Life Instyle once again enthralled crowds of buyers, showcasing hundreds of Australian and international brands and products at the Royal Exhibition Building from 3 to 6 August.
From unique ceramics to cactus leather handbags, the curated event had all the very best in clothing, jewellery & accessories, homewares, kids clothing, accessories & toys, beauty products and much more from established brands as well as 150 new exhibitors.
Courtenay Tyrrell of MAUDE Studio and Faye Tan from Mama Movement, who had both previously just sold through online and social media platforms, were excited to showcase their actual physical products to retailers and saw Life Instyle as the next stage in their growth.
“While we’ve been able to grow really quite quickly in the last three years online, we also know that in order to get to that next level, we need the help of stockists all across the country to get us there,” says Tan.
“We are really using this as a way to debut ourselves into the world of wholesale.”
Tyrrell has been building the brand very slowly and steadily and it finally feels like the right time to launch a little into wholesale.
“A few people that I admire and see in stores did Life Instyle,” she adds.
“So it felt like it was a good alignment and maybe a nice proof of concept that it’s the direction and the end point that I’m aiming for.”
Watertiger has been exhibiting at Life Instyle for years, as has Juju & Co, a sustainable leather handbag company, with both exhibitors saying that Life Instyle was a chance for them to reconnect with their existing customers, as well as find new stockists and that the event had been a cornerstone of the growth of their business.
“There is a real buzz about the event,” says Kathy Bruce from Watertiger. “I have seen a number of my stockists that I haven’t seen for five or six years. It’s exciting to see them back.”
Sustainability was at the forefront of many exhibitors at this year’s event, from Texcoco Collective, winner of the Life Instyle New Breed Scholarship with its sustainably made in Mexico cactus leather handbags to Soek sustainable sunglasses, showcased in The Future Eden part of Life Instyle, which uses 100 per cent sustainable timber and all natural materials that are renewable and free from harmful or toxic elements to create their stylish sunglasses.
Lauren & Alysha from Peggy Sue Co, a skin and body care company using 100 per cent natural ingredients, said that being part of the Future Eden section at the front of the event was amazing.
“We made amazing connections with some other brands that have given us a lot of help after the show and we’ve also given a lot of tips and tricks to friends that we’ve made,” enthuses Lauren.
“It’s a community and we’re all in the same boat. We’re here for the same reason and as well as being a trade show to sell our products, it’s the connections you make with other brands that are in the same space. It has been game changing.”
Indeed, connections were being made everywhere and exhibitors talked about the importance of these connections, not just to grow their business through new sales and stockists, but by learning from other retailers, having a chance to tell their story face-to-face with their retailers and learn how to better improve their relationships.
“We use Life Instyle as a great way to have a touch point with our existing customer base, but also attract new customers,” says Chris Ottoway from Telegraph Co.
“We’re typically using it now to showcase new brands, new categories and new products. But we love the reconnection with customers and finding out how the market is going and how we can be better as a distributor.”
