Murray Crane does hunters and collections

Little Brother have their first official showing at NZ Fashion Week with the Game collection, a nose-thumbing at traditional hunting apparel.

If designer Murray Crane were to be seen dead at a traditional English hunting party, he'd outshine his fellow shooters. He'd be the dashing fellow with half-cocked gun at the ready, springer spaniel at his side, striding forth in a much kinkier version of country-gentleman attire. It's almost certain he'd bag more game than the rest.

In a well-aimed jibe at aristocratic customs, Crane is tonight bringing a shooting party of sorts to New Zealand Fashion Week. It's guns blazing for Little Brother's first official showing, with the models sporting a full armoury on the catwalk in an unabashed nose-thumbing at the traditional hunting apparel.

There's no hint of tweed or subdued autumnal colours; it's more likely the colours will scare the fowl. The concept is entirely suitable for a label that's, well, like your ever-so-cheeky-but-endearing little brother.

The whole thinking behind the name was creating a brand that was a bit irreverent. A bit flippant.

Imagine a scene from Withnail and I, a classic cult British film about two hapless actors who abandon their derelict city pad for the English countryside. In a bumbling attempt at survival in the great outdoors, the pair burn the cottage furniture to stay warm and eventually extinguish any hope of going it alone. Crane rates the movie as one of his favourites and it is pitch-perfect for Game, his new collection.

"We have focused on the unwelcome visitor; a city dweller dumped in the countryside, inappropriately dressed for the task at hand and maybe still drunk."

Crane says many of his collections have some relevance to his past and the latest is no exception. As an 8-year-old in Geraldine, his first job was loading the traps for the local gun club on their clay bird events.

"It was petrifying, because you never knew when they were going to shoot."

But Crane's aim for men's retailing has always been true. After paying his retailing dues at Zambesi and Monsoon, Crane launched Crane Brothers Ltd in 1999.

The first shop for the brothers Crane (Murray and little brother Mark) was Little Brother on Ponsonby Rd, which sold recycled clothing and, later, its own brand of casual streetwear. Six months after opening Crane Brothers, an outfitter specialising in tailored menswear, fire destroyed the store.

"We lost everything and most people wrote us off because of that fire."

It took a year to recover and throughout, Crane stayed true to his goal.

"When I got into the business, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had the brand in my head, I knew exactly what it was. And Little Brother's mission statement has always been: give them what they want, don't tell them what they need."

Not long after the incident, Crane decided his little brother didn't have the staying power for retail, and fired him. Mark now runs Auckland's Wunderkammer and Murray says they haven't spoken for over three years. End of story for sibling relations: fresh challenges for the company.

Last year, Crane Brothers Ltd was included in Unlimited magazine's Fast 50, where the company reported a 406 per cent increase in revenue.

It has now expanded to include menswear under licence from Gubb and Mackie, Karen Walker and Hailwood.

Crane is also in partnership with record label Flying Nun to produce limited-edition T-shirts featuring original album cover artwork.

Little Brother now has three namesake stores in Auckland and Wellington and is stocked internationally.

Crane is dedicated to staying New Zealand-made, with a factory employing 15 staff based in Auckland and ismortified at the suggestion of moving the manufacturing base offshore.

"There's still quality here you don't get anywhere else in the world. If you forsake quality you end up compromising your brand and your philosophy."

It's all very well to have quality merchandise but it takes staff on the floor to move it, and Crane constantly acknowledges their input and loyalty.

"We work really hard at pleasing our customers. A guy gets the same service if he buys a T-shirt or a $1300 suit."

Crane is surprisingly reticent about being labelled a designer; he seems more proud of working six days on the shop floor.

After all, this is the man former Zambesi colleague Cris Roberts describes as the most intelligent and passionate menswear retailer she has encountered.

As Crane says: "I am a trader, that's what I love. And if you open a store you have to understand what people want because shopping can be a really rewarding experience or it can be a really frustrating experience."

In a bid to gain even more exposure for the brand, Crane has sealed a deal with Xtra to publish his fashion show on line.

If the A-list of buyers and media won't budge from their international perches, he'll bring the only menswear show of fashion week to the them - albeit 24 hours after the event.

High-tech marketing aside, New Zealand men, says Crane, are really hunters at heart.

"A lot of our great customers we may only see twice a year, once when it's cold and once when it's hot."

And menfolk always return to where they last had a good experience.

"They're not into change. They want to know you're not going to make them look a dick. If they have no idea what they're doing, you can either lie or tell them something looks terrible on them and risk not making a sale.

"We want that guy to walk out the door in something that looks great because that's the investment you're making in the future of the brand to continue to grow."