A collection of bags by popular US fabric designer Amy Butler is now available locally after Zafino secured the exclusive rights to distribute the range in Australia.
Known for its stylish work bags, Zafino added the Amy Butler for Kalencom brand to its portfolio to provide a more rounded offering to retailers. Amy Butler’s bags are more casual and lifestyle while Zafino products lean towards the executive sector.
Although Amy Butler is almost considered a household name in the US, in Australia most consumers only know of her if they are interested in craft and sewing or in the interior design field, so the success of the brand at its Melbourne Reed Gift Fair launch last month took Zafino by surprise.
“Overwhelming,” says Mindi Chisholm, Zafino director, of the response. “Amy Butler’s head office in the States, I think they had a suspicion of how well it would be received but for us, because it’s such a new range and quite different to what we’ve presented before… so different to Zafino I think it took us a little bit by surprise as to how well it was received.
“The fact that it was so new people could tell it was quite different, a lot of the interior decorators coming through loved it because they love Amy Butler so I think overall we were astonished with how well it went.”
Overnight bags and tote bags were the most popular pieces from the debut collection. Chisholm says the quality of the bags and the prints make Amy Butler’s bags a winning combination.
“Two things are evident. One is that the actual design of the fabric used – the print on the fabric is very unique and unusual and there’s nothing like that here in Australia I believe. Two, the quality of workmanship in those bags is perfection and that was very key for us because the Zafino product is dedicated to a really high end quality workmanship, and I know when I looked at Amy Butler’s product too it had that same level of quality with it.”
New fabric designs will be released every six months, however, the types of product will remain the same, which Chisholm says ensures the brand stays fresh and exciting for retailers and their consumers.
