“When you
innovate,
you’ve got to
be prepared
for people
telling you that
you are nuts.”
- Larry Ellison, Co-Founder, Oracle
“In our
industry, being
first in a
market is not
everything.
Customer
loyalty is. And
loyalty is not
won by being
first. It is won
by being best.”
- Stefan Persson, Chairman, H&M
WINNING SPELL
Despite women’s retail being a notoriously tough marketplace, one regional Australian fashion
label in particular is thriving. Fashion and lifestyle brand, Spell and the Gypsy Collective, was
recently named the 2016 Telstra Australian Business of the Year. Renowned for its unique style
and global celebrity following, the label is owned by two sisters based in Byron Bay in New
South Wales, Australia: Elizabeth Abegg and Isabella Pennefather. The winners were praised for
their financial performance and innovative business thinking which has disrupted the industry.
“Not only are [Spell and the Gypsy Collective] showing significant innovation in the digital space,
but they are turning the traditional business model of the fashion industry on its head,” says
Telstra Business Awards Ambassador Andy Ellis.
The six-year-old label is making waves internationally, currently shipping to over 130 countries.
The sisters have a hands-on approach to business and a dedicated social media following
which has aided their strong global growth.A NEW ENERGY
The world’s largest consumer of energy, China, is
also the country with the most solar power output,
having overtaken Germany in 2015. China has also
become the global leader in windpower installations
and currently accounts for more than a third of total
windpower capacity. While the high-polluting nation
is aiming to cut its coal consumption and meet
green energy targets, in recent times, much of the
solar and windpower projects have remained idle
due to the high volume of plants taking up
government incentives. The high levels of plant
production overtook the planning needed to
implement and use the extra green energy.BUSINESS NEWS