Murray Crane stitches up the necessary for international exports

Murray Crane in his office at Crane Brothers in High St in central Auckland. Picture / Kenny Rodger

There's been action on and off the catwalk for menswear retailer Murray Crane this Fashion Week.

Not only did his two labels, Crane Brothers and Little Brother, make their Fashion Week debut, but he won one of the event's export awards to help his quest for international success.

His labels, launched five years ago and now stocked in four self-titled stores in Auckland and Wellington, have already been on shelves in Australia and Canada and the company makes international sales through its website.

Crane has been biding his time before really making a go of the global market, building the brand and a strong local customer base first.

The Crane Brothers store, beneath Hotel DeBrett on High St, Auckland, is best-known for its tailored shirts and suits.

Across the road, Little Brother specialises in tailored streetwear and accessories for men aged 18 to 35.

The Fashion Week Export Award, sponsored by Air New Zealand, has given Crane $16,000 worth of travel, help with freight costs from DHL and in-market support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

The first targets will be Britain, Japan and the east and west coasts of the United States - markets with high population density, existing brand awareness through New Zealand expat communities, places where the garments offer a point of difference.

Crane expected any success the company had in Britain would be the catalyst for it to become an international brand and he is working with a brand management company in the UK.

The company came out with guns blazing at its Fashion Week show for the Little Brothers' winter collection "Game" on Wednesday.

The show was a gentle dig at the customs of English country gentleman, emulating a traditional English shooting party - of sorts. Already the show has generated business from buyers in those three key markets.

Little Brother is the label Crane will take offshore initially as the level of custom work for Crane Brothers makes it too difficult to sell offshore without its own store.

The company puts out 10 key collections a year. Crane described the branding as subtle, with no logos.

"Most people like our products because they don't scream 'fashion'. They're not so trends-based," he said.

Crane Brothers - where the suits are priced from $1195 - cater for a slightly older market of urban or "black collar" professionals with high disposable incomes and who wear suits by choice, not necessity.

The store also stocks menswear under licence from Gubb and Mackie, Karen Walker and Hailwood.

Crane made his entrance into the fashion world when working as a window dresser in Sydney.

The next five years served as his training ground. He worked at local fashion houses Zambesi and Monsoon, where he gleaned as much as he could to realise a long-term plan to go out on his own.

Crane, the company's sole shareholder, launched the labels in 1999 using a loan from his family.

After a steep growth curve for the past five years, turnover has plateaued at between $2 million and $5 million, with Crane Brothers making the biggest contribution. Last year, Crane Brothers was included in Unlimited magazine's Fast 50 for the second year in a row, with a 406 per cent increase in its revenue.

But the growth has not been by-the-book; in fact Crane shuns how-to books and business conferences.

"No one understands your brand and idea better than you do," he said.

Among the business figures he admires is his local dairy owner - "because he's there at 6am and still there when I go home".

Hard work has been a guiding principle, as has sticking to his knitting and improving constantly.

His business strategy has been largely instinctive, which is why he can be found on the shop floor five days a week where he can keep in close contact with his customers.

"I find it incredible the number of retailers who do not work in their businesses," he said. "Customers should be able to talk to the owner."

The staff of 15 at the Auckland factory take care of other aspects of the business so Crane can stay in the store.

Crane is determined his garments will stay New Zealand-made. One of the main reasons he wants to keep control of production is that it will allow the company to react quickly to any situation.

"There's something to be said about being able to jump in your car to deal with an issue," he said.

The biggest business challenge - and the one that has taught him important lessons - came when fire destroyed his Crane Brother store on High St only six months after it opened.

Although he said it was worse to deal with than a bankruptcy (he struggled with hand-to-mouth survival for about six months), he developed resilience and learned the importance of not compromising the brand, fighting against advice from insurers to have a damaged goods sale.

"Business is an incredibly difficult thing and you need to be tough."

Crane is considering taking on some venture capital after having had several approaches, but will be looking for an investor who could also bring a different set of the skills to the business.

* Fashion house Zambesi was the joint winner of the award which helps one established and one emerging exporter boost their export business through free travel. One of the judges, Air New Zealand's general manager of marketing and sales Norm Thompson, said the judges were looking for innovative designers who understood the global marketplace and who could showcase local fashion to the rest of the world. 

Branded for success

* Crane Brothers and Little Brother were launched five years ago.

* They are stocked in four stores in Auckland and Wellington.

* The brands are also sold on-line in Australia and Canada.

* The next markets are Britain, Japan and the United States.