Challenge

With a sea of black umbrellas on rainy days, there weren’t any umbrellas that were colourful and stylish to lift the spirits. Possum Umbrella was launched even though Estella Lum had no experience in manufacturing, no existing brand and little capital.

Solution

After designing umbrellas that are bright, fun and sophisticated, Estella Lum traveled to China and found a manufacturer to produce them. The umbrellas come with a pouch that unfolds into a shopping bag, which became the inspiration for the name Possum Umbrella. The brand stands for style and fun for women at work or play and was seen at every touch point – point of purchase displays, hang tags, website, promotions, PR packages, and pitches to potential retail stores.

High end stores carried the umbrellas including MoMA NY & Korea, Museum of Art & Design New York, Takishimaya’s flagship store on Fifth Ave. in New York, Whole Foods and the Hong Kong Design Gallery. Possum Umbrella was carried in 35 stores in the first year and featured in various articles including the Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Magazine and Western Living.

Besides overseeing manufacturing, Estella Lum was also responsible for importing/exporting, marketing, PR, sales projections, sales, structuring sales terms, quality control & assurance, distribution, logistics, customer engagement, relations and services, online sales, inventory control, and exhibiting at trade shows.

Result

From the beginning, Possum Umbrella gained attention for the product and brand and was able to get more than 60 high end stores across North America and parts of Asia to carry the umbrellas. There were also online sales and interest from Chapters to carry the line. Sales tripled within 2 years.