Womenswear line Billion Dollar Babes has ventured back into retail following a concentrated wholesale approach, in a bid to build a brand presence for its new childrenswear line.
Designer and owner Michelle Cooke was due to open a pop-up store on Oxford Street, Paddington, this week, with a three-month lease. If it proves successful, Cooke said she will take a long term hold on the space and custom-fit the interiors for the brand. It will stock new season Billion Dollar Babes and young girls’ label Tyla Rose by Billion Dollar Babes, with a number of injection lines made specifically for retail.
"We had a store for 14 years on Oxford Street which we closed four years ago," she said. "We then had a joint store on the street with La Bella Donna for 18 months, but have not had a presence on the street for two and a half years."
The fashion-oriented brand has previously run stores on Chapel Street in Melbourne and in The Strand Arcade, Sydney, which it had for many years.
Cooke said the store will be a good opportunity to showcase both the adult and children's offer in the one space and build the reputation of the Tyla Rose offer.
Tyla Rose by Billion Dollar Babes is styled on Cooke's young daughter and is pitched at seven to 12-year-old girls. It is stocked in a handful of boutiques nationally. Billion Dollar Babes has around 20 accounts, with the majority of its styles produced in Australia.
In 2011, Cooke intends to introduce a basics line featuring the brand's most popular styles such as little black dresses, which are available to buy on its e-commerce site.
Melinda Oliver