modern, welcoming space, but each store has its own unique flavour as Kellie Taylor explains.

“Every new store we work on features the best elements that are carried through from the previous boutique so it’s an evolution of sorts. But we always add new elements to the mix so that we have an individual store that enhances its surroundings and appeals to its local audiences,” says Taylor.

“Our newest store on Ponsonby Road has quite a feminine feel, it has more bling, and is far more intimate, like a dream walk in wardrobe!” she says.

The ‘moochi Conservatory’ in Ponsonby features a floating wall of brass rods, a flood of natural light through bamboo leaves and crystal objects to display its jewellery. Natural edged timber shelves have a high gloss finish and a counter of brass, copper and silver blades is anchored by a vintage chandelier.

“Customers are loving the look and the play of materials at the new Ponsonby boutique,” says Taylor.

However Kellie Taylor can’t take all the credit. It is Husband and Managing Director Chris Taylor who brings the boutiques to life. Chris was a builder before the pair developed Moochi so naturally he works on the design, build and aesthetics for every moochi store.

“Kellie and I come up with the concepts together, then she says to me ‘right, now you make it happen!’ There’s a lot of problem solving and creativity that goes on. Each of the fittings in the Ponsonby store are bespoke and a lot of effort went into the latest fit out,” says Chris Taylor.

Like all businesses challenges come up that you don't expect. It was only two years ago the business suffered the loss of its then newest store, ‘Moochi Inn’ in the devastating Christchurch earthquake. Last year they managed to open a new retail space for their Christchurch shoppers as part of the Ballantynes development which also includes brands such as Cue, Kate Sylvester and Witchery. The store-within-store concept has worked particularly well and moochi has seen great brand performance from this space.

Also in 2012, with their loyal fashion audience in mind, moochi ventured to put on their first ever show at New Zealand Fashion Week. Instead of showing to industry and trade, the show was developed specifically for moochi fans with tickets on sale for the public to purchase. It proved to be the fastest selling show as part of New Zealand Fashion ‘Weekend’, a testament to the strength of the moochi customer following.

It’s not just Kiwi shoppers that are loyal to the moochi brand, they’ve seen an increased number of overseas shoppers purchasing through the online store in recent times. With this audience in mind Kellie and Chris Taylor are looking to take the moochi business to overseas markets, with their sights set on Australia and further afield to Asia.

www.moochi.co.nz

The new Ponsonby moochi
The new moochi store at 282 Ponsonby road is set next to Superette towards the three lamps end of the street. The new boutique has been designed with a 'conservatory' feel to enhance the existing building and natural light. It features glass awnings, brass trimmings and evokes a touch of modern luxury. This is the smallest store moochi has ever fitted out but the intimate interior adds a touch of intimacy to the shopping experience. With only one of each style on display, the store team will help you to pick out your favourite styles and then find your correct sizes from upsatirs. The fitting rooms are luxuriously fitted with wall to ceiling mirrors, flattering natural style lighting and small LCD screens so the shopper can view the latest moochi collections.
Pop in and see the new store now!

ENDS

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