By Sadie Hawker - Wellington Woman Magazine
Phillippa Wilberforce is a woman with a mission. She wants to give every woman in New Zealand the opportunity to look and feel fantastic, whatever their age, size or body shape. As founder of New Zealand based clothing company Long Island, Phillippa certainly has the means to do so.
Tired of searching and struggling to find clothes that fit her “non-size 12, nonconformist body,” Phillippa decided to take on the challenge herself and provide affordable, attractive and most importantly, comfortable clothes, to women in a range of sizes from 10-30.
“Women like to be admired and feel good about themselves, no matter what age or size they are. I found it was becoming increasingly difficult to find clothes that fit my body, which constantly changes as the years go by. I decided that I would create a company that didn’t give an unattainable size 10 standard’, but one that took into account the actual shape and size of a real woman’s body,” says Phillippa.
“We concentrate on designing clothes that not only look good, but feel good too. We pay great attention to cut, shape and material, so that our clothes not only look good, but are enjoyable to wear. Quality is of equal importance to us, and our clothes are made to last for years rather than just for a season.”
Long Island began in 2005 as a multichannel retailer. It has grown so successfully, that it now boasts thousands of customers purchasing via its two stores, website and the traditional mail order catalogue.
“I wanted Long Island to be a lot more than just a clothes line. I wanted it to be a lifestyle choice,” explains Phillippa. The name Long Island was chosen specifically for the happy, positive imagery of a relaxing, sunny island lifestyle it evokes.
Long Island pride themselves on stocking items that can be “thrown together in a rush and still look fantastic,” adds Phillippa. “There are a lot of busy women who don’t have time to consider their outfits every evening, so we make staple items that can be thrown together and still look fabulous. I call them ‘multiple use’ items and they’re a great basic in every wardrobe.”
Feedback from her customers is always gratefully received - actively encouraged even. Phillippa loves hearing what her customers have to say. “We’re not some faceless corporation,” she explains. “We are here to provide excellent service and satisfaction to our customers. Feedback and communication are areas in which we differentiate ourselves from many other clothing lines. We listen to our customers, make the changes and work with the suggested improvements. I like to think I have a personal relationship with a lot of my customers. I am very hands on in every stage of the business, from design and manufacturing, to offering advice in store. Sometimes I see three generations of a family shopping together in our store, and there is no greater feeling than knowing that you are on the right track, offering a classic style to suit every shape and size.”
“Women’s bodies are constantly changing, whether it is after they’ve had children, get into their forties, or during menopause. You can be an apple or a pear, or just need something that is easy to take a layer off for when you are having hot flashes. These are all considerations that we include in our design processes.”
In keeping with the ethos of the company, Long Island only uses ‘real women’ to model their clothes in their catalogues and promotional photography. Absent are the stick thin models, who are instead replaced by women of varying ages and sizes, representing the real customers that will be looking to buy Long Island clothes.
“We have customers that refer to our models,” smiles Phillippa. “They say, ‘Lois (a popular plus sized Long Island model) looks like she’s lost weight,’ and I say, ‘No she hasn’t. She is just wearing the right cut and shape to suit her figure.’ They often say, ‘Well, if it looks good on Lois, I know it will look good on me,’ and that’s what we are aiming for - a realistic representation of our clothing lines, not some airbrushed, unobtainable image!”
In the mail order catalogue, as well as on the website, there are guides to each model, detailing height, measurements and dress size so that customers have an idea of how the garments would look on themselves.
Long Island has customers from around the globe, and often delivers to Canada, the UK, USA and has a rapidly growing market in Australia. Which is impressive for a company that designs and produces the majority of its stock in its home country.
“We like to have as many made in New Zealand styles as possible. That way, if there are any changes or alterations we’d like to make to the design of an item, the turnaround process is so much quicker. We can also produce smaller lines, meaning that not every item is mass-produced and you won’t see people wearing the exact same outfit as yourself. We want to assist women to dress comfortably, but also retain their individuality.”
And it is because of the combination of great service and fabulous, flattering clothes, that for some people, Long Island is their best kept secret.
“Some of our customers won’t tell their friends where they are buying their clothes!” laughs Phillippa. “They want to keep the secret of their stylish looks to themselves - worried that if they share their secret source, everyone will be able to look as good as they do!”
But with recent premises in Wellington, and the ambition to open a store in Auckland in the near future, it looks as though this is one secret that is about to be unveiled to many more ‘real’ New Zealand women.
Long Island:
128 Featherston Street, Wellington
13 Stanley St, Sydenham, Christchurch
See our full range online at www.longisland.co.nz
or free phone 0800 23 43 53 for a free catalogue (or you can sign up here.)