Australia: what Mena want

 

Samoan and New Zealand-based label Mena has set its sights on the Australian market, with plans to launch its debut collection at the Fashion Exposed trade fair next month.

Mena's initial offering will showcase the label's swimwear and resortwear spring/summer 2011 collections, which present in a range of bright colours and bold prints across 80 pieces, including maxi dresses, cocktail and cotton beach dresses and swim suits.

The family-run label is the brainchild of Samoan sisters Agnes, Jackie, Gina and Charlene Loheni and is named after their mother. Mena will release four seasonal collections over the coming year with a strong focus on the Australian market, according to co-founder and designer Agnes Loheni.

“We plan to make Australia our primary market, focusing on the large Australian resort market in the first instance,” she said.

At this stage, Loheni maintains that Mena has a purely wholesale focus with no immediate plans to open a retail outlet, although she doesn't rule out the possibility in the medium term.

“We would be happy to achieve 25 to 30 stockist agreements, eventually moving to 50-plus in the first three years,” she said. “We are looking at a year-on-year growth rate of 20 per cent in the Australian market for the next five years – a combination of stockist growth combined with sales growth.”

Mena designs will also be accessible online as of mid-June when the label's first website is planned to  launch and will feature collections in sizes from six to 16, with pieces ranging from $120-$350.

Daniela Aroche