Page 37 - IB August 2021

Business Business

been some challenges in conveying what they do. herent aesthetic—the brand features lots of earthy tones and
“I think what feels right for one person in a culture might natural materials—but Cassell says this is something that has
not necessarily feel right for another. And I think that Papua evolved over time and with experience.
New Guinea is so complex… you can’t keep everybody happy For example, when she first started by on-selling bilums
all the time... We’ve got a small team, and the cultural crafts online, “I just got it wrong. I just didn’t quite get the target
and patterns that we’re working with belong to those women, market... I had a very sort of colourful, a young brand. At that
and they actively want to use those crafts and patterns in time, and it wasn’t right.
what we’re doing.” “It wasn’t a mistake because it was meant to happen, be-
She says Bilum & Bilas has an artisan agreement between cause it then taught us really to look at who is our customer.
the organisation and the weavers “that very clearly states, And what are they wearing, what’s their taste… really know-
what element of our products are cultural designs and ing that, knowing your audience.”
therefore that the women own them, but once that’s put The pandemic meant that while “Export was always part of
with different metals in different shapes, essentially that our strategy... it was really forced upon us,” Cassell says.
kind of manifestation then is a Bilum & Bilas design. But it’s The exponential increase in freight costs due to the pan-
very clear that the elements of the pieces that are woven demic, affected Bilum & Bilas, but the venture was able to
in traditional patterns belong to the women. So we have an access Pacific Trade Invest’s freight package. “The [compa-
agreement in place.” ny’s] buffer had really disappeared because of the additional
Again this has been a learning experience, Cassell says. freight costs, so we were really down to a really worrying
“We’ve made some mistakes in that in that area, which has situation in terms of keeping staff on and that sort of thing.
been, you know, good essentially in the long run because it’s “I mean it’s not a huge amount, but what it did is it gave us
taught us how to be respectful in the space. that bridging period, that grace period…So it was really good.
“It’s like a new creation, versus interfering with old de- It was good timing.”
signs.” Being based in Australia now has also meant Cassell has
Intellectual property concerns with respect to Pacific Island been able to set up an online store more easily, and use Pay-
crafts have long been a concern. While work continues to Pal and other online payment mechanisms unavailable in PNG.
protect IP, for example seizure of machine-fabricated bilums “I’m obviously in a privileged situation to be able to have
imported into PNG from Asia, companies like Bilum & Bilas done that. And that’s frustrating because it comes down again
have also had their work copied. to privilege, you know, whereas … the financial technology
Cassell says its expensive and time consuming to seek pros- essentially, it gets sorted out, then it’s hugely empowering for
ecution, so they take it as encouragement “to be ahead of the all kinds of small businesses and businesswomen in all devel-
game, to constantly innovate, to be creative, to stay ahead. oping countries.”
And also, I think that ultimately, part of our MO [modus She believes there is immense opportunity for PNG’s cre-
operandi] essentially is to help support Papua New Guinean ative industries if they can get through challenges such as
artisans to get market access and essentially if we’re inspir- freight costs, difficult internal logistics, and the complexities
ing people at that level to come up with new designs and of business and taxation compliance. “There’s huge, huge
that means that they’re selling more product, even though opportunity. The homeware sector is booming elsewhere,
it doesn’t always feel right if you’ve had your work copied, especially due to COVID and more lockdowns.”
essentially, we’re meeting our objectives and we’re succeed- She’s keen to look at other Pacific Island countries as
ing if people are able to produce products, and they’re selling potential markets as well, particularly in the tourism accom-
more and they’re getting more of an income.” modation, hospitality and boutiques/gift shop sectors. She
says while there is a lot of competition in this space from, in
The COVID pivot particular, Asian countries where labour costs are lower and
COVID has seen Cassell work out of Australia. This has pre- economies of scale more favourable, that’s why telling the
sented some opportunities, as she has been able to host retail story of Bilum & Bilas is so important.
events and sell at markets such as The Finders Keepers arti- “At the end of the day there’s a big market share of people
san’s market. “That’s been excellent. It’s been wonderful see- that even though they love it, it still comes down to the cost.
ing the reception of the general public, because, obviously, in So you can get the look of something, from potentially a dif-
Papua New Guinea, we’ve got a really captive audience.” ferent, cheaper version. But then I suppose that’s what makes
Prior to border closures, Bilum & Bilas had a strong domes- us niche, our customers are people that really are willing to
tic customer base amongst local residents and visitors. Being pay for that authenticity.”
based in Australia has enabled her to find new stockists in
boutiques and gift shops, and in the store at the Australian editor@islandsbusiness.com
Museum. Bilum & Bilas is also about to be stocked at QOMA
(the Gallery of Modern Art) in Brisbane which is “super excit-
ing”, Cassell says.
Bilum & Bilas’ marketing materials and designs have a co-

Islands Business, August 2021 37