‘Just jeans in June’ enjoyed by 21 Club
The next luncheon will be held on Wednesday, 23 July at Lords and Legends Conference Room at noon for 12.30pm.
SPORTING dressed-up denim, 21 Club members and guests enjoyed their June luncheon.
Their outfits were a far cry from the Genoese Navy sailors who strutted around in denim back in the 1500s or the gold rush enthusiasts and miners of the 1870s. Thanks to Levi Strauss and American pop culture, by the 1980s designer jeans became a fashion trend and denim took to the catwalks.
The 21 Club had great fun proving that jeans have become a staple of everyone’s wardrobe.
Guest speaker was Sean Botha from Mr Price Sport. Sean matriculated at Kingsway High School and went on to Natal Technikon where he achieved a national diploma of fine arts.
His array of interests which include photography, design, fashion, retail, surfing, diving, marketing, the outdoors, exercise and socialising have clearly influenced his career path.
Courses in technical skills backed up the passion and Sean acquired management experience at J-Bay Surf Co and Country Feeling (both, Billabong SA in Jeffery’s Bay) as well as nightclub and restaurant/pub experience in Cape Town and Notting Hill, UK. After a spell as production co-ordinator and designer at Pink Flamingo Fashions in June 2009, Sean Botha arrived as a buyer for Mr Price Sport, a position which he has clearly embraced.
Sean’s talk was an eye-opener for most. The need to access and assess trends in styles, colours and fabrics has led to travelling experiences to the West (mainly USA) and resourcing respectively. Knowing the local market – what to sell – is key.
The Bass Pro Outdoor Store in Missouri USA, the largest outdoor store in the world at 28,000 square metres, is one of Sean’s favourites. Sean selects the product ranges, while maximizing profits by deciding which lines will sell, how much to spend, how much to buy and what price to sell at. This requires negotiation, analysis of sales figures and trends, planning of budgets and presentation of ranges to managers and CEOs.
Mr Price Group Limited recently honoured Sean with a prestigious award “for his tireless work to improve the quality, value and authenticity of his ranges…to grow sales by 58% in the last two years”. His consistent positive attitude, strong work ethic and desire to drive innovation were also mentioned.
Sean’s photographs, some of tiger sharks (not in cages) have been featured in four publications.
It was a pleasure to host a dedicated young man with positive guidelines for his everyday life as well as his career. All who attended will remember what to do when the going gets tough: Smile.
Many thanks to Hannelore Wagner for her kind donation of special facials for our lucky draws for the next few months. The lucky winner this month was Sherri Stone.
The next luncheon will be held on Wednesday, 23 July at Lords and Legends conference room at noon for 12.30pm. We will celebrate Christmas in July – black, white, silver and turquoise for a change. Members are reminded that confirmation of intention to attend or not, and names of guests, must be received by Lyn on 082-572-1328 or on 031-903-4026 or Golda on 083-633-6338 or on 031-916-7001 no later than Friday, 18 July. Guests will be accommodated if there is room.
