KEY POINTS:
Eric Watson's lingerie specialist Bendon is expanding in the United States.
The business, owned by Watson's private company Cullen Investments, has moved out of a small base on the upper levels of an office block in New York's fashion district in midtown Manhattan.
It is now on the 17th floor of a funky white shag-pile-dominated 560 sq m office on Madison Ave.
Bendon USA is somewhat of a rebel in New York, selling colourful lacy and silken decorative lingerie for women in an extremely conservative market which is dominated by plain white, brown and black underwear.
Watson's business has shaken up the lingerie scene in the US, challenging ranges of traditional apparel which Victoria Vandagriff, president of Bendon USA, said dominated the sector.
The business, which opened in New York in 2005, was on a big growth curve, she said.
And although it distributes no underwear using only the Bendon name, which has become an iconic brand in New Zealand during the past six decades, it features big-name stars on its labels.
"We're a celebrity culture," Vandagriff admitted. "We love stars."
So this week, supermodel Elle Macpherson was working with Bendon in New York promoting the Elle Macpherson Intimates Collection launched three years ago. Bendon has also just begun to distribute the Stella McCartney Lingerie range in the US and it also sells Fayreform in the US.
Vandagriff - originally from Ohio - said Watson was in New York every three months and took an active interest in the business. Bendon USA is expecting a 26 per cent increase in its business this financial year, despite Wall St jitters, the sub-prime mortgage catastrophe and the credit squeeze.
Bendon goods designed in New Zealand and made in China were distributed through hundreds of shops in the US and Canada and they had an edge which put them in a luxury category which was not as prone to suffer in harder times.
From a large Los Angeles distribution centre, the goods are moved across North America to be sold at Nordstrom department stores, Lord & Taylor (the oldest department store chain in the US), Saks, Holt Renfrew's and in various Macy's stores.
Vandagriff, who has 15 years of experience in the apparel industry, is now helping other New Zealand companies get established in the US, acting as a mentor in New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Beachheads programme.
"I recount Bendon's story and give people an insight into the US market, how it works with trade shows, where you should be, contacts, etc. New Zealanders really need to find experts on the ground here to get established. While you all have a sense of confidence, you need someone with a relationship who can give advice."
Vandagriff spoke at a function attended by 300 people, many of them Kiwis, at Saatchi & Saatchi's New York offices on Tuesday. The event, organised by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, was to promote the Beachheads programme.
* Anne Gibson was a guest of NZ Trade & Enterprise in New York.
HOW MUCH?
Bendon USA's apparel is top-drawer:
* Elle Macpherson bras sell for US$65.
* Stella McCartney bras sell for US$150.
* A set of knickers can cost up to US$195.
