Creative kiwi firms in Paris

Obvious? The truth is the French know very little about New Zealand design and fashion. Simple? Definitely not.

The breakthrough for the Moaroom, which acts as an agent and distributor for leading New Zealand artists and designers including David Trubridge and renowned architect Brendan Macfarlane, was at Maisons et Objets trade fair, Paris (2006).

Putting New Zealand design into context

It was about putting New Zealand design into ‘context’ says Rod Fry, co-founder of the Moaroom with wife, Laurence Varga-Fry.

“We published a book called Long White Book featuring New Zealand designers we were interested in and filled out the pages with New Zealand artists, and houses by New Zealand’s top architects,” Fry says.

“Instantly the press were writing about New Zealand design and architecture, and retailers realised these were not just one or two pieces from ‘anywhere’ but coming from a beautiful country with world class architecture. They instantly got the picture.”

Before officially registering the company in 2006, they travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand visiting and sourcing artists who were ‘creating a bit of a buzz’; and met with key players in design and architecture in France to get a clear idea as to how the work would be received. How New Zealand as a country of origin was perceived, and if it would be taken seriously.

“We were very pragmatic. We knew it was going to be a challenge,” Fry says. “These are jaded professionals who are solicited three times a day by young designers wanting to get their work into their shop. Their reflex is ‘no, no’ when presented with stuff,” says Fry.

“They go to Milan every year and see every new hopeful, every big brand, and receive free subscriptions to the leading design magazines. That is what we knew we were up against.”

David Trubridge’s eco conscious designs ‘shone through’, instantly impressing those who saw them but raised a question mark as to the relevance to the French market.

Research revealed that on the whole the French consumer did not care if a product was sustainable. It also highlighted that very little is known about New Zealand in France aside from ‘sheep, rugby, and being clean and green’. They decided not to fight against the association but embrace it.

“We decided things were changing in that direction, as consumers took more care as to how they bought,” Fry says.