Shirt Studio Uncut - Behind the Scenes....

Fri, 23 Mar 12

Over the years, Shirt Studio has shared a close bond with our loyal clients and for our 8th Birthday, we are celebrating by compiling a list of little-known facts about the company. Although you may read our Facebook, Twitter & blog updates, this is the Shirt Studio that you don’t know: including calculated risks, name changes and other successful accidents. This is Shirt Studio uncut....

1. In 1996, co-director Anoop was studying a marketing funnel model at university when he first thought about developing a new shirting concept.
2. The Shirt Studio business plan came to fruition after husband and wife team Fiona and Anoop travelled the Italian fashion circuit on their honeymoon – where shirting stores are lined from floor to ceiling with incredible products.
3. Shirt Studio was first planned to be exclusively menswear, until the owners discovered beautiful shirting cuts for women in Italian boutiques.
4. Before coming up with the business name Shirt Studio, the company was first named La Camicia and then changed to Camicia Studio. After speaking to friends and peers, it was decided that Shirt Studio was a lot easier to pronounce.
5. The owners signed their first lease at Tattersall’s Arcade in 2004, without having any stock purchased. Eight weeks before opening, Fiona and Anoop travelled back to Italy, met their supplier and placed the entire order.
6. Initially, Shirt Studio’s stock room was run from National Storage and each night the storage facility would be opened up to pull out items and stock up the stores. 
7. The first discount sale at the luxury shirting store in Tattersall’s Arcade saw a 10 – 15 metre line up to get into the tiny store.
8. Shirt Studio’s corporate division began by accident, after a friend asked if the company could design and make uniform shirts for Lend Lease, a management and construction company.
9. The uniforming ‘accident’ then launched into a full-time project in 2006, after Shirt Studio recognised the need for customisation, quality and creativity in uniform branding. 
10. Shirt Studio’s online store started with just one person behind it – while our web developer friends wrote the geek hieroglyphics to make the online vision real.
11. After dispatching an increasing amount of interstate orders, Shirt Studio launched its flagship store in the heart of Melbourne in 2009.
12. One of the most popular initiatives was the Boardroom Series, where Shirt Studio would set up in the boardroom of different offices, with a rack of sample shirts (for size) and books of fabrics and accessories. Staff could pop in and order tailored business shirts at a special boardroom discount rate.  
13. Shirt Studio’s favourite company event would have to be the Sex & The City 2 movie night held at Palace Centro. The night also featured online custom shoe guru Princess Chic and Oradess cosmetics, culminating in a sell-out event of chatting and champagne.
14. Over the past 8 years, Shirt Studio has manufactured over 120,000 shirts for our amazing client base.

Our birthday wish…

After 8 years, Shirt Studio remains driven to provide our customers with the best quality shirts and a huge range of designs. Our first inspirations centred on quality fabrics and Italian design qualities, which are both core elements of the Shirt Studio business model today.