Craig – Company Director
The ever young at heart Craig Cooper has come a long way since his early days down at ‘Paddo’ markets in Sydney – the official launch of Cooper St in 1988. “ I’d grab 15 metres of fabric in three different colours and get the lot cut, made and delivered into tops within four days. Then I’d go to the markets on Saturday, figure out which was the winning colour and run back to the fabric supplier at a million miles an hour to do it all over again” - That’s how it was done then and if Craig could have his way, that’s how it would be done now. Though with growth comes procedure, production queues and patience.
These days Craig leads a crew of around 25 employees to oversee design, production and sales and, while the odd visits down to his beloved ‘Paddo’ markets don’t go amiss, his ever growing label certainly does not. It retails in 350 independent boutiques across Australia, not to mention stocks all stores Australia wide in nationally renowned department stores Myer and David Jones – it’s a far stretch from a trestle table and tarp!
Most of Craig’s career is a result of his knack for making good contacts. With a short stint at Cue in dispatch under Cue owner Rod Levis followed by a showroom sales assistant role at then Australian swimwear giant Brian Rochford, Craig rapidly picked up the skills required for his 4 year role at Rochford not mention a friendly familiarity with customers and wholesalers, which would later come in handy when his own label picked up speed.
Other than a private school education at Scot’s College and Cranbrook along with an accounting degree in Sydney, Craig’s extensive knowledge is owed to “always being on the job”. A true success story built from the ground up “There’s no theory with me, it’s always been about the practice”. |
