Hailey McGinty, co-founder of H and G Designs, discovered Hong Kong kitchenware brand Ommo by chance and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bring it to the Australian market.
Along with her husband Glenn Wilkinson, McGinty runs H and G Designs from the Sunshine Coast where they create homewares and furniture, including extremely popular leather strap shelves.
“We weren’t looking at becoming distributors at all as we had our own designs and that was the direction our company was heading in,” says McGinty. “[But] as soon as we saw the Ommo products while on a trip overseas we knew we had to be a part of it.
“The fact that Ommo was a brand new company that the world hadn’t seen was also a driving force for us to get on board as a complementing wing to our own designs.”
Ommo produces functional yet stylish kitchen products ranging from salad bowls to tea infusers. McGinty says they are “everyday items, but the kind you don’t want to put back after you’ve finished with them”.
The brand’s first collection will launch on 6 July, with range two expected to drop in early August, and McGinty says retailers will find the products are a great fit for the Australian market.
“After having H and G Designs up and running for a while, we feel like we have a good idea of what the Australian market wants,” she explains.
“The products that Ommo have produced for their initial two collections suit our current Australian market that has a similar eye for design to that of the European countries.”
With one of the main designers, Shane Schneck, having designed for popular brands Menu and Hay, McGinty is confident Ommo will do well.
“Our initial feedback from our current H and G stockists has been very positive. Our retailers are excited about the wide range that Ommo offers and that the products are quite different to what is currently in the market.”
As for McGinty’s own brand, she has lots of exciting things lined up including a new range of shelving that will launch in mid-July along with a product they have been working on for the past seven months.
H and G Designs is also turning its attention to local furniture and homeware design, with plans to launch new handmade products at the start of every month.
By Ruth Cooper
