Q1: Congratulations on the 20th anniversary of Gingersnaps! What was your inspiration when you first launched a fashionable children’s wear and maternity wear business?
We always loved kids, so it came very naturally for us to do something that involved kids. At that time, there
was an absence of fashionable children’s and maternity clothing. We wanted to change the way people perceived these two underserved categories.
Q2: What’s unique or special about Gingersnaps products/ designs that customers have continued to patronize your brand all these years?
What makes our product special is that it has it’s own DNA. We’ve heard so many customers tell us that they can spot a Gingersnaps item without looking at the label… Although we change our look every season, there is something that makes it uniquely Gingersnaps. On the other hand, It is also so important for us to constantly evolve and innovate. We need to be able to offer something new and exciting for our customers.
Q3: How do you see your business evolving?
We have been constantly evolving, we have made ourselves aware of retail trends as well as trends in management and marketing as well. The next few years will see us continue this path.
Q4; If Gingersnaps were your best friend, describe that best friend for me. What is he/she like?
Dependable, nurturing, fun, with a great sense of humor.
Q5: How did you expand internationally? I see Gingersnaps in other parts of Asia as well
We were very lucky in the sense that we never made any real effort to “sell”‘ the brand. We were surprised that the overseas inquiries just kept coming. I guess the effort to focus on product, product and product, eventually paid off.
Q6: You also launched Just G clothing for teens and young adults. Was this expansion/ extension deliberate to maximize production capacity or was it a logical next move to capture the former Gingersnaps market that has grown older? What is the market telling you about clothing preferences for teens and young adults compared to children’s wear?
The decision to launch Just G came as a result of parents clamoring for an older line. We were only too thrilled to see our Gingersnaps customers in our Just G stores!
The market for teens is very different from the market for kids. For one thing, the decision makers are the teens themselves whereas in Gingersnaps, the decision would usually fall on mom or dad.
Q7: How do you decide on branding? (Gingersnaps, Just G)
We made a very conscious effort to delineate the two brands. From the graphics to the styling and most specially our ads, we are very conscious of the fact that Just G must have its own look, it’s own style. We do not want it to be the “big sister” of Gingersnaps. It has to stand on it’s own.
Q8: Since you have expanded from children’s wear (Gingersnaps) to its natural adjacency, teens (Just G), would next be for yuppies? Why or why not?
As of now, we have so many plans for both Gingersnaps and Just G. We will be launching new categories within each brand so I guess that means we will have our hands full for the next few years. But who knows? It’s not bad to dream…
