Design is an integral player in the global success of kids’ wear brand Pumpkin Patch, and for two decades, the New Zealand company has prided itself on quality and individuality.
Part of Pumpkin Patch’s uniqueness comes from taking the latest global kids’ fashion trends and giving them a twist of New Zealand flair.
“When I visit other countries now, I don’t see a Pumpkin Patch lookalike anywhere,” says Pumpkin Patch Chief Executive, Maurice Prendergast. “It’s a funny thing, but it’s because Pumpkin Patch products are our own interpretation of what we see internationally in fashion.”
With new styles flowing every week into Pumpkin Patch’s stores – 527 outlets worldwide – it can be a demanding task for the 30-strong design team based in its East Tamaki, Auckland, headquarters. That’s 2,500 different styles every six months.
“In our warehouse, there are 75,000 individual stock keeping units at any one time. We are probably a little guilty of being over creative – we’ve got a lot of styles coming into our stores, but we think it gives it freshness,” Mr Prendergast says.
“Yes, it’s hard work, but it’s not hard coming to work. The people who work for us love what they’re doing, and they want it to be an inspiring, international brand.”
Pumpkin Patch believes one of the keys to success has come from travelling the world.
“We travel a lot. We put in the hard yards to get the product right,” Mr Prendergast says. Wherever we travel we’re looking for the best – what’s the latest look, what textures are in, what’s the softest fabric.
“Our designers start from the very base. They will go overseas to buy artwork, or use our in-house artists, and this acts as the inspiration for our ranges. This artwork, and our interpretation of international trends, builds from the fabric to the garment, making sure our range is unique to Pumpkin Patch.
“We’re a design-led company, and have been right from the very beginning. We don’t pick a t-shirt up off the manufacturer’s rack and say, ‘Give me one hundred of those’.”
Design is not limited to clothing with Pumpkin Patch. Every one of the 230 company-owned stores has a standardised layout, with clothing strategically placed around the store. Branding is all done in-house, as is the production of the catalogues.
“It’s part of the vertical model that we have; it gives a certain ‘feel’ about our business. And with that feel – from marketing, to design, to store, in fact, every way we communicate with our customers – we want to have a standard, as in, this is the level of what we want to do. We made our own website, because we wanted it in our own feel. Otherwise you’re in danger of becoming a ‘me too’,” Mr Prendergast says.
To maintain the brand’s design integrity, Pumpkin Patch employs stringent quality checks of the products, now solely manufactured in Asia.
“As a global player now, there are a lot more stringent checks that we have to do – like zips aren’t allowed lead in them. One of the issues of having a global brand is that whatever market you’re in, you have to conform to their standards. But the benefit of this is that it has made us lift our quality expectations even higher.”
Judges’ commendation
“As a retail fashion company it goes without saying that design is core to Pumpkin Patch’s business. What is really impressive is the rigorous process it undertakes to launch quality, unique clothing on a regular basis. Pumpkin Patch continues to use great design to increase sales – from the design of its outfits through to the way it presents its ranges in stores.”
For more information contact:
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
Anna McIntyre, phone +64 4 816 8317, email anna.mcintyre@nzte.govt.nz
