40 FABULOUS YEARS FEATHERS
To all my dear Staff, Suppliers, Customers, Supporters and Loved Ones, I believe in the saying In the face of adversity comes great things and for me, Feathers is one of those great things. The brand that began with a little dress shop in the city has grown up to be my pride and my joy. Last year, that little dress shop celebrated 40 years in business. Through experiences I ve learned that in Retail, you have to be open to new ideas, you have to keep up with the times and adapt to change. You can t be stuck in your ways. If it doesn t work, just keep changing it until you get it right. Everyone makes mistakes and all mistakes can be turned into positive experience. I should know, I ve made the most expensive mistakes! However, my vision for the brand remains the same today as it was 40 years ago: to add value to women s lives and make them feel good about themselves. You can t underestimate the power of self-confidence. Although times are tough in Retail, I still insist on offering exceptional, old-fashioned customer service, both in the boutiques and online. Bricks and clicks will never replace bricks and mortar, it s simply an exciting new channel attracting a different customer. Regardless, we strive to provide a fabulous holistic Feathers brand experience. Our aim has always been and will always be total customer happiness. And now my loyal customers bring their daughters into the shops, and they will bring their daughters and so on and so on. Feathers offers generations of Australian women the opportunity to wear great quality designer styles at an affordable price. I m extremely proud of that. So a sincere thank you to all of you for coming along this amazing journey with me. Please join me in celebrating the success of 40 Fabulous Years of Feathers and here s looking forward to the next fabulous 40 years... Feathers is more than a business. It s a family. I have girls still working for me after 25 years! I was doing family friendly before the phrase was even coined. I know better than most that a happy mother equals a happy husband and happy children. It is a joy for me to be able to support my staff and in doing so, bring happiness to their families. Many of my staff have left to have their children and then come back into the Feathers fold.
The Story of Feathers and me Founded by Margaret Porritt in 1972, Feathers has grown to become one of Melbourne s most iconic fashion brands. Informed by over 50 years experience in the fashion industry, Porritt credits her achievement to always listening to her customers and her chameleonlike ability to respond quickly to the market and continually adapt to change. Growing up admiring the talents of her inspirational milliner mother, Margaret formed an appreciation for aesthetics, a passion and an eye for design from a young age.
At the age of 17, Porritt was offered the prestigious opportunity to work in London for Normal Hartnell, the Queen s dressmaker: It was a fantastic experience. It paid no money you were there for the glory says Margaret. Returning to Melbourne in 1959, Margaret joined the Sportsgirl team. After gaining further experience, she began a millinery apprenticeship with her parents. Shortly after, she married at 19 and embarked on the journey of motherhood. She had three sons by the time she was 26. After 12 years of marriage, she was divorced by the time she was 32. With her personal life in tatters and three young sons to support, Margaret had no choice but to go out and earn a living to support her family. She had to re-gain her independence and take control of her own and her sons future. So Porritt took a part time job in a city dress shop called The Orange Poodle. She worked 4 hours a day and earned $50 a week. When Margaret s divorce settlement payment arrived, Margaret saw her opportunity and decided to use the funds to open her own shop. She went to her employers to tell them she was leaving and they offered to sell her the shop she was working in. So she renamed the boutique Feathers. Within a year, Margaret acquired a second shop and had built a strong customer base. But it wasn t easy running a business as a single mother. For ten years, Porritt ran two shops, stocking only Australian designer labels. Feathers was one of the first boutiques to carry household names such as Country Road, Tom Wardle, Carla Zampatti, Perri Cutten, Anthea Crawford and George Gross.
As her boys reached their teens and became more independent, Porritt opened more shops and by the mid 80 s, Feathers was in 4 different city locations with 8 shops. The shops opened 5 days a week, 9am- 5.30pm and employed 50 staff. Margaret had created a very profitable niche market, appealing to the city worker. The name Margaret Porritt became a brand in itself. Porritt remembers: It was amazing - as the 80 s were. Porritt continues: I loved what I did. I loved the customers, I valued them, I respected them, I served them. But then the recession Victoria had to have in 1989 hit hard, almost destroying Margaret s business. The decentralisation of the city meant customers were rarely purchasing in the CBD.
Determined to keep the Feathers brand alive, Margaret consolidated the business, retaining only her strongest 6 stores in prime locations. As the leases became available, Feathers moved out of the West End and into the suburbs. Between 1991 and 1994 Porritt opened 20 shops and closed 21. She decided it was time for her to manufacture her own range of good basics. She couldn t find the product she wanted from local suppliers, so she went overseas to compile the range and then brought it back to be made by a Sydney supplier. In 1995, Feathers by Margaret Porritt was born. Within 6 months, Porritt remembers It took off like a rocket! Porritt then made another bold move and decided to use herself as the face of the brand and appear in her own Marketing campaign. Advertising the new range with six billboards around Melbourne, Margaret (a woman who was over 55 and wore a size 14), made a powerful emotional connection with her customer stating, I couldn t find them, so now I design them.
The positive response to this campaign was extraordinary. Porritt had finally given her customers exactly what they wanted and needed honesty and achievable simple style. Porritt was a designer of integrity that endeavoured to truly understand their needs. The range was available in a wide size range and offered styles for every woman. Finally, Porritt remembers, her product, price, place and promotion were all right. Margaret s achievements were recognised in 1998 when she was the winner of the Victorian Telstra Business Owner Award and was subsequently inducted into the Business Women s Hall of Fame. In 1999 Feathers received the Metropolitan Fair Trader of the Year award for excellence in customer service. In 2003, Feathers was announced as a finalist in the Telstra Small Business Awards as well as winning a regional award at the Australian Retailers Association of Victoria (ARAV) Awards. Margaret was extremely proud to be both a finalist and a winner in both these awards. In 2007, Feathers won Ragtrader s, Retailer of the Year Award for a Fashion Chain with Under 20 Stores.
At the end of 2008, once again the economic environment became grim and throughout 2009 the world was (and continues to be) drastically effected by the Global Economic Crisis (GFC). However Margaret s earlier experiences put her at an advantage. Against all odds, Feathers continued to flourish at this time with exceptional collections and an incredible response from an extremely loyal and ever growing clientele.
In February 2012, Feathers ventured into the world of ecommerce, launching shopfeathers.com.au with a national advertising campaign. The launch of the Feathers online shop has enabled the brand to grow into new markets, both interstate and overseas.
The launch of the SS12 collection placed Feathers firmly where it should be, at the forefront of fashion. The collection allowed our customers to enjoy all the latest trends of the season and included geometric shapes, pretty pastels, print on print and bursts of bright colours, all worn back with our trademark Feathers black and white.
shopfeathers.com.au shopfeathers.com.au winter.2013 Feathers winter 2013 collection offered a bold new collection. With all the traditional Feathers elegance, quality and simple style our customers expect but also offered more fashion forward, edgy, playful and colourful pieces to attract a more trend driven customer. The collection was diverse in design, colour and texture with striking prints, soft knits, delicate embellishments, indulgent furs and dramatic noir leather touches. Feathers was thrilled to be awarded by WGSN, the global authority on style and design, as the best Australian Advertising campaign for the AW13 season.
shopfeathers.com.au The current summer 2013 collection is inspired by the spontaneous spirit of the Swinging sixties: freedom, frivolity and fun! Ladylike, feminine dresses and skirts are juxtaposed with androgynous boxy jackets and pants. The statement of the season is monochrome. Oversized spots, stripes, checks, animal and geometric prints feature throughout. Dotted with playful splashes of colour, the collection also features bold brights, sugary pastels and block colours in bubble gum, lime, cobalt, coral and melon. shopfeathers.com.au shopfeathers.com.au Feathers currently employs over 50 staff and has 12 boutiques (7 at various MYER locations), where you ll often find Margaret serving the customers, gathering feedback and developing new ways to work. After 40 years she continues to be at the forefront of all facets of the business. At a sprightly 72 years young, Margaret still regularly travels overseas on buying trips and in her rare time away from Feathers enjoys walking her dog, Truffle, on the beach in Portsea. Margaret claims her success has been due to five critical steps: the team, the position, the product, the marketing and most importantly, as she says, me.
40 FABULOUS YEARS For Media and Editorial enquiries please contact Mattia Hunter PR & Communications Manager Mattia@feathersboutique.com.au shopfeathers.com.au