High Society opts to remain Kiwi-made

Media release:

High Society opts to remain Kiwi-made

Long established Auckland fashion company, High Society, has made a commitment to remain New Zealand made, despite ongoing pressure from retailers to go offshore.

The company designs and makes garments under the labels Catalyst, Chocolat, Obi and Mosaic and has recently carried out extensive investigation into producing garments offshore in China.

Managing Director Robyn Hall said while there were obvious cost advantages to going offshore, the company believes these would be outweighed by the long-term advantages of remaining Kiwi-made.

“We have taken a bigger picture look at what type of business we want to be and that includes a commitment to becoming more sustainable from an environmental point of view and operating with the highest ethical standards.

“We believe we are approaching a tipping point with China-made products, especially with many consumers increasingly questioning the origins of what they’re buying. Recently we’ve seen issues around the environmental impact and safety of China-made products. While fashion may not be targeted yet, our instincts tell us it will not be long before there is a backlash against products in the fashion arena.”

Robyn Hall said consumers who were willing to lead change and demand accountability from the companies they dealt with were often more educated and affluent – and matched the profile of the boutique shopper targeted by High Society.

“We are very aware that having a product solely made in New Zealand can put us at a price disadvantage against those labels produced offshore.

“But to be true to our brand and our company values, we have opted to remain proudly New Zealand made. Consumers have a choice – and we intend to work harder to ensure they understand who we are as a company and why we have made the choice to remain New Zealand made.

ENDS

© Scoop Media