Endeavour, an incubator success story

"Do something because you love it."

This season Paul Hunter is in full production of his "streetwear" label, Endeavour, after developing it for several years.

Paul, who has been in the surf and skate industry manufacturing PH surfboards for eight years, began making clothes during the winters, when surfboard manufacture is traditionally quiet.

From do-it-yourself beginnings, Endeavour is now manufactured for retail in selected surf and skate stores in Whangarei, Auckland and Whangamata.

Through PH Surfboards Paul has lot of contact with the surf apparel side of the industry. He has also come into contact with several other young designers who were manufacturing for and distributing their own labels.

When starting Endeavour he received indirect mentoring and invaluable help from other designers such as Steve Dunstan and Dan Buckley, who started Huffer, and Matt Probert, from the label Aversion.

Over the past 2 1/2 years Paul has taught himself pattern making and sewing and through trial and error began making clothing.

"I plugged away at it, sucked at it for a while and then got half decent at it.

"As demand increased it became apparent that I was going to have to look at production of some description."

He began to look for further learning resources and "stumbled across The Fashion Incubator".

When Paul first contacted The Fashion Incubator he was looking for financial help.

He had heard of business mentoring but thought it was "such a wide thing that it just didn't seem relevant in the way it was presented".

But after six months' involvement with The Fashion Incubator he realised "there were a lot of areas that I needed a big old kick in the pants".

"In practical ways you need someone to parent you and make sure you are getting things right," he says. In fact, he wishes he had found it earlier.

Paul is also studying garment construction and pattern-making part-time at the Auckland University of Technology to cement his skills.

"Thinking back, I thought school was an absolute bane. If you can find a direction in life that has a commercial application, you suddenly decide learning stuff at tech is fantastic."

His advice to young people who are interested in getting into the industry is simple: "Try and learn as much as possible about making clothes."

He also recommends a do-it-yourself approach when starting out.

"At first it is better because you don't have to pay someone else to do it.

"And further down the track, the better educated you are to pick who is going to be best when you can no longer do it."

Paul is ultra-supportive of the New Zealand fashion industry and proud of its success.

"People can now look to NZ labels as being leaders rather than just following what America's doing," he says.

"There is now [the] perception that NZ labels can be high-end and really popular."

Endeavour is totally dedicated to New Zealand manufacture, Paul says.

"I'm not prepared to compromise that, even if that means that my label might not be as big."

Paul is currently completing samples of his winter range. He is also putting together a group of "team riders" who will ride PH Surfboards and wear Endeavour clothing.

The Fashion Incubator is at 5 High St, Auckland Central and can be contacted on (09) 309 7959.

E-mail: phrubarb@hotmail.com

Tel 021 252 7965

Herald features

Our turn

The jobs challenge

Common core values

href="http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?reportID=57032">Catching the knowledge wave | Official site