Kiri Nathan on fashion, cultural connection and what resonates with consumers

Kiri Nathan is the founder of her eponymous clothing brand Kiri Nathan Ltd. Kiri has been travelling to China for years, a journey that started with sourcing fabric from one of the world’s largest textile markets. In this podcast we speak with Kiri about her China experience, including taking a hīkoi of young designers to market – which has led to the development of  NZ’s inaugural Māori fashion collective. Kiri provides insight on a range of topics, including sourcing fabrics from China, the impact of Covid-19 on her supply chain, the benefits of leading with Māori culture, an exciting new platform that caters to SME’s and key factors that resonate with Chinese consumers.

Timestamps

01:07	Kiri’s first trip to China to source fabrics
03:32	Impact of Covid-19 on the supply chain
04:40	Taking young Māori designers to China
06:21	Auckland-LA-Guangzhou Tripartite experience
07:36	Impact of leading with Māori culture
09:54	Meeting with top Chinese fashion label Shang Xia
11:21	Authenticity – an important proposition
13:06	Key points for engaging with suppliers
15:24	Value of celebrity endorsements in-market
16:44	The creation of WeChat ‘Buyer Shops’
21:23	Impact of NZ provenance