SYDNEY: Global brand house Club 21 Australia is introducing two leading international brands into the domestic market as part of a determined growth strategy.
The company, owned by Singapore-based Club 21 Global, will open flagships for luxury British accessories label Mulberry and US casual brand DKNY Jeans, at the new Westfield Sydney complex on November 1. It will also open new sites for its existing labels, A|X Armani Exchange and ck Calvin Klein, in the central Pitt Street development.
Club 21 Australia general manager Nigel Yeo said the brand house is looking to add more labels to its domestic portfolio and increase its retail presence nationally.
“Right now we are in Victoria and New South Wales and I am also exploring opportunities in Queensland and Western Australia,” he said. By the end of 2010 the company will operate nine stand-alone stores across its brands, plus two shop-in-shops for ck Calvin Klein in Myer department stores. Yeo hopes to launch Mulberry and DKNY Jeans stores in Melbourne within the next couple of years.
The new DKNY Jeans store will unveil a fresh interior design direction for the label, evoking an urban, New York mood. DKNY Jeans product will be delivered in line with domestic seasons. The entry level offer from the Donna Karan stable has prices starting at $100 for jeans, $79 for tops, $269 for jackets and $900 for leather items.
The Mulberry store will be reflective of an English conservatory, with cream and off-white interiors contrasted with dark carpet. The product, designed by Emma Hill, will be offered in line with northern hemisphere seasons. Yeo said pricing will be competitive with online stores that sell Mulberry to Australian consumers, starting at around $900 for a leather fashion handbag or $1300 for a core collection style.
Yeo is confident both labels have strong brand recognition in Australia, but remained conservative about first- year sales expectations. A consumer PR strategy has already been launched.
Melinda Oliver