Unlock business potential

Australian fashion designer Toni Maticevski has taken his brand global – and he continues to be rewarded every step of the way.

Toni Maticevski has always known when to trust his gut. So when the then 20-year-old fashion graduate from Australia turned down a gig with iconic designer Donna Karan back in the 1990s he knew the bold move would be worth it. “Everything was so planned – there was simply no room to be spontaneous,” he says of his brush with the “big fashion” machine.

Putting his creativity first has paid off. After flying back to Melbourne to launch his label in 1999, Maticevski quickly became a breakout star in the local fashion scene. Sculpting wearable works of art from materials such as neoprene and sports mesh, his evolving vision has kept global fashion buyers clamouring and won him clients from Crown Princess Mary of Denmark to Beyoncé.

Travel has been integral to building his global reputation and client base, with the designer taking trips to Paris each season. As a Qantas Business Rewards member, Maticevski saves up to eight per cent on the base fare of selected Qantas flights.6 He earns 2 Qantas Points for every $1 spent on eligible Qantas flights2 using his American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card and the points his business earns from flying are tripled3 when he enters his ABN into the booking and uses his Card to pay. All this on top of the normal points earned by the traveller.

Maticevski puts these points towards future trips, helping the business reduce its costs. “Each year we hold a showroom in Sydney so we can meet stylists and journalists to lock in editorial coverage and dressing opportunities. It’s really important within the industry that you continue those relationships and networks. We also hold a two-day look-book shoot in Melbourne each season. That means we need models, photographers, make-up artists and stylists from around the country and we book all of those flights with points earned using our American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card.”

Despite his global reputation, Maticevski remains famously hands-on with his work, from sketching the initial design to sewing, cutting and draping garments himself. It is, he says, “the part of the job I find most fulfilling – it’s the key reason I launched my label”.