Business Studies: Two New Zealand Entrepreneurs

 Karen Walker

Karen Walker was born on the 4th of December 1969. She grew up in the Auckland suburb of Remuera. Walker attended Epsom Girls' Grammar School to pursue a career of becoming a fashion designer. After graduating in 1995, she launched her first two boutiques, with only a hundred bucks. 

Karen Walker is a New Zealand fashion designer. She began her fashion label back in 1987 and opened her first store in Newmarket, Auckland. As time went on, her business grew, Walker started selling off her clothes in Barneys, New York, in 1988. It was the same year where she presented her first runway collection.  

Walker’s sales soared when Madonna, an American singer-songwriter and actress, also referred to as the “Queen of Pop”, wore one of Karen Walker’s designed clothes. When Walker’s sales soared, she became well-known. Walker has designed clothes worn by famous actresses, actors, singers and more. Artists such as Bjork, Sienna Millar, Natalie Portman, M.I.A, Alexa Chung, Beth Ditto, Michael Haneke, Liv Tyler, Rihanna, Claire Daines, Zooey Deschanel and Jennifer Lopez. 

In the 2000s, Walker became the first New Zealander to have a solo show at New York fashion week. Karen Walker was also appointed as the “Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit”, for her services and contribution in the fashion industry during the, "2004 New Year Honours." In 2007, Karen Walker received the prize of, “Prix de Marie Claire” for best creative talent. Later on, in 2009, she was awarded the “World Class New Zealand Awards”. Ten years later, she was promoted to “Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit,” for her excellent services in fashion designs. 

In my opinion, Karen Walker is a hard-worker designer. For instance, in her interview for the online magazine called Fashion NZ, a reporter asked how she dealt with failures and the challenges she faced during the process. Karen Walker stated, “Well, it’s not easy to build a brand or a successful business, especially over three decades. Not everyone succeeds in this way, and we’re very aware of this. Over 30 years, we’ve faced thousands of challenges and continue to. When there are failures, it’s best to embrace them, and learn from them.

The fashion business is based upon the premise of constant change and, whilst this is, in part, our reason for being, it’s also one of the major challenges. We have to be constantly living in the future and pre-empting and managing changes that are out of our control.” She could’ve given up during her 30 years of service in the fashion industry, on top of that, she had a lot of competitors who could be more creative than her, but she didn’t. In my point of view, she was ambitious, she strived to do more, to be better, to be more successful, and to prove to everyone that she is not just any entrepreneur. 

Resources: 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Walker_(designer) 
• https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/seven-world-class-kiwi-entrepreneurs/UR5VWAG6NAXQXNMTTKJK3LMLXY/
• https://www.famousfashiondesigners.org/karen-walker
• https://fashionz.co.nz/karen-walker-on-30-years-of-her-eponymous-brand/ 
• https://thespinoff.co.nz/business/12-02-2020/karen-walker-on-why-she-closed-the-department-store-after-10-years/
• https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/my-heels-are-killing-me/story/2018651799/karen-walker-the-gate-keepers-have-gone

Ray Avery

Sir Raymond John Avery is a successful New Zealand scientist, entrepreneur, inventor and author. He was born in Kent, England and grew up without having parents. He’s spent most of his childhood in orphanages to foster homes. At the age of 14, Avery used to get in trouble with the police, he slept in the streets of London, eventually, he found sanctuary in the library. Avery spent most of his time reading books, he discovered fascinating things, from there, he developed an interest in science, furthermore, he was able to educate himself. 

A teacher in London who found Avery encouraged him to attend an agricultural college. From there, Avery studied at Wye College and graduated with a degree in science. He eventually became a scientist, where he began to conduct his experiments. 

1973, Avery settled in New Zealand, where he became a citizen, from there, he continued his experiments in Auckland. Consequently, Avery took a role as technical director of Douglas Pharmaceuticals. Years later, Avery moved to Fred Hollows, where he concentrated on issues such as treating blindness. 

Motivated, Sir Avery worked blood, sweat, and tears. Because of Avery’s perseverance, he’s gained, multiple supporters. He was able to publish his first book of autobiography about his life in 2010, called “Rebel with a Cause”, where he wrote his story about living in an orphanage, following his dream and making his dream into reality. 

Sir Avery said in an interview that surviving his childhood was the hardest thing he’s ever done. From childhood, Avery suffered from mistreatment of others and abuse. He’s also had difficulties such as dyslexia and hearing problems which made his life more difficult than it ever was. 

I strongly believe that Sir Raymond Avery is a strong man. I can’t imagine myself without a mum and a dad, furthermore, a family, and Sir Avery must’ve been longing for the love from his parents, yet never received it. I don’t know Sir Raymond, I’ve just discovered him from my research of New Zealand entrepreneurs, I feel pity for him, I pretended I was in his shoes during his childhood. It was sad and lonely, walking in the streets of London, starving, crying, resentful. Sir Avery had nothing but only dreams, but he was brave, he had a strong spirit. He was able to educate himself, he wanted to learn and be out of misery, because of this, he became the successful man he is now.

Resources:  

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Avery_(scientist)
• https://www.newsroom.co.nz/who-is-sir-ray-avery#:~:text=From%20an%20orphanage%20in%20England,mistreatment%20and%20%E2%80%9Csystematic%20abuse%E2%80%9D.
• https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/kerre-mcivor-mornings/audio/ray-avery-more-creativity-needs-to-be-put-into-curriculums/
• https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/11-09-2018/why-is-sir-ray-avery-is-trying-to-take-down-the-news/