Murray Crane has pulled the plug on the Gubb and Mackie retail store on High St, with its final trading day taking place on Thursday 9 April. Despite concerted efforts on Crane's part to establish it as a viable outlet for the nautically inspired brand and to fill the gap left by Little Brother's closure in November of last year, the store has struggled to generate sufficient sales to warrant its existence in the current market. I sat down with Crane on Thursday morning to get the exclusive scoop on what prompted the decision. As you'd expect, it was one made with the recession in mind, but also with a good deal of common sense – after all, why have two stores opposite each other when you can consolidate all that stock into one?
"The store's closing down today, most of the stock will be coming over to Crane Brothers and our Wellington store. When we closed Britomart we looked at the (former Little Brother) High St site and thought we'll give it a crack and see how it goes, which we've done, and for a variety of reasons - but generally it's economy driven really - it's just not busy enough. It doesn't really sustain itself, it's pointless having two stores on High St. I look at what's happening internationally, I look at Monocle magazine, I look at The Sartorialist and I look at the way those guys are dressing, and we're right on the money with what we're doing here, and it's just there's not enough customers - It's the same thing we had with Little Brother - there's just not enough customers here to sustain it having its own store. Gubb and Mackie is a specific type of thing, and the guys that get it and know it love it. But we just don't want to compromise what we're doing."
Gubb and Mackie is probably my favourite brand coming out of New Zealand right now, and like Crane said, it's right on the money with what's happening internationally at the moment. It's got that same preppy, clean, geeky feel as brands I love like Lacoste and the ill fated Obedient Sons. But as Crane also said, there're just not enough people in New Zealand to sustain a store like that. So while Gubb and Mackie might do a rip roaring trade elsewhere, in New Zealand it doesn't and certainly won't while this recession is going on.
Why? Two reasons that I can see: first, your average New Zealand man just doesn't get it. Why spend twice as much buying something at one store when you could spend half as much buying something similar (if only they knew) at another? They don't get that it's New Zealand made, or constructed using age old naval tailoring techniques. And they probably don't care. Second, we have a similar amount of brands per capita here as we have sheep. That's obviously a made up statistic but it's bordering on the reality. Everywhere you look there's a new New Zealand streetwear brand or a new New Zealand tee shirt label starting up. Hell, I even used to have one.
This problem of brands not being able to sustain themselves is a problem that I would expect will be facing more and more New Zealand designers in the next couple of years. There's too much choice for the consumer and not enough consumers to buy the product. Some, like Crane and Des Rusk, who closed his eponymous label down in January of this year, have had the intelligence and gall to get out before things really start going downhill.
I love the creativity and do it yourself mentality in this country but seriously, it's starting to get absurd. I'd be highly surprised if any brands that have started up recently will survive what's happening right now. Many established ones will fall.
I'd love to end this with an amazing solution telling our designers what to do, but I simply don't have one. I can't believe how naive I've been in thinking that the recession isn't going to affect us so badly here in New Zealand. All I can say is to new designers thinking about going into business now, think long and hard. Unless you're funded by a limitless amount of capital or have the greatest idea since Crocs (who I hear have filed for bankruptcy), don't.
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18 comments:
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hey isaac, do you know if that means production of gubb garments and/or design and release of new stuff will get scaled back? I hope not, i really love that store and the brand, they understand that perfect fit that others just don't get.
Hi Anon,
As far as I'm aware, Gubb will continue to be made at a similar rate to what it's being made at presently. The only difference will be that it will be sold through Crane Brothers rather than its own store.
When there's an economic downturn businesses need to market themselves more and not just concentrate on one small local market. And, this is where I think Gubb and Mackie failed. Prior to this blog entry I had only ever heard of G&M once before. Also, they only had one store in Auckland. How the hell did they expect to stay in business with no marketing and only one store in a small city?!?
I can tell you for a fact that the average fashionable man - G&M's target market - couldn't care less about "New Zealand Made". They want to big European and American labels. Why? Because these have marketing clout, prestige and are considered "exotic" here. Also, dare I say it, I find most of NZ's menswear designs to be quite boring. Yes, even Crane's stuff.
So, if NZ menswear designers want my money, they need to step up their game, and start playing hardball like the big boys! Make me desire the stuff and give me a good reason to!
Signed,
A Colourful Guy Drowning In A Sea Of Penguins
i agree colourful guy,
if brands dont advertise how can they expect people to be knocking the door down to buy stuff...
why didnt gubb ever do print ads or something to get people excited,
all this is a no brainer really, people are still out there shopping, i have seen them!!!!!!!! and hey, theres some pretty snappy dressers in auckland, isaac included! but they are probably like moth to a flame for the big brands especially when other local cooler ones cant be arsed advertising, it all makes perfect sense to me.!
In response to the above comment about advertising Gubb and Mackie, Murray Crane has said the following:
"One of the big reasons we don’t advertise is that there are very few viable ways to do this in NZ especially for Menswear. Also the range will continue to be sold as it has been at Crane Brothers "
Your article on Gubb & Mackie is ok… as far as it goes, but you haven’t mentioned that this is the third manifestation of the brand and despite enormous money being thrown at it, the brand has continued to flounder.
A case in point. The old Gubb & Mackie brand was the naval tailoring business that went back decades (established 1949). The brand was eventually sold as that era came to a close for two reasons;because the owners grew to retirement age, but also the era of the hand-build military uniform or dinner suit also ended.
Jump ahead to 2001. Jonny Duder bought the label and had design guru Brian Richards. Brian is famous for his brand makeovers (the Icebreaker brand is an often touted example) and also famous for the charging a lot for the service. None-the-less Duder, along with top designer Wayne Sorensen (who once, from memory, did patterns at Marc Jacobs) they launched for menswear only, Spring Summer 01/02. They discovered quite quickly that there weren’t the wholesale outlets in New Zealand to support Gubb & Mackie and except for a few outlets like Ballantynes in Christchurch, struggled to get penetration.
They bit the bullet and eventually opened a High Street store (still not enough turnover) and expanded into womenswear, famously launching the collection as part of fashion week (2003) on the deck of a NZ Navy frigate in the Auckland Harbour, with an after-party attended by the Governor General. But with still not enough turnover to survive, (the costly brand creation probably also had an impact on resources) Duder flicked the brand to Crane and liquidated the company in 2004(? Help – cannot recall).
Now Crane has gone full circle also. When he launched the brand, he, like Duder claimed the naval heritage back to the original owners etc, but you’d have to say that the brand has not under either of the recent owners grabbed the attention or the imagination of the public. As a brand in the Crane store, it wasn’t hugely successful, but as a branded stand-alone store it didn’t kick on either. So sadly, despite so much money being lost on it, you’d have to say the Gubb & Mackie brand is a disaster.
In fact, despite the fact you so admire the clothes they make, the brand should probably be, like the frigate Canterbury that the show was held on, scuttled in Northland to be a reef for divers and forgotten ragtraders.
Whats with all the 'Anonymous' haters? balls up and identify yourself or just dont bother I say.
-Ben
That last anonymous dude is such a fucking blowhard wanna be 'journalist'. I'm surprised there wasn't a bibliography and page of contents included.
The last anon may sound like a total dick, but i do agree what he's trying to say.
I would like to add to what last Anon said: It's also the failure of the marketing of the G&M but also the design side lacked majorly. Andre who is the designer of G&M isn't the best designer. His own collection wasn't appealing (he used to have his label and showcased in a group show in Australia). Also worked for Workshop prior to G&M. He is a great lecturer at AUT (better than his wife who is also a lecturer at AUT). However designs like simple pencil skirt for girls arnt going to sell right? (which i saw when i went into the store first time and my last time). You can just go to Max or Glassons to get exact design.
Heritage of the brand is great but doesn't have to make the garments as if they are for farmers or granpas. Look at Rag&Bone label for instance. Great heritage with a hence of modern-ness to it. Time changes and designers need to change with it.
perhaps all the young up and coming designers can get together and consolidate all their energy and talents into one big brand . . .
I agree with anonymous above. That would be the ideal situation! Young designers or people wanting to survive during this time should get together! As Isaac alluded to, the likelihood of the smaller peps surviving is very slim as we are seeing the big boys close shop.
This would be the perfect opportunity to combine forces within New Zealand, and it would solve the problem of having so many smaller players!
-Casper
I do agree with above but not all of the young designers are good you know. What they need is a young designer who had several industry experience. You don't want to see G&M introducing over the top graduate's work do you? i say at least 3-4yrs of industry experienced young designer.
I think there are definitely still opportunities for young designers to make their name in difficult economic times. Sure, there are challenges, but the big brands have cumbersome overheads and staff costs to deal with, while young designers often start out working from their living rooms - or even their Mum and Dad's! Keeping your head above water is easier when you're only keeping one head above water. And growing your business organically is a great way to do it. You don't need to start with a hiss and a roar and a shop and a show at Fashion Week.
Banding together is a good idea too. Adrian Hailwood and his group are doing clever things in this respect.
i was thinking Des Rusk would be fantastic with this job? Des knows how to do pattern making really well and his stuff has been really fresh and modern.
'Blowhard' is such a great insult
Murray Crane responded "One of the big reasons we don’t advertise is that there are very few viable ways to do this in NZ especially for Menswear."
Well, the only thing I can say to that is to hire yourself a real business/marketing manager and stop making excuses. If you don't your business will just remain a big time consuming, money gobbling hobby.
Seriously, man! I'm not trying to "hate" on you or anything like that. But, I've found that most creative types in the industry know next to nothing about business and what it takes to make one grow, sustain itself and succeed.
Signed,
A Colourful Guy Drowning In A Sea Of Penguins
Hello Isaac, It's a pity that Gubb & Mackie is closing down. I visited the store in High st when visiting NZ (I'm from Norway) and bought different garments. The quality is still superb and never out of fashion.
Bjorn
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