Peggy and Finn is the creative success story of Torquay duo Olly Parsons and Jarrod Craven. These guys are a unique and colourful brand who have a passion for creating high quality handcrafted pieces for those looking to get celebratory ready.
Growing from the success of the brands introduction four years ago, the brand has since expanded their range to add products with original designs to become ‘‘a one stop shop for your men’s accessories needs.’’ With designs inspired by the local flora and fauna “we really try and capture our local surroundings in our product design to create unique modern products.”
Inspired by his own wedding for the creation of Peggy and Finn, Olly found that after searching for their own groom and groomsmen attire there was something missing in the market, that of unique men’s accessories.
“We started off with making some wooden bow ties from Australian timber and the feedback was really positive. We really just grew the business from there adding more styles and new products to our offering.”
With Jarrod’s role of sourcing and product development, and Olly’s role of sales and marketing, Olly’s wife Steph is the “social media queen” keeping their official Instagram and Facebook accounts looking sharp, as well designing the packaging for their products.
With the colourful and quirky designs on offer from Peggy and Finn, it would be hard to choose a favourite. But there is one particular product that customers are drawn to.
“Our most popular product would be our range of ties in particular the Banksia Grey Tie. Since we released this product in October last year we are struggling to keep up with the demand.” This joins an array of colourful printed ties, socks, bow ties, and pocket squares to name a few.
The best part about having a business in Geelong? “We love how creative Geelong and the Surf Coast is, we are continually surprised by the number of highly creative people around the region.” Reinforcing the creativity and ideas that Geelong locals have is the group Geelong Creatives that the Peggy and Finn brand is a part of. Finding like-minded people and gaining inspiration watching their own creations come to life is a bonus. It’s “a supportive network for creatives in and around the Geelong region connecting like minded creatives, helping us collaborate with and produce content to help grow our business.”
The not-so-good thing? “The challenge we have being based in Torquay can be the speed of delivery of our online orders. We ship everything express post to ensure the best possible delivery time for our customers but it can be a challenge to compete with bigger businesses that offer same day shipping in metro areas.”
This is a challenge that doesn’t appear to have bothered customers, who have been very generous with their feedback. “Our favourite feedback is when we can help our customers achieve the look they are after for their wedding. Our favourite customer statement is
“Absolutely love Peggy and Finn! I bought ties and tie clips for my wedding in May and it was all great quality and super quick turnaround. Love the products that they offer, and would definitely recommend looking at their products for something a little different.”
Looking ahead, what are Peggy and Finn’s plans for the next twelve months? “We are going to continue to grow our online and wholesale presence in Australia. We are also looking at expanding our offering overseas.”
The next five years? “We plan to be a global business offering a complete set of unique men’s accessories and attire for those special moments in your life.”
As well as achieving global success, the brand are hoping to reinforce the importance of mental health awareness. “We would love to collaborate with Beyond Blue as we are big supporters of the work they do and think a collaboration with our business could help spread the awareness to our customers of the importance of managing your mental health.