All American style hits home
Along with a host of supplier contracts with niche streetwear outlets Incu, Cactus Jam and Tuchuzy, American Apparel has just secured a deal to supply department store David Jones and youth apparel chain Glue.
The Los Angeles-based vertically integrated manufacturer and fashion retailer - set to go head to head with Canadian competitor Gildan - will officially launch its range of premium T-shirts into both stores later next month.
Currently supplying to three different sectors of the Australian market - corporate, private label and retail - the brand is available in 50 outlets nationally with plans to bolster this number to 150 by the end of the year.
Australian representative Dwayne Armstrong said its latest deal with David Jones would see the brand more firmly established in the local retail scene.
"The young contemporary department in David Jones is the perfect launch pad for American Apparel. We have found that it will sit perfectly in this area next to the likes of G-star, sass & bide and Diesel."
Armstrong attributed the brand's early success - it launched in Australia only six months ago - to its capacity to produce up to 500,000 tees a week and offer retailers seven to ten day stock replenishment.
With lead-in times from Asian manufacturers continuing to swell, Armstrong said this would put the brand in a stronger position to compete with local apparel suppliers.
"The most important factor to understand is that we air freight weekly to Australia and our logistics centres based in Sydney or Melbourne can deliver directly to source."
While no retail sites have yet been confirmed, Armstrong said the brand was considering the launch of its first stand alone store in Australia. In the meantime, however, American Apparel would focus on pushing its range through all of David Jones' 40 national department stores.
"With the support of David Jones, we feel that American Apparel will have a successful summer season in Australia."