NET-A-PORTER retail fashion director Lisa Aiken discusses the power of down under.
What lured you down to Australian Fashion Week this year?
This is my third visit to Australian Fashion Week and the past two years the business has found a lot of emerging talent and exciting design. From my previous trips for MBFWA, NET-A-PORTER has launched more than 10 Australian brands on site. Based on these experiences I am out here to scout more new talent as well as meet with our existing Australian brands.
What are your favourite Australian brands?
I really love Albus Lumen. We launched the brand on site for Resort 18 and the aesthetic is beautiful and understated. I’m also really excited about Lee Matthews, which we’ll be launching on site soon as a part of our JET-A-PORTER vacation shop. I was really attracted to the brands resort pieces as they have that Australian sense of ease whilst still remaining chic. I also really love Lucy Folk from an accessory and jewellery perspective, it is really unique which is so important in a global market.
Do you currently stock any Aussie labels?
NET-A-PORTER currently stocks over 35 Australian and New Zealand brands.
How important is resort to your business?
Resort is a really substantial part of our business. It is a category that is continually growing especially as designers are shaping their collections to have a more transseasonal edit. More and more it’s about those fashion moments that have an appeal across both the north and southern hemispheres.
What are the benefits of importing Australian labels into your business?
From a fashion stand point, our woman is incredibly global and is very excited to discover things from different parts of the world. It’s the element of discovery for our customer that Australian labels really provide. Australian brands perform well across all categories, especially in ready-to-wear and resort wear. We also have some really strong jewellery designers from Natasha Schweitzer, Sarah and Sebastian and Meadowlark.