Big screen success for Duns tartan firm
AFTER supplying world famous designer Ralph Lauren and making its presence felt on the New York catwalk, a Duns firm is now gearing up to see its products hit the big screen.
ScotlandShop, based near Sinclairshill, has been up and running for six years now and was the brainchild of Gordon's Anna White.
But as well as having a loyal base of local customers the firm has acquired a client list that would make many of its competitors turn green with envy.
Over the last couple of years ScotlandShop have seen their tartan mixing with the A List on both sides of the Atlantic and Anna said that sometimes it can be quite surreal liasing with a big American company from her desk in Berwickshire.
"I don't think the customers worldwide realise just how small a business we are. That's the magic of the internet for you; we have people getting in touch who want things for the following week so it can get quite hectic at times.
"When people type 'tartan bags' into Google we appear on the first page and that has helped us out a lot. Having one of Ralph Lauren's staff getting in touch was a bit of a shock to say the least though. They were doing an ad campaign centered around people wrapping Christmas gifts so they ordered rolls and rolls of tartan ribbon."
And the celebrity connections don't stop there, a few years ago when 'The O.C' was the must-watch programme for teens and twenty-somethings across the globe, one of the show's wardrobe team got in touch with ScotlandShop about buying some tartan mini skirts to be worn by its cast which included red carpet regular Mischa Barton.
Not content with having their products on the small screen, Scotland Shop's bags are now going to be paraded by Toyah Wilcox and South African actress Brumilda Van Rensburg in new film 'The Power of Three', which is being billed as 'Sex and the City for the more mature lady'.
ScotlandShop tartan also jetted across the Atlantic in time for New York's Tartan Week earlier this year when some Olympic rowers donned some tartan bikinis and towels for a trip down the catwalk.
A bit closer to home, Anna and her team dressed Fiona Bruce for a Radio Times cover in January and Anna said this was one of the company's more challenging requests to date.
"We got a phone call from Radio Times at the start of January for an outfit for Fiona Bruce as she was appearing on the front of that month's magazine.
"Normally this wouldn't have been any problem but at the start of the year some of our suppliers were still on their Christmas and New Year break, so it was a bit of a scramble getting it together!"
ScotlandShop use many Border companies for their resources, from Selkirk-based Lochcarron to small one-man businesses.
And now Anna and her fellow staff members- Ali Sim, Jenny Close, Lesley Kemish, Sarah Watson and new recruit Wendy Ross, are casting their net further and looking to gain even more contacts worldwide. ScotlandShop have already got dedicated French and Spanish websites and with an Italian one due in the next few weeks and a German site to follow it looks like they'll achieve their goal.
"I would say America is our biggest market outside of the UK," Anna continued.
"But we've recently done a big order for an Italian company who were wanting some tartan for their furniture and we've also got steady business over the Channel and even as far away as Japan.
"I think the fact we are making a conscious effort to cater for other countries is definitely in our favour, not many other firms are doing this."
"When I first set up the German site I used a translation company from Edinburgh but then I decided to bring someone in-house as the translators didn't really have any knowledge of the products."
While other businesses are still dealing with the repercussions of the credit crunch, Anna said that ScotlandShop have coped quite well and are looking forward to a bright future.
"We are definitely still growing as a firm and it's encouraging that we are doing well in the current climate. It's looking promising for when things eventually get back to how they were.
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We're going to expand the premises to two floors which should see us right for a few years and then if we continue to expand our market who knows.
"I love working here as you never know what's around the corner. You can come in on a Monday and think you're going to have a quiet week and then one phone call can change everything.
"I think the appeal with tartan is that it's timeless. You hear people say 'oh tartan is in this year' but really it's always in, people are always wanting it all the time for interiors particularly and there's a real sense of heritage and quality about it."
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Weather for Duns
Thursday 17 May 2012
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