Challenge ignored

Press, 30 August 1977, Page 16

Challenge ignored

Promotion of possum is a challenge that Barry Sligh believes New Zealand has largely ignored. Once the fur left the country it lost its New Zealand identity. Lack of quality control led to inferior quality skins being exported, putting the fur into poor repute in some countries, particularly Japan. The New Zealand brushtailed possum (trichosurus vulpecular) produced a highquality, dense fur not to be compared with the fur of the American rat-like possum (didelphis). “That is a ratty fur,” he said. New Zealand, Mr Sligh belives, should give its possum a brand name, as the Scandinavians had done with their mink. And the skins should be processed into manufactured goods in New Zealand much more than is now being done. Just to confound the doubters, and prove that it could be done, Mr Sligh went to Norway and sold in Oslo three-quarter coats of New Zealand possum, made by his company in Christchurch. "Norway is the home of fur. They have been working with furs for centuries, and they were impressed with our product,” he said.

"All the usual excuses” for not attempting to sell had been put to the Slighs before they left. They were told New Zealand could not produce a quality item at a competitive price. But Mr Sligh found a jacket similar to the one he was marketing, which sells for $420 in New Zealand, was selling for $lOOO in Oslo. If the demand for possum garments is there, manufacture should be no problem. “There is no reason why young people can’t be trained. Furriers have always been men, but it’s a job to which women are ideally suited. They have a very good eye for detail and for matching the furs.” The jacket ordered by an Oslo wholesaler, who has outlets in two fashionable city stores, will retail there for $6OO to $7OO. “It is certainly competitive,” said Mr Sligh. Possum garments were also sold in Hawaii, which Mr Sligh regards as potentially a very rich export market for New Zealand. “Three million free-spending tourists pass through there every year. You could sell anything there. But we desperately need a fully-fledged trade commission in Honolulu,” he said.

In Canada, where the company had exported its products to British Columbia and Alberta, the Slighs were delighted to gain repeat orders. There they learnt a valuable lesson. “New Zealand exporters just have to make return visits. One importer there liked our stuff very much, sold the lot in three weeks and didn’t reorder. Selling is so competitive there, they are just too busy to write letters. It needs personal contact.” The secured Canadian orders in the face of a quota system imposed by the Canadian Government to stop the flood of cheap clothing from Taiwan and Hong Kong. In Britain they found little interest in quality leather wear and furs, so they regarded the sale of their moccasins to Harrods as a major breakthrough. "In the leather section of Harrods we were told it’s unusual to sell to an English customer now. All the buyers are Arabs. They are interested in high fashion, not quality. A $4OO long suede skirt we saw there was stitched every which way, and the suede was very poor quality,” he said.