Visit Habbot Studios and SHOP!

Setting an unprecedented standard for Australian design, the dynamic Annie Abbott returns to Melbourne following the launch of her premium-quality footwear label, Habbot. From Net-a-Porter to Sass & Bide, Abbott’s worldly experience working in branding, buying and e-commerce has provided invaluable insight and knowledge for the savvy designer.   For the contemporary woman who aspires to look stylish and transeasonal, Habbot captures shoppers with an original collection of classic, cool and polished pieces for any occasion. Nesting comfortably in between luxury and mainstream labels, each Habbot shoe is cut, sewn and constructed by- hand in a small factory near Naples, Italy.

Habbot channels the all-inspiring Parisian glamour this season.  Mirroring the precise finishes and elegance of French culture, Habbot delivers the same vibrant and versatile features in its Spring/Summer 11 collection. Heavily involved in all facets of the Habbot Studio production, Abbott considers some fundamental branding practices – essential for global success. Internationally, it is the product-quality that drives the market and in-turn, creates the demand. Interestingly this is often reversed in Australia for, the quality of the product can be second nature to the hype created by effective campaigning.

Annie’s Advice: Annie Abbott understands that design is an integral, yet minor facet in the competitive business of fashion. 2012 will focus on national growth, forming partnerships with sales agents and showcasing at the Micam shoe fair in Milan.  Drawing from her buying experience, Annie encourages designers to learn the basics of analysing sales and what constitutes a best seller. Partner with the necessary contacts and utilise the boundless opportunities of online marketing. Ask lots of ‘stupid’ questions of industry professionals over coffee dates and remember to ‘Work hard and dream big’.

Designed in Australia, manufactured in Italy and sold in local boutiques, Habbot will continue to meet the expectations and satisfaction of trusted clientele around the world. Get your amazingly stylish and comfortable shoes from Habbot Studios today!

Facebook -  Twitter: @habbotstudios – Stockists

Do you rely on social networking/blogs to promote your business? Has it served in reaching a wider audience?

I have been writing my own blog since I started the label (a year and a half ago now) but we have recently stepped up our social network profile by talking to bloggers and on-line journalists about the collection. We’ve been lucky to have some brilliant pieces mentioned about us in a few key blogs and have really noticed a lift in sales from that. Actually we have found that mentions in blogs and on-line magazines have garnered us more interest than traditional print media which surprised me. One of the brilliant aspects about this digital communication is that it can span the globe, we now send several pairs of shoes each week to overseas on-line customers! This wouldn’t have happened if they hadn’t heard about them on-line.

Is there fierce competition among other Australian footwear designers, what separates habbot. from the rest?

We have had a brilliant response from the Australian public, but I still feel like we are a tiny fish in a huge ocean and don’t think there is much pressure on us to perform as a brand at this stage. I am very comfortable operating in the Australian market and so I think I’ll be able to manage this pressure if/when it does arrive. I think overseas provides us with brilliant opportunities to grow and I am very keen to show next year at the Milan shoe fair to try to break into that. There are not that many actual footwear designers in the premium market where we reside (between mainstream and luxury segments). However it is a pretty small segment of the population and our toughest competition comes from some great offerings to be found amongst designer apparel collections. (My best picks this season are from Lisa Ho and Scanlon and Theodore.) I think our ‘made in Italy’  quality and classic yet unique styling sets us apart from our competitors as our shoes don’t tie themselves too tightly to any particular trend, and will out-last many others.

Would you encourage other Australian emerging designers to partner with industry professionals with a business background before launching into a competitive market?

Yes I definitely think this is a good idea. Even if you don’t have or want to partner up with a ‘business partner’ there are so many options in terms of business coaches or mentors available. I have asked many ‘stupid’ questions of industry professionals over ‘coffee’ dates and in every case I’ve found them genuinely thrilled to be asked to share their knowledge. Even though I have a good grasp on business, and the other less colourful aspects of manufacturing and distribution, I am seeking a more permanent ‘business coach’ figure at the moment actually as I’m finding that I’m too close to everything and need someone to help me with the ‘big picture’ of my business.

What is your advice for aspiring fashionistas trying to break into the buying field? Would you advise them on honing a skill and studying before starting a blog and hoping to catch a break?

Buying is a funny field to break into because there isn’t really a direct path – although there are so many buying roles available, and I’m told Australia has a shortage of great buyers. All the buyers I know usually started working in-store, or took up junior buying assistant type roles and worked their way up. By now there must surely be buying courses available, but a business one is certainly a great place to start – because, to be honest, most buying is 90% about the numbers, and 10% about interpreting trends. (‘Product development’ or ‘design’ roles do require more creative/technical nous obviously – but strict ‘buying’ roles relate to making selections from existing ranges and are really about making choices that will both satisfy your existing customer base, and steal new customers away from your competitors. The bulk of this information will come from your ability to apply your sales history to future season predictions.) I would definitely advise them in honing their skills (on a shop floor preferably just to get used to real life consumer behaviour) and then attempting some business related study.

I think everyone should have a blog these days – even though it may not be relevant to landing a buying role – it’s still important to stay abreast of where the fashion world is at and how people feel about it – and a blog provides a great opportunity to do this.

What are your favourite local café, restaurant, boutique and bar?

Local cafe: Dr Jekyll (St Kilda)

Local restaurant: ilona Staller (Balaclava)

Local boutique: Horse with No Name (Prahran)

Local bar: Rue bebelon (city)

*****READ MORE ABOUT ANNIE’S EXPERIENCE AT NET-A-PORTER and SASS & BIDE****

*****READ MORE ABOUT ANNIE’S EXPERIENCE AT NET-A-PORTER and SASS & BIDE****

My role at Net-a-Porter really kick started my whole career. It came about mostly by chance when I landed a temping role there whilst in London, and then lots of hard work got me a few promotions and into a planning role within the buying department. When I returned to Melbourne after three years in London, the NAP job helped me land the Sass & Bide position as my boss at the time, Sojin Lee put in a really good word for me at Sass & Bide (Sojin has been buying Sarah-Jane and Heidi’s jeans for NAP for a while by then).

Working in these relatively young and vibrant businesses has absolutely shaped my approach to everything I do with Habbot. Both companies were started by inspiring, yet very ‘normal’ women, and their ‘work hard, dream big’ philosophy really rubbed off on me.

I learnt everything I know about buying from Sojin – she taught me the basics of analysing sales by category and I learnt early on what constitutes a ‘best seller’ – being black usually helps! The magic in buying is being able to marry up relevant trends with sales history to make sure you offer the customer a varied product mix but one with the highest chance of selling through within the same season.

Again, I learnt so much about this at NAP – particularly from the original creative director, Megan Quinn. In my opinion she definitely set the standard in ‘crisp clean luxury’ visual imagery that NAP’s branding exudes. From the outset they have been ahead of the game in terms of the site’s ‘look and feel’ (not to mention its functionality). Their approach to branding the business with its own strong personality was a new concept to me, and has definitely helped me develop the ‘habbot’ brand over the years. By creating a brand that was like your very fashionable big sister, the customer was allowed to get really close and ‘friendly’ with the Net-a-porter experience.  I’ll never forget the lengths that Natalie (Massenet) went to in setting up functions on the site that would always pleasantly surprise and impress the customer. It was as if she set out to fulfil customers wishes before they’d even dreamt them up.

I can’t help the fact that I am definitely involved in more facets of the business than the typical designer because my buying background always finds its way into my thoughts, but more so because I run the company on my own so I have to be across everything. I know where my strengths lie though, and have recently taken on some help with branding and visual communication. I also work with great digital consultants who help with my website development, and have recently taken on my first sales agent. So I’m trying to stay across all aspects of the business without dropping the ball on any one of them! It’s brilliantly scary and exciting all at once! – Annie Abbott