SYDNEY: bec & bridge have taken out the inaugural Australian DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship, beating fellow finalists Flannel and Nana Judy.
The designers behind the seven-year-old womenswear label, Becky Cooper and Bridget Yorston, have won A$10,000 worth of freight plus coaching in freight and logistics from DHL Express.
The scholarship was open to local labels that have been exporting for no more than four years, with the aim of assisting Australia's hottest emerging labels in achieving international growth.
bec & bridge creative director Bridget Yorston said she and Cooper were excited by their win.
"We've been exporting to Asia, USA
and New Zealand for two years now and in terms
of business growth
this is a focus of ours,” Yorston said.
“Our latest collection shown at
Rosemount Australian Fashion Week captured the attention of
international buyers, including those from the UK and Dubai. Winning
the DHL scholarship has come at the perfect time as it will help us
to meet this increasing demand.”
The competition was judged
by a three member panel including longstanding womenswear designer
Nicola Finetti, IMG Fashion Asia Pacific's marketing and
communications director Graeme Lewsey, and DHL Express Australia's
fashion and apparel industry vertical manager, Jamila Dlala.
Judging criteria included each label's total sales revenue in both Australian and export dollars, its ability to fund additional export sales, and whether its design aesthetic was unique, commercially relevant and would appeal to international buyers.
“Bec Cooper and Bridget Yorston put forward an impressive entry,” said judge Dlala.
“They demonstrated a collaborative approach to all areas of their business, as seen in their design element and business practice. This will contribute to them becoming great ambassadors for our fashion industry when exporting to international markets.”
A previous winner of the established New Zealand DHL Express Fashion Export Scholarship is label Stolen Girlfriend's Club. Director Dan Gosling said the two years since the label's 2008 win had been “amazing”.
"The scholarship allowed us to realise our business goals and push our expectations further,” Gosling said.
“We worked closely with DHL Express
to take advantage of the scholarship and expand our label
internationally.”
bec and bridge currently has eight online
stockists, three international stockists, and is stocked nationally
across Australia including in department store David Jones.