A watery success

On June 30, 1997, a com pany called Water Wear Fiji Ltd commenced production.

The owners of the company, the Prasad family of Namaka in Nadi on the western side of Viti Levu in Fiji, were quietly optimistic.

Water Wear Fiji Ltd was not to be “just another garment factory”, but a very spe cialised one. The company’s product range was divided into two separate departments: the neoprene department and the (hard-to-sew) lycra department.

The specialised clothing made by Water Wear Fiji Ltd were specifically for export. The factory was set up under the Fiji Tax Free scheme, but it has a strong local clientele list as well.

At present, the company employs 16 locals and 2 expatriates. The main exper tise is with the Production Manager Margareta Ellmauer.

A tailor by trade and a native of Austria, Ellmauer took her first step in the industry with the biggest European Wetsuit Manufacturer. The Administration Manager, Werner Zysset, a Swiss/Austrian dual citizen, grew up in the sports industry and has now close to 10 years of experience in the Wetsuit Industry.

While working with another company, the managers developed (with LIGHT FOOT SPORTS Sydney), a Triathlon Wetsuit which is considered the fastest in the world these days.

Steamers (long arm, long legs) are made especially for the top professionals and Long Johns for the not quite top pro fessionals.

However budget models are available for general water sports enthusiasts.

Fortunately, LIGHTFOOT SPORTS fol lowed the two managers wherever they worked and these days. Water Wear Fiji Ltd has a great product in the Neoprene Department.

With the Dive, Surf and Windsurf

Wetsuits, it is a different story.

The market share for these products world-wide is controlled by a lot of big companies. It is this market share that Water Wear is working very hard to break into.

The company intends to penetrate the world market to the extent of its market share in the local Fijian market.

Around the same time as the triathlon suit was bom, a totally different product took its first steps - the STINGRAY SUN PROTECTION CLOTHING. At that time (about eight years ago), people in Australia started to be aware of the danger of the sun’s ultraviolet rays and its links to skin cancer.

An ideal protective fabric was found, but it took the marketing company STINGRAY AUSTRALIA many years of hard work to inform and convince the peo ple of Australia of its protective value.

The LYCRA suits with its protective factor 50-plus help to prevent skin cancer, which can break out many years after the damage has been done (up to 30 years later). The biggest damage is normally done to small and very small children.

That’s why the protection of children these days is so important, regardless of the colour of their skin. Today, the STINGRAY range is sold in Australia, USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Dubai, England, Jersey, Spain and Germany and has a very high market share.

Very soon, these STINGRAY products will also be available in Switzerland, China, Greece, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

The secret of the success of the STINGRAY range is variety. From top to bottom, from cap to T-shirt and short to one-piece suits, from pram cover to big man shirt (called “Real Man”) - everything is available. Unfortunately (or fortunately for Water Wear), the cutting and sewing of Lycra is very difficult. However, the staff are very well trained and are doing an excellent job, balanced between speed and top quality. ■

Water Wear products ready for export.