Selling Yarns

Australian Indigenous textiles and good business in the 21st century

 

Papers

Neclaces: from tourist boats to online retail

Session: Business stories 1:30 - 2:30 pm, Monday, 14 August 2006

Alice Whish

Artist,

Abstract

Retail and wholesale opportunities for women necklace makers in communities in Eastern Arnhem Land vary and fluctuate with the effectiveness and interest of the local arts centre. With the intention of raising the profile of particular women necklace makers, and making more sales of their necklaces this paper proposes one method of classifying necklaces for wholesale and retail sale. A method that might be consistent and easily communicated to all concerned in the transaction from: artist, arts adviser, agent/retailer, and customer/wearer.

Selling necklaces on the internet without the customer being able to touch and handle the work generates a number of communication problems that must be solved in order to make a sale. Solving this problem, "how to sell a shell and seed necklace without the benefit of touch," has highlighted for me the many issues involved in wholesaling and retailing necklaces from Arnhem Land.

See also: Alice Whish's biography