When Belynda and I founded Banjo & Matilda in 2008, we knew that we would need to clear many important hurdles as we worked our way from conception to commercialization and then on to even greater successes. With that in mind I am especially honored to represent our many talented team members during this phase of our growth program. Thanks to their contributions we not only cleared this significant hurdle, but we’re also well positioned for the future.
We embarked on this journey with the goal of creating a brand that would stand out on a world stage with the eventual goal of becoming a Global Australian Lifestyle brand.
The Banjo & Matilda team knew that we had to do more than just produce an alternative to expensive yet ordinary clothing, so we employed a passionate yet simple approach. Encapsulating the freedom and uncomplicated, yet discreetly luxurious, Australian Bondi Beach lifestyle in our designs we produced clothes with supreme quality and integrity knowing we could fill in a huge void in the industry.
The Banjo & Matilda brand has a loyal and rapidly growing following. Our premium contemporary woman’s knitwear, incorporating the most natural and organic yarns, continues to open doors for us and is quickly being stocked in major and specialty retailers around the world.
As we celebrate our public listing and welcome new investors into the Banjo & Matilda family, it’s important to note that I believe that this is just the beginning. We have a solid record of constant growth and very manageable debt. Our funding efforts will be targeted on expansion and growth, to position us to benefit from current and future opportunities, not to pay off past due debt loads.
I am thrilled that you are taking the time to read this letter and appreciate the due-diligence that you will undertake, while you consider an investment in Banjo & Matilda. We are proud of the Company and brand we have created and we hope that together we can build an even better Company in the future.
You have our commitment to focus on the delivery of our public company game plan, which is to maximize shareholder value and position the company for an Alternative Public Offering (APO). As is the case with all investments there are risks ranging from market turmoil to potential flaws in our business strategy. As potential investors I encourage you to carefully study our filings and consider the risks contained in the “Risk Factors” section.
Our approach will continue to place the utmost value on our employees, customers, vendors and our partner communities, all of whom helped facilitate Banjo & Matilda’s ability to prosper as a private company. Moving forward our shareholders will be held in the same high esteem, but it’s impossible to quantify the specific risk levels to which we as shareholders will be exposed. I will always consider my fiduciary duty to advance our shareholders’ interests. We believe that informed shareholders make the best shareholders, so we intend to use several tools to help ensure that our shareholders are as well informed as possible.
By combining our unique designs and Australian beach lifestyle heritage, and our approach to making beautiful products from the best materials and as sustainably as possible, we believe Banjo & Matilda fulfills a unique and very large segment of the global fashion and lifestyle market. Certainly to date our success is a very strong indicator that this is true.
Please allow me to emphasize that even though our efforts have garnered significant support and recognition within the fashion industry, today we embark on a new journey that will expose our brand to an entirely new audience. We’re taking a proven business model and adding our special touches including our creativity and eye for quality which in turn we hope will fuel further growth for the brand and the Company.
It’s with great appreciation that I thank you for spending your time to learn about Banjo & Matilda’s exciting future and I hope that you consider playing a large role in our future.
XX,
Ben Macpherson