A pattern for Pacific success

Fashion

Fiji’s Tanya Whiteside is set to take on French Polynesia and New Caledonia

By Vandana Krishna

THE young woman paused, looked up from her drawing pad, and her gaze settled on the fragile orchid tucked into the hair of the woman sitting at the desk in front of her.

The simple beauty of the orchid inspired the young designer, who went on to develop a range of clothing which now reaches markets as far apart as Australia, the United States and the South Pacific. Her latest collection is also

scheduled to debut in New Caledonia and French Polynesia by the end of the year.

For young Tanya Whiteside, the orchid was the start of a fashion industry career which gave her the opportunity to combine ardstic talent and sharp busi ness sense. For aspiring business people of the Pacific, it provides a lesson about the prerequisites for success talent and dedication, perhaps some contacts, and most definitely a dynamic marketing strategy.

The element of artistic talent sprang

from within young Tanya at an early age.

“As a young girl, I used to dress in my mother’s accessories. As soon as she’d go out, I’d go into her cupboard and get all her accessories, shoes and clothes which were too big for me, and put them all on,” she said.

She loved working out how things went together.

Later she experimented, tying sarongs in different ways to see what different looks she could create. It was a practical, math ematical exercise in one sense, but the inspiration and outcome were un

doubtedly creative.

The sense of personal style which she then de veloped had a lot to do with her later winning the Fiji beauty queen title of Miss Hibiscus, and prepared her for later competition in the wider world.

Her dedication and her interest in fashion led to the big move to America, where she completed a Diploma in Fashion Design from Bauder j College in Sacramento, California, in 1976.

When she returned to Fiji, she joined the

family business as a sales assistant, but moved on to become a principal de

signer.

The return to Fiji allowed her to renew her relationship with the natural beauty of the area, and inspired her in her progress as a designer. It has done so ever since by bringing to life, and being given life by, the vibrant, fresh forms of leaves, waves and coral.

“They are natural things about Fiji,” she says. “But they also capture the spirit of the Pacific. When we (Pacific people) visit Europe we find it fascinating because of its culture and history. But when they come here they are just as impressed by what we have particu larly the natural beauty and the tranquil lifestyle.”

With formal training behind her and inspiration leading her forward, Tanya’s career began to blossom.

In 1988, she and husband Robert Gho set up TW Ltd Suva, their own fashion designing and marketing company. They won the 512,000 top prize in Fiji’s first Start Your Own Business competition in 1988, and won the contract to design the uniforms for the Fiji contingent working at Expo ’BB in Brisbane the same year.

Since then, TW Ltd has been creating semi-exclusive leisure wear for sale in Fiji and for export.

Tanya herself has oeen at the helm heavily involved in the fashion industry and in promotion of the Fijian image in places as far away as Rome.

In exceptional cases, inspiration and hard work are enough for businesses to succeed. But Tanya admits that her artistic talent and dedication were backed up by contacts.

Coming from a fashion industry family

meant, in practical terms, that she had access to outlets via the Tiki Togs

Knee-length Jacket: Still a favourite in this year’s range

Clear goals: Fiji's Tanya Whiteside

TANYA Whiteside’s Spring/Summer collection for 91/92, due for release later this year, is also scheduled to debut in French Polynesia and New Caledonia. The range draws on her traditional source of inspiration the natural beauty of the Pacific; with ocean and leaf designs capturing the refreshing experience of the islands. But, rather than the loose, flowing lines of her earlier leisure wear, this year’s range features a more international flavour including tailored but comfortable jackets with fitting skirts for the working woman or the woman seeking a smarter look, and short little jackets with fun, flared skirts that are just as short and little.

Her range still features cool, comfortable, imported cotton, cotton chintz and linen, but Thai silk has been introduced for dress-up evening wear. Colours range from white to rusty reds and ochres to vivid midnight blues. Items will be available as separates, so creative clients can create their own look.

The new TW Ltd range will be available from all Tiki Togs boutiques including those in Suva, at the Warwick International, The Fijian, the Fiji Mocambo, The Regent of Fiji and Iri Masei of the Sheraton Fiji Resort. It will be available through Cook Islands outlets, and is scheduled to make debuts in French Polynesia and New Caledonia. □

Left: This smart little, go-anywhere jacket can be used to put together a variety of looks. Here, teamed with loose pants and a midnight blue sash top, it is ideal for daywear. Below: A stylish, tropical motif jacket and fitted skirt spell a special kind of success - ideal for the Pacific’s working woman.

boutiques established by her mother, Cherie Whiteside, 28 years ago.

But it also gave her a background for

personal development.

From a very early age, Tanya recalls, the main course of the family’s dinner table conversation was fashion business.

It made her aware of the need to think ahead, anticipating problems and look ing for opportunities. It also made her aware of the need for a vision or set of goals.

“You need this clear idea of where you are going,' to create that passion for the vision. And you need to be able to fire everyone in your organisation with that same passion, to really keep them striving to achieve it,” she said.

“For us, those clear goals are to have a business which reaches world markets, covering Australasia and the Pacific, and with a presence in the United States and Europe. A goal might be to earn a profit but you need also to aim at contributing to the success or sense of achievement of everyone involved in the business.”

She stresses the need to concentrate equally on production, administration, motivating and marketing.

TW has concentrated on markets in the South Pacific, the United States, and particularly Australia. But, because of the recession there, she is “giving it 12 months off Typically, her idea of giving it a break does not mean giving up it simply means changing tack. TW is recruiting a specialist Australian marketing company to compile an up to date profile of the Australian market and possible new ranges, and directing resources at new markets in the Pacific. By the end of December she hopes to have launched her new range in the New Caledonia and French Polynesia markets.

The strategies are all part of her belief

in making things happen.

“I don’t believe in luck,” she says.

“ There is a lot of hard work and you have to give a lot.”

But, she says, you also need an inner strength or beliefs to provide a frame work. if you are going to succeed.

“You need to keep your life in perspective,’ she says. And this perspec tive includes listing priorities for yourself.

“I believe that above everything there is God and your family. When it comes to the crunch, if you lost everything materially there would only be your faith and the people you love left,” she says.

As a mother of six, (including four from Robert’s previous marriage), it has not been easy to make room for a career.

Her duty towards her children and her business commitments have sometimes clashed. 1 ve managed by reminding myself every day that 1 have a duty to my husband and my children to help

them draw out their positive qualities and encourage them to achieve,” she says.

To gauge her yardstick for success, I asked her when she would consider herself a “success”. < Td feel happy, as if j have reached a goa j if we got to th DO : t u th Z • ’ 1 to , P° nt wft( i r . e tJ je business could largely take care of itself.

Then we ( Robert and I} could st back bit and do what wp rpallv Hl-p £ ” a blt a *j d do what we reall Y llke to do ’ f t? k m u ui . For Robe £ thls '£ ou '. d P, robab| y mean han S m § a Gone Flshln S SI S" 011 the

front door, she says. For herself, it might

be painting.

one senses, however, that she would always need the mental stimuladon of business along with the creative stimu lation of art 1 f u uess c 1 coulcl neve . r reali Y to P altogether. Success to me is more about keeoimr the momentum aoin<r Sucres k

contemmentorsoirituafSm^tTnd

contentment, or spmtual lullilment, and being able to give to others or help them along —even if it s just by inspiring them or setting an example. You can never really stop, or you’d stagnate.”□

Effective: Black and white, plain and patterned ... a striking mix ot contrasts