Exhibitor success story: blue collar white collar

If you’re looking for exclusively tailored casual and formal shirts of the highest standard, then you can stop looking.

If you’re looking for exclusively tailored casual and formal shirts of the highest standard, then you can stop looking. bluecollarwhitecollar is the brainchild of award-winning fashion designer Paul van der Spuy, and clothing and textile industry specialist Adrian Heneke.

Heneke felt there was a market gap for unique and exclusive products in an industry flooded by chain store goods. Leveraging Van der Spuy’s fashion knowledge – he is the founder of Carducci, Frank B Ernest and Wylde Oscar – they revived old-school tailoring and precision with bluecollarwhitecollar.

Having opened just last year, it was only fitting that the pair should exhibit their finery at the 2010 Design Indaba Expo. Closing up shop for the weekend, the Design Indaba floor became their temporary home and the response was simply overwhelming. The overwhelming demand for their tailored shirts saw the brand make more turnover than if the store had stayed open. With the weekend drawing to a close, they were just about sold out.

“We believe that the success behind our brand lies in what our product offers and that the design is unique and timeless, not dependant on the latest fashion trends,” says Van der Spuy. “Design Indaba gave us fantastic exposure and an opportunity to reach a very broad new market.

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