Growing in the bush - from where things started
I was so chuffed to recently have Lady Kate featured in the Buy From The Bush newsletter with a beautiful depiction of how and why I started this label as penned by BFTB Founder Grace Brennan.
Buy From The Bush truly helped propel my business to a wider audience when the platform first came about and continues to champion not only my business but so many incredible regional and rural businesses across Australia.
Because I’m no wordsmith, and I think Grace has written this feature so well, I wanted to share a few little snippets from the feature here with you. If you’re not already following Buy From The Bush, I urge you to pop over and check out their website where you will discover so many other bush businesses just like Lady Kate.
When you look at these images perhaps you see beautiful women modelling clothes. We see much more. We see history. Childhood. Pastoral pride and a passion for merino wool. We see the courage of a small business owner taking a risk. Designing a new range. Researching manufacturers. Sourcing the best natural fibre. Running numbers in her head. Planning the marketing. Visualising a shoot. Telling a story. Inviting people to listen.
Lady Kate Knitwear is the opposite of fast fashion. Each piece is designed to be worn for years, not one season. It's made from Australian merino wool. An entirely renewable, biodegradable material that is the most reused and recycled fibre in the world.
"After three wet years on the farm, my husband and I reached a point where we realised that some things needed to change. My husband's agricultural aviation business and my own were both reaching a critical point. To continue to grow our respective businesses around our family, we needed more hands."
In order to grow her business Penny realised she needed to make a choice: either double her price or double her production. She chose the latter and - as part of her new growth strategy - she employed two people to help with business operations. At the heart of her decision was her vision to continue to get Australian-grown wool out to more Australian women.
"My business vision remains the same - I want Australian women to wear wool and LOVE wool. I never want to outprice customers or create an exclusive label for a small and niche customer base."
"If this season is successful, it's the business of my dreams. It's a business that fits around my family commitments and one that also provides employment and financial security to two other regionally based women, whilst working around their family."
Something tells us, Lady Kate Knitwear is only just getting started!
Leave a comment