Page 15 - IB MAR 2017

Business
Cost a n From PAGE 14

Kaushik Kumar, Chair of the Textile,
major Clothing and Footwear Council and chief
executive officer of United Apparel, said
fashion had a direct benefit to the Fijian
economy, and a number of local design-
ers had the opportunity to showcase at
obstacle international fashion shows.
“Mainly the LA (Los Angeles) fashion
week. Now FJFW has managed to find a
designers at the Mercedes Benz Austra-
by Priya Chand permanent spot amongst Pacific islands
lian fashion week,” Kumar said. “This is
indeed a huge achievement.”
THE Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW) event
The Textile, Clothing and Footwear
costs around $FJD200,000 requiring Council has been a strong supporter and
intensive corporate sponsorship.
But, despite the lack of sponsorship, sponsor for FJFW for a number of years.
the event has survived 10 years. Kumar revealed the clothing exports
Asked whether FJFW had proved to from Fiji are now valued in the vicinity
be profitable, Managing Director Ellen of $100m annually with direct employ-
ment in Fiji estimated at 6,500 workers.
Whippy-Knight said: “We should be but
we are not. The 2017 10th anniversary program
“We have an international standard will begin on March 25 with a Miss Teen
show, so the profits should be from the Model competition which will select a
designer fees, as well as ticket sales new and exciting model to be the face
of the event and close with the Gold
- those are high enough to meet our
expenses. Couture show as the grand finale of
“We shouldn’t be running this show Glitz and glamour ...more to fashion than the established designers.
razzle and dazzle on the catwalk. Photo:FJFW
without major sponsorship – none of the
overseas shows would ever run if they the number of designers who participate region’s most eminent and premier
did not have the major corporate spon- in the show. fashion event.
sorship. We don’t get that here - I just The FJFW basically offers a platform It has also been successful in bringing
work it so that the deficit is minimum.” for designers to showcase their designs. fashion education to the Fiji National
Emerging designers pay $600 to take It also provides designers with models, University and the Australia-Pacific
part in the event. Established designers the event and the buyers. Should the Technical College which now offer
pay $1000 while ticket sales bring in designer go on to sell designs, a percent- textiles-related courses.
between $60-80,000. age of the profit goes to FJFW. Whippy-Knight says art should be a
As combined income for the event, In 2008, Fiji Fashion Week was compulsory and examinable subject in
Knight says this “is never really enough.” launched at the Hilton Hotel with 200 the education system as it is the basis
The success of the show is gauged by guests. Today the event attracts over of design.
tickets sales, awareness inquiries and 1000 guests and is regarded as the q priyameyou@gmail.com
Digicel Pacific staff to get redundancy offer

By Priya Chand there is “no need for staff to panic”, they disation of how we are organised means
should also seek alternative employment that there will be an approximate 25 per
DIGICEL’s Pacific network staff are to be if they so wished. cent reduction in our global workforce
offered Enhanced Voluntary Separation Officially, Digicel says staff redundan- over the next 18 months. The first step in
as part of the telecommunication giant’s cies world-wide are part of the company’s that is the offer of an Enhanced Voluntary
recently announced global redundancy 2030 global transformation programme Separation Programme.”
program. which aims to completely re-design the Mclean said the transformation pro-
Sources at Digicel say while staff are organizational structure, “putting custom- gramme “sees us taking the bull by the
being advised they “are safe for now” ers in control and making a commitment horns and daring to be different by chal-
and that it’s “business as usual”, an op- to deliver a superior superfast network lenging the status quo and by innovation-
tion to leave the company voluntarily with experience.” led growth.”
accompanying financial compensation is Digicel Fiji Chief Executive Officer Dar- “That’s what we are known for and
also on the table. ren McLean said because this was a global that’s what we will continue be known for
The Irish-owned company recently an- programme and voluntary, they could not into the future.”
nounced plans to tackle its £6.2bn debt give market specifics, which means work- Digicel currently has six major consumer
through job cuts of between 1500 and ers are currently hanging on in suspense. markets in the South Pacific – in Fiji, Papua
1600 workers around the globe. “In terms of the future organisational New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa and
Staff in Fiji have been advised that while structure, this simplification and standar- Nauru.

Islands Business, March 2017 15