One of the best known names in the world of cashmere is undergoing a £100,000 rebrand aimed at sharpening its image with the young and boosting exports.
The Hawick Cashmere Company, which has 15 stores throughout Europe, America and the Far East, recently unveiled a new name 'Hawico' to staff and buyers at a private event held in the Borders.
Claiming to have the most advanced knitting production plant in the UK, the company, which initially produced couture pieces for the likes of Chanel, Hugo Boss and Burberry before switching to direct sales in the 1990s, is due to launch its first ecommerce site next month.
As well as advice from Business Gateway, the company has sought support from SDI through its Overseas Market Support and International Manager for Hire programmes, amounting to a 30% financial contribution from SDI towards the cost of the rebrand.
David Sanderson, Deputy Chairman of Hawico, said: "The Hawick Hosiery Company was our original name back in 1874, and Hawico its nickname. By embracing that name we nod to our heritage, and highlight our individuality. The rebranding of all our stores is now complete as is the overhaul of the website. Once it is ecommerce-ready we hope it will expose Hawico to more countries and a younger clientele who have the money to spend on luxury goods."
Sandra Campbell, Business Gateway said: "By working with us Hawico was able to access funding through SDI to begin its comprehensive rebranding and market development strategy, which included working with renown photographer Christian Ammann. His photography has captured the essence of the brand and its Scottish heritage which the luxury end of the market demands. We will continue to work with Hawico over the coming months to further develop new markets, both on and offline."
Sanderson described how changing consumer behaviour caused the rethink:
He said: "We began noticing a shift in buying patterns so decided to open our own stores in cities where we knew there was a demand for luxury Scottish cashmere, like Tokyo, Zurich, and Beaver Creek, Colorado. Now 80% of our sales are overseas. We have also invested heavily in new technology that produces a three-dimensional, seamless garment which allows us to build in design features. This was something we could not do with more traditional methods, although we still use traditional tailoring skills for some aspects of our production. This investment has made our production plant in Hawick totally unique."
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