Ssachs chats with Hyperbola – Taiwan to learn how they are working post Covid-19
Chatting recently with Vera Hou -Sales Manager from the “boutique converter” Hyperbola, I learnt lots about how mills have had to quickly pivot to new ways of virtual working. Vera explains below what they have been up to in our Post Covid-19 world, and shares some of the fabrics from the current collection.
RK : Hyperbola deals with brands from around the world – what changes have you seen as to how people are remotely reviewing fabric collections?
VH : People are now remotely reviewing fabrics, however we believe the development process is slowing down. Pre COVID-19, When everyone worked together in the office, they reviewed fabrics to make choices. Now, because everyone has limited access to their offices, even though we are sending fabric sample to designers and developers home addresses, it’s hard for teams to share information, discuss together and make decisions.
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RK : As you can’t have in person meetings with brands, have you tried showing collections via zoom meetings? Does this work?
VH : Yes, we used Zoom and other online software for meeting before, and this works well.
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RK : Are you seeing more questions via email? Has this meant more work for your team?
VH : The volume of questions we get via email isn’t higher than previous. As we and our clients are in different countries and time zones, we are used to communication via email. However, one thing we have noticed that is different is, as people started to work from home, they had more time to check and reply to their emails. So a nice bonus is that communication is increasing and more efficient!
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RK : As you aren’t travelling to trade shows and customer meetings – are you able to focus on different priorities?
VH : Since we can’t attend trade shows and client meetings, we obviously can’t present our collection in person. We therefore started a new approach by spotlighting our fabrics digitally to our clients .
We created a fabric library on our website a long time ago and we are expanding the digital content of our new fabrics on social media – Facebook and Instagram. We found that it’s actually becoming a very popular method for clients to choose their favorite fabrics and send us their requirements directly from our website. So, updating our website and Instagram has become our new priorities.
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RK : Without travel, and the timing of the trade shows, how are you able to develop fabrics – are you using the same inspiration and the same timings?
VH : We still keep developing fabrics using online sourcing trends or from client’s inspiration and specific requests. Besides that, we have started to focus on the manufacturing, to optimize the production process, becoming more environmentally friendly and specializing in new fabric technologies.
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RK : Do you see these changes as temporary or permanent – will it change how you work further?
VH: We think these changes will be permanent as the majority of our customers are from the internet generation. People rely on the internet more than ever, so we needed to change from our current work mode. We are now getting used to digital marketing and to online meetings with clients!
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RK : Any trends recently that you’ve noticed?
VH : The most popular trend is still recycled. This topic has already been talked about for years, and will continue in the future. This isn’t unique to any particular country or brand but everyone is thinking about this and will be the main trend for the foreseeable future.
RK : Any other changes you’re experiencing about how brands are placing orders at the moment?
VH : We think the buying mode/process is changing. For example, clients used to place a 3000 yard order for only one color or variation, but now they tend to be buying that same 3000 yard order across different colors and variations. So, the same total order amount but more options within it. Also, the ask from clients is to reduce the lead time. Many production lines are on hold or at a complete halt during the “lock down market”, but as the market gets back to normal and demand increases, we do our best to streamline lead times.
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To find out more about the Hyperbola performance range of fabrics please contact :
insta @hyperbolafabrics
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References : SSACHS digital (https://www.ssachs.co/).