Formed in 2010, White Moose is 'designed to not only remind you of yesterday but lead you into the future'. With this charming motto, and one sole product on the top of a small wooden box at the Rose Street Artists Markets in Fitzroy, Colin Hutson saw an opportunity for his brand to develop. Today, alongside the one-of-a-kind Melbourne-produced items, you'll find internationally-sourced products - via like-minded creatives at the forefront of redesign and reconstruction.
White Moose now occupy a space at the hip SO:ME Space inside South Melbourne Market. This new retail concept aspires to deliver ideas that are unique and surprise the customer, and they strive to offset their impact on the environment by using re-purposed materials.
BSV caught up with owner director, Colin, for a chat about the business, and the fit with SO:ME.
What sort of products and/or services can we expect from White Moose, and how do you source them?
White Moose is all about four principles; nostalgia, reinvention, invention & environment.
Nostalgia: product material will encourage a certain feeling (e.g. our cassette tapes will remind you of your favourite music or when your crush made you a mix tape in primary school)
Reinvention: turning those nostalgic items into a new item for a new purpose. For example, the cassette tape has the mechanisms removed and then lined with fabric and a zip so it can be used as a coin purse.
Invention: developing brand new products that are still blended with the concept of 'reinvention'. Our life-size resin animal head wall feature is a take off of hanging a real animal head on the wall and is therefore socially more acceptable.
Environment: offsetting our footprint by creating new products with what would essentially be landfill.
Most of the products in store have been handmade and have been locally sourced, however we feature designers from all over the world including Germany, Asia, United Kingdom and the United States. Inspiration for new product is found from our own research through blogs and other social media. Discovering new designers who help create the White Moose collection are also discovered in this way.
How does working within the SO:ME Space enhance your business, and what are the best aspects of the space?
I started off at South Melbourne in the SO:ME space, however I now occupy another part of the market at Shop 220. The space is a great addition to the market and offers an opportunity for not only new designers to be recognised but also gives the market visitors an opportunity to purchase a unique gift that supports small business. The SO:ME space has allowed White Moose to reach new customers who have not seen our type of concept before.
What is your professional background?
I have a tertiary education in Visual Arts & Design from Latrobe University, which included an exchange program to the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. I have worked as a design assistant in the homewares industry while located in the UK as well as 5+ years in the retail industry here in Australia, specifically mechanising and retail operations. Most recently I was in a brand management role for a successful Australian retail brand.
Since 2010 I have been developing White Moose and selling at similar market environments across Melbourne.
Where do you think we're going with regards to the way we shop? Are we pulling back from the cheap thrills of online buying? Are we moving back to the notion of supporting local trade easily, or is it a battle?
There will always be a need for a physical retail presence. The battle is being the best. Small business is competing with large successful companies with the budgets for marketing campaigns however small business doesn't have that. As a small business owner coming from a career with large retail brands I have an understanding of ways to keep the customer interested and more than anything that's what selling yourself is all about.
In the grand scale of retail there will always be the online customer, and the in store customer, in the same way there is still people who buy CD's and don't download music. It's simply a generation thing.
The market environment is an interesting one as it's still seen as 'alternative' for many people and in a way discourages some shoppers as they haven't been exposed to that way of shopping before. Those who do shop at markets are the kind of customer who want something unique at an honest price so there's a lot of things to weigh up and get right. And in the same way stores in a giant shopping centre compete for the same customer a lot of the time in a market environment we are also appealing to the same customer. It's all about having the point of difference to engage the customer to come to you.
It also must be said that working in a market environment allows you to meet other creative individuals and allows an opportunity to network for future projects. Everyone that shops at a market or sells at a market wants to be there, so that alone creates a very positive shopping environment.
Tell us the things you most love about Melbourne.
I love Melbourne. I grew up in rural Victoria and never visited the city much as a child. I found the people, the modes of transport and the buildings so fascinating. In my home town there is one building with an escalator and that even excited me. I think I was made for the city.
No matter how many decades you've lived in Melbourne you will always discover something new or see the city in a new light. The skyline alone is beautiful to look at. Walking the streets and seeing our iconic graffiti and environment is constantly sparking new ideas for product and for store experience.
In the way my brand has been developing since 2010 many aspects of the brand are inspired by the city. From product that includes iconic imagery of the city to the wooden crates inspired by the stall holders displays at the Artists Market where I began White Moose, to music played in store which a lot of the time features Melbourne born bands, White Moose is distinctly Melbourne.
White Moose - Shop 220, SO:ME Space, South Melbourne Market, 322-326 Coventry St, Melbourne
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