By Ayanna Kirton, Staff ReporterSUCCESS IN the local apparel industry is often considered a feat, and stories of small under-funded start ups that attempt to create home-grown brand name clothing lines but bow out quickly because of the lack of acceptance by the local consumer are prevalent.
However, one company has managed to survive the threat of the international brand often the preferred choice of Jamaicans to become one of the most recognisable names in the local clothing industry.
'Cooyah' is one of Jamaica's leading speciality retailers offering clothing and accessories for men and women that are inspired by reggae music, local icons, and Jamaican culture on a whole. The company was formed in 1987 and is owned by Susan Croyghton and brothers, Homer and Nigel Bair.
Cooyah operates six outlets worldwide and the company employs 15 persons. Four of these stores branded with the Cooyah name are located in Jamaica, one is located in Miami, USA and another in London, UK. Its products are manufactured in the United States and the company plans to bring its manufacturing operations to Jamaica within the next year, when its denim line will be launched.
With the demand for the clothing line at a record high, Cooyah is expanding to the Caribbean and is currently finalising franchise agreements with Trinidadian and Barbadian interests to increase market penetration in the region for easier access to its largest importers. Countries like Antigua, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, Cayman, and Curacao and Belize also import the products in significant volumes.
"Jamaica is an extremely 'sellable' commodity. Inasmuch as our clothing line deeply expresses the fundamentals of Jamaica's music and heritage, once we can make ourselves available to create clothing but make the minor adjustments to meet the various temporal and cultural differences the opportunities are boundless," says Daniel Barrett, marketing manager for Cooyah.
The company is also the licensed distributor of Bob Marley merchandise for the Caribbean, a relationship that was established Mr. Barrett says because of Cooyah's position as the foremost manufacturer of a successful Jamaican roots and urban clothing line. "When they saw how well we were doing it was easy for them to make the decision," the marketing manager says.
This alliance helps to contribute to the growth and acceptance of the Cooyah brand and also encourages them to maintain the standards of quality associated with the Bob Marley name in their own products while helping to facilitate the company's ability to market and sell the Cooyah clothing line.
"We have reached the point where we have instilled a level of confidence in the perception of others towards the Cooyah brand and we've proven unquestionably that there is fallacy in the statement-Jamaicans don't buy Jamaican products," Mr. Barrett declares. "What the Jamaican consumer demands are products of a high standard."
