Kate Hall: Ethically Kate founder on informetrics predicting we will soon get even cheaper Temu and Shein products

Chinese retailers like Temu and Shein could be looking to increase their influence in New Zealand. 

The e-commerce giants will have excess stock after US President Donald Trump put a 145 percent tariff rate on China. 

Ethically Kate founder Kate Hall talks to Ryan Bridge about why this might not be the best thing for New Zealand. 

LISTEN ABOVE. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chinese retailers like Timu and Sheen. If you've used these before,
they could be looking to step up their influence here
in New Zealand. This, of course, after Trumps put one
hundred and forty five percent tariff rate on China, the
e commerce giants now will have excess stock. Where does
it go potentially to us? So will we get cheaper stuff?
Is that a good thing? Kate Haul's the founder of
Ethically Kate Kate Good afternoon or good evening, Hello, good evening.

(00:24):
Good to have you on the show. So you won't
like this because it's a whole bunch of cheap plastic
stuff basically that will come our way.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Yes, And to be honest, it has already been coming
our way all different people in different social circles. A
lot of people I know have already been consumers of Timu.
And yeah, unfortunately, I think it's just going to get worse.

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Do you think? Because I was thinking about you the
other day, if we're not going to know if trade
world global trade was going to fall apart, I was like,
what would I actually what do I own that would
last a lifetime? I couldn't. There was a pair of
leather boots. But these days, no one has anything that
will last a lifetime, apart from maybe jewelry and you know,

(01:06):
one pair of shoes.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're so right. And I'd say most
purchases I've heard from people who've purchased from Timu don't last.
It just turns into rubbish that they then need to
dispose of. And we would do totally fine if we
didn't have availability to Temu. I think most purchases people
make on there. You look at all the different gadgets

(01:28):
and the different types of things that are just ridiculous.
We don't need. We've lived centuries without, so we can
go back to basics.

Speaker 1 (01:37):
How many do you think, like, if you've got something
that's really good, do you reckon? You could do your
whole life because you're ethically caked, So if anyone can
do it, Kate, it's you. Do you reckon? You could
do your whole life with one coat, one pair of shoes.
I mean, obviously you need to change of nickers and stuff,
but your coat and your shoes, yep.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
I would say that it is sizing issues different. I'm
also I've experienced that I been pregnant the last several months.
You know, our different bodies fluctuate and change. But I think,
imagine if we just had you know, everyone kind of
had that one pair of shoes, and then there could
be some trading involved. I often dream of this type
of reality that we just you know, had that one

(02:17):
peer and then there's trading with different sizes. I've been
traveling for the past two months and living with not
much at all. I just have the one coat, one cardigan,
which I double up for warmth, and it's so refreshing,
save lots of money and it just makes life so
much more simple.

Speaker 1 (02:34):
But Kate, do you smell?

Speaker 2 (02:36):
Do I smell?

Speaker 1 (02:37):
I don't smell.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
I would say it is funny people I've heard rumors.
You know, I've been called a smelly hippie many times
in my life, but they don't realize that probably compared
to a lot of people, my hygiene standards are actually
quite high. I used to be a professional cleaner for
a little bit in my life, and I am very
aware and check with multiple people. If I smell, yeah,

(03:01):
it's it's let me know. If anyone does snall me
they see me out and about.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
I'm just pleased. It's I'm pleased it's right. Do you
think because you wear the same clothes over and over,
you're probably more conscious of it and therefore more aware
and probably clean yourself more well.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Yeah, because also, you know, I'm looking right now at
this coat that I've been wearing for the last two months,
and it's actually made from upsacle quilts, and I was
looking at it thinking, and I smelt it and kind
of I have much more time to look over each
garment and see you are there any threads they're going
to fall apart? You know, is there any kind of

(03:39):
a pair that needs to be down. I have much
more time to invest time, money and energy and cleaning
and washing and focusing on keeping these garments alive, because
I don't have heaps of them that are just kind
of sprawled everywhere that I just kind of discard as
disposable skin. At the end of the day, I'm really
aware of how something you know, is going the wellbeing

(04:00):
of the garment.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Good on you, Kate, Nice to have you on the show.
Kate Hall Kate with her quilt coat, founder of Ethically
Kate twenty to six. For more from Heather Duplessy, Allen Drive,
listen live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
Or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio