Australian Members

Originally Posted by __PG__

Click to expand...

I've bought my suits (so far) from Azzaro in south Melbourne. They stock a wide range of Italian suits from low-end fused (Enrico Coveri) to high-end fused (Versace Collection) to mass-produced cavassed (Cantarelli, Canali, Sarti d'Italia) to hand-made (Antichi Telai). They only stock standard sizes though.
Azzaro is actually the Australasian showroom for Canali, as well as the local distributor for Versace Collection. If you click on this link for the Australia/New Zealand showroom you'll see their details. Their wholesale showroom (not open to the public) has loads of Canali swatches and Canali catalogues and a few samples. Same with Versace Collection. Their retail showroom is chock-full of suits with some sports jackets as well. They usually have one size in every style, although some samples only come in one size. I just got a Cantarelli unlined (and very lightly structured) summer suit which is a sample from their 2011 summer range. Don't be put off by some of the photos on their website, they have loads of very classic and elegant suits as well, not just fashion forward stuff from Versace. A good example can be found at the Antichi Telai website. Maybe we should organise a group outing?

Originally Posted by Icarus

Click to expand...

Do you AusGents know if the higher prices for clothing & shoes in Australia are due to import duties?

There are virtually no import duties (tariffs) - I suspect nothing on clothing. I haven't looked it up.

There is GST - but that applies to locally made goods too.

Originally Posted by __PG__

Click to expand...

Their retail showroom is chock-full of suits with some sports jackets as well. They usually have one size in every style, although some samples only come in one size. I just got a Cantarelli unlined (and very lightly structured) summer suit which is a sample from their 2011 summer range.

Thanks for the heads up PG. What sort of pricing can we expect?

The low demand and generally undereducated buyers account for a lot of the high prices.

Relatively low population also makes maximum demand limited. But. By most world standards Melbourne and Sydney, at least, are very large cities. Big.

Low demand means that inventory costs are high.

I now have 6 Oxford Button downs from Lands End, better than anything I've seen here selling $120 each (and theres bugger all here).

The whole 6 cost me less than $200 all up - delivered - to my doorstep - not to post office. Thats $30 each - you can't even buy a crappy shirt for $30 here.

I have a whole bunch of chinos from Peter Christian. The tailor says they are some of the "cleanest made" pants he's seen. I can't get the same shape or colours here anywhere and any locally available chinos that come close are up around $120. Christians are 2 for 50gbp =$ 80aus less 17.5% VAT plus 15 GBP postage = less than $50 each for well made stuff.

Shoes - I'm no big timer so its Pediwear and Herring for me - I know my size - great goodyear welted shoes for around or less than the price of a square toed glued white slip on footballers monster here at Aquila.

Socks - over the calf wool, cotton or wool and silk from Viccel in Turkey @ $8 each or less free postage - cheaper than target synthetic socks.

My last 3 sport coats were from UK online new and near new - less than $130 landed.

Ties - online

One day this week I was talking to a few women at work re clothes etc - mainly womens clothes - I looked and the only thing I was wearing that I hadn't got from overseas online was my underpants. Undies from Rivers.

Now I'm not sure this is going to worry the average mens wear store much at all but I suspect its going to eat into the better clothing stores like Henry Bucks, American Tailors etc.

I know if I wasn't buying confidently online I'd probably be buying - much less volume - from some Melbourne shops.

Saving a few dollars doesn't really matter much to me - $20 on a $100 spend isn't worth changing shopping habits - but the range, quality and combined with huge prices differences is what makes the difference.

Plus the convenience - once you get it right - online shopping is a cinch - for clothes - not all clothes fro all people - but many clothes.

Its going to get better - a few UK sites now have a .com.au address with aussie dollars - they know the rising dollar is getting them customers. I got a hard copy colour UK catalogue the other day in mail - all in Aussie dollars.

Geezus, do I have to do everything for you guys?

Current Azzaro promotions

Ignore the prices on the left (I think they just make them up), on the right is representative of what they do. If you buy more than one item they will haggle.

Canali prices will be ~$1000 depending on the fabric/model (they have Canali Exclusive from time to time)...and whether it is old or new stock.

BTW whilst we are all active and online on a lazy Friday afternoon, can someone tell me what are the sartorial advantages to having a 'split waist' at the rear of your trousers?

Originally Posted by fxh

Click to expand...

There are virtually no import duties (tariffs) - I suspect nothing on clothing. I haven't looked it up.

There is GST - but that applies to locally made goods too.

I'm wrong.

Mens suits wool was 17.5% tariff.

From Jan 2010 = 10%

From Jan 2015 will be 5%

Tariff doesn't apply if you import less than $1,000 in one order for own use.

And for all practical purposes you don't pay GST either.

So until Jan this year a wool suit imported - and all are imported - at least the cloth - would be tariff 17.5% plus GST 10% = ** 27.5% dearer than importing it yourself - neglecting postage.

** not exactly correct because the tariff might only be on the material - and the tariff isn't on the retail price - so it would be less than 27.5% - but hey - its a case study - near enough.

NZ is a bit different because of our Trade Agreement with them - that why a lot of stuff is made in NZ Rembrandt and their brands - Rembrandt also make many, if not most, of the house brands sold in OZ that are marked Made in NZ.

Originally Posted by __PG__

Click to expand...

BTW whilst we are all active and online on a lazy Friday afternoon, can someone tell me what are the sartorial advantages to having a 'split waist' at the rear of your trousers?

Nicely frames your plumbers crack when you bend over - there's a symmetry.

Originally Posted by fxh

Click to expand...

So until Jan this year a wool suit imported - and all are imported - at least the cloth - would be tariff 17.5% plus GST 10% = ** 27.5% dearer than importing it yourself - neglecting postage.
That's outrageous when you consider that we supply the wool in the first place most of the time! What's the point in having the tariff when there is no local textile industry to support?

Originally Posted by __PG__

Click to expand...

That's outrageous when you consider that we supply the wool in the first place most of the time!

What's the point in having the tariff when there is no local textile industry to support?

Look at the Fletcher Jones thread - the protectionists would claim a circular argument - we have no local industry because we dropped tariffs.

The bad bad bit is the wool.

We, plus a bit of NZ, supply nearly all the fine wool in the world.

We are too stupid to do anything with it.

We don't can't weave it.

We ship it out wholesale like we do minerals. Let the English and Italians, in fine wool at least, weave it, add value as they say, then the Chinese or Indians or Fijians make it up and sell it back as coats etc.

We'll never have a huge market ourselves but I wouldn't mind a bit of a subsidy (as long as its transparent) to get a bit of fine, modern technology weaving going here.

Originally Posted by Prince of Paisley

Click to expand...

I kind of agree with your point PG, but all those new money wankers that like to show off their wealth don't shop at Henry Bucks surely? I would have thought it was a bit fuddy duddy for all those IT millionaires and corporate analysts - plus no one would notice they spend $700 on their Churches loafers...

Most of the douches that drive around in Porche Boxters and live in McMansions or the Toaster don't buy quality menswear full stop - they're interested in making a point, hence the burberry trenchcoats and gold rolexes, and magenta RL polo shirts.

Maybe if the old money upper classes here were greater in number there would be a corresponding increase in the market for English shoes, tailor made suits etc., leading to more choice and availability of said items at non-ridiculous prices.

At the moment though, the influx of new money in this country has led instead to the establishment of overpriced boutiques for Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and Cartier. That's where the cahed-up bogans shop to make a statement with their over-priced "luxury" logo bags and SS Commodores.

+1

Originally Posted by Prince of Paisley

Click to expand...

I kind of agree with your point PG, but all those new money wankers that like to show off their wealth don't shop at Henry Bucks surely? I would have thought it was a bit fuddy duddy for all those IT millionaires and corporate analysts - plus no one would notice they spend $700 on their Churches loafers...

Most of the douches that drive around in Porche Boxters and live in McMansions or the Toaster don't buy quality menswear full stop - they're interested in making a point, hence the burberry trenchcoats and gold rolexes, and magenta RL polo shirts.

Maybe if the old money upper classes here were greater in number there would be a corresponding increase in the market for English shoes, tailor made suits etc., leading to more choice and availability of said items at non-ridiculous prices.

At the moment though, the influx of new money in this country has led instead to the establishment of overpriced boutiques for Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton and Cartier. That's where the cahed-up bogans shop to make a statement with their over-priced "luxury" logo bags and SS Commodores.

I think also a lot of the old money travelled to UK a lot anyway - more than people from USA did - so many probably got their stuff in UK when they visited. And possibly still do.

I stil reckon theres not much made, with thought, for the "formal" Oz market.

There should (could with chinese manufacturing) be cheap -ish OTR cotton unstructured suits, linen ditto and also more sport jackets light ones. More well made chinos - it doesn't have to be all English heavey wool and suits.

Still - this is just a bunch of wankers on the net.....

Originally Posted by fxh

Click to expand...

I think also a lot of the old money travelled to UK a lot anyway - more than people from USA did - so many probably got their stuff in UK when they visited. And possibly still do....

If you see all the English shirts that are barely worn in the thrifts you would come to the conclusion that travellers all buy their stuff in the UK.

Thanks for the responses guys. You, along with google, definitely answered the tariff inquiry.

More questions:

If you say there is "low demand", what is it exactly that there is high demand for? What are mainstream/middle-market brands favored by Aussies?

Originally Posted by fxh

Click to expand...

We'll never have a huge market ourselves but I wouldn't mind a bit of a subsidy (as long as its transparent) to get a bit of fine, modern technology weaving going here.
I agree. It's a good source of employment outside of the major cities as well. My dad said that apparently Kennett tried to save a mill in Seymour during his tenure but it still went bust. I'm fairly sure that all milling is just done on massive computerised industrial machines these days, so I don't see why any cloth produced locally wouldn't be as good as those woven in European mills. The only reason why it's cheaper to ship it half way across the world to get woven is that the transport costs (and associated pollution) aren't completely priced by the market. You can't help think that a carbon tax would make a lot of now-redundant industries more competitive again.