“The initial reaction to Ketz-Ke has been fantastic,” says Jenny “L.A seems to love the New Zealand influence in the range and that it has been designed from down under.” Picking up a cool 150 accounts, Ketz-ke Spring 2012 will be hitting stores in the USA from January 2012 and onwards.
An immediate success following its inception in 2006, Ketz-ke’s quality, contemporary clothing styles, affordable price points, fits, colours and fabrics were quickly and wholeheartedly embraced by New Zealand consumers, giving Drury the confidence to go global.
“The US is a tough market to crack but an important one, and it seems that there is a niche there that Ketz-ke can fill perfectly,” says Drury.
Rest assured, Drury has done her homework. “I wanted to be sure we had the resources to supply such a large nation before attempting to sell there, and I feel that now is the right time,” she says.
Perhaps it is also her no-nonsense motto that has assisted in Ketz-ke’s accomplishments: “Failure is only for those who stop trying,” she says. “There is really nothing more rewarding than setting out to do something and then accomplishing it. This is what I live for, and what I will continue to live for, for as long as I create.”
Now entering its fifth year, Ketz-ke is sold in over 107 stores across New Zealand as well as stockists in China, Australia and now the US.
Thanks to the overwhelming demand, the label has expanded to doing five ranges annually that encapsulate an effortless and edgy aesthetic that has universal appeal.
Next on the agenda is European distribution. “But I think we have enough to keep us busy for a while!” says Drury. “Watch this space.”