Lifestyle retailer Esprit will take its local partnership with iconic merino supplier Gostwyk Farms to a global audience next year.
The international giant has created a sustainable wool line ‘The Lucky Sheep’ as part of a product strategy which will see a number of limited edition capsule ranges launched to market in the coming months.
Esprit national wholesale manager Chris Laverty confirmed ‘The Lucky Sheep’ was developed as part of an exclusive arrangement with Goswyk Farms, with 44 countries set to launch the collection in March 2012.
A sizeable venture for the company, Espirit representatives from Germany secured a deal with the farm’s owner, Philip Attard, to purchase the entire output of the farm in order to maintain exclusivity and control costs.
The limited edition range will be one of several planned capsule collections, each underlined by specific merchandising and marketing strategies including newsletter mail-outs and separate display installations.
While Laverty admitted producing locally lead to a 10-15 per cent increase on production costs – ultimately resulting in a lower profit margin – he says it’s a worthwhile investment to attract a new market of shoppers. Prices for the line start at $79.95.
“These pieces will tell a story to the customer that may not have been into our stores. Customers will start looking at us in a different light. We’ll be getting back to our roots. The environmental activism that Espirit was so well known for in the 70’s, the ‘real people’ campaign from the 1980’s – we’ll be bringing that back for Christmas.”
Espirit’s nostalgic 1970’s ‘real people’ campaign will launch in December this year, featuring a collection of everyday people from all over the globe. Also in the works for Espirit’s brand realignment is a partnership with the Royal College of Arts in London, which will become the vehicle for a student competition to appoint a new capsule collection designer, who will have the opportunity to work closely with Gostwyk to produce unique, limited edition pieces.
