For the first time the uniforms of Papua New Guinea’s Olympic athletes have been fully made locally by a PNG-owned company. That company is Wantok Clothing and founder Genevieve Igara tells Business Advantage PNG that it has shown what is possible.

PNG Olympic athletes at the opening ceremony in Rio. Source: Wantok Clothing

‘People are beginning to recognise our brand and they also feel very happy that it is a national company,’ says Igara.

‘We have had a lot of good feedback from the general public that we are doing a good job and they like the concept of PNG-made and -owned products of quality.

‘Definitely something like the Olympics is very prestigious for us—and it is an honour to dress the best athletes of our country and showcase our work on an international platform.’

Start up

Igara, who has a background in economics, says she started the company at home and then teamed up with Henry Iyaro, an old family friend and artist.

‘When I moved back to Papua New Guinea, I thought we should try and commercialise something we were passionate about,’ she says. ‘We incorporated a year ago and started working.’

‘It was our corporate work that really gave us enough funding to put something away.’

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Igara says some of the capital initially came from her parents. ‘That was just to start with our first lot of shirts. From that we managed to secure corporate orders and it was our corporate work that really gave us enough funding to put something away and then make deposits and pay fitout for a retail presence.

‘It started from seed capital but a lot of it was savings from the corporate orders.’

Opportunity

PNG athletes, Toea Wisil (left) and Samantha Kassman (middle) with two Marshall Islands athletes. Source: Wantok Clothing

Igara says the company was ‘doing a lot of locally printed and sewn garments for different business houses like ANZ, APEC and other organisations.’ They also did some private work for small events and members of the Olympics office.

‘Bilum is something universal; it has many uses.’

That was how the opportunity arose. The Olympic organisers became aware of Wantok Clothing, and asked for samples and proof that they had the necessary capability.

‘We did samples for various prints in PNG colours and submitted it to them and the board. They advised us that they were willing to give the opportunity to us, given that we had locally made products—and they approved us for the job.’

Designs

Igara says they keep many designs in their portfolio, so they can pitch different ones to clients to determine where there is interest. The design that appealed to the Olympic Committee was based on bilum patterns.

‘It was one of the prints that we had in our portfolio which we had just made screens for. They liked the bilum-patterned design and it was a new design which we had never used before.

‘They went for something very simple and elegant so that the athletes would look smart.’

‘Bilum is something universal; it has many uses, and our print is still contemporary and smart looking. It was also Papua New Guinean and different from what else would be out there—other Pacific Islands teams.’

Having picked the style, the next step was to explore different colours to ensure that the uniforms met the PNG team guidelines. ‘There were different combinations: like yellow fabric with red prints, yellow with black and other different design ideas. From all those samples they narrowed it down to what they liked the best.

‘The printing and selling is then done locally by hand. The company has just opened a store in Vision City, in Port Moresby.’

‘They went for something very simple and elegant so that the athletes would look smart. We don’t get to meet the athletes because many of them are overseas based. So it had to be very simple. Something that they can fit into and wear easily.’

International

The company is an importer. Igara says the fabric, which is a high end polyester, comes from textile company Martin & Savage in Sydney. The printing and selling is then done locally by hand. The company has just opened a store in Vision City in Port Moresby.

‘We do have some international interest in terms of our individual clients for our products.

‘Usually they have worked or travelled in PNG already and come across our brand. We have some interest on that level. We also have some interest for possible fashion events in Australia.

 ‘We want to show that, even as a small business, it is possible to make high quality or great quality things in our own country.’

‘It looks good but we are a small business and have only been operating for year. So we are taking baby steps, but the dream is there!’

Pride

Igara says there is a lot of support.  ‘I think the main thing for us is that we want to show that, even as a small business, it is possible to make high quality or great quality things in our own country.

‘What we are aiming to do is to contribute to the textiles/fashion industry within our own country and also I guess the concept of PNG pride in clothing. To showcase our rich heritage and culture through fashion.

‘It is not only aesthetics, it is also about the industry. It can create a lot of jobs and opportunities. Those are the kind of things we are trying to promote as a small PNG business.’