NOOSA-BASED footwear company Holster has reached international success with an appearance at a Milan show fair helping the iconic sandals reach even more feet worldwide.
Holster representatives met with several key retailers in Milan at the world’s largest annual shoe fair, theMICAM, and has since signed distributorships in Vietnam, Korea, Philippines, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates.
Holster CEO and co-founder Ben Nothling, the great-great-great grandson of department store pioneer, David Jones, said the deal was a clear indication the Asian and Middle Eastern retail sectors are continuing to strengthen.
“They are eager to embrace innovative products with signature branding and high availability,” he said.
“Holster presents at exactly the right price point, too, meaning potential exists for us to expand quickly throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Isetan Singapore and Japan also placed substantial 2017 summer orders, and we hope to feature in their Phnom Penh, Bangkok, Jinan, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Shanghai department stores.”
Mr Nothling said the brand had become a cult hit with consumers of all ages in Thailand, particularly the youth market; most notably Thai university students adopting several of the iconic sandals as their uniform.
The iconic brand is based in Noosa and started with ladies and children jelly footwear before adding bags, espadrilles and glam sneakers to their collection. Now, Holster is stocked in over 2500 stores worldwide and can be found in 65 countries globally.
Mr Nothling said buyers continually mentioned Holster shoes “stand out from our competitors” in terms of innovation, quality, comfort and on-trend, popular colours.
“When we develop new ranges, we steer clear of what our competitors are doing, focusing only on our concepts and customer research to continually improve the product,” he said.
“Of all Australian fashion footwear brands selling globally, Holster has the largest footprint in terms of countries stocking the brand. Considering Holster is not based in a capital city, it defines the footwear brand as a trailblazer that has found its niche through signature designs; is in touch with its target market; and has quickly identified the best method of attracting distributors to develop and expand into key locations.”
Mr Nothling said the company’s aim was to be on every continent as the chosen summer footwear for ladies and children.
