MELBOURNE: Australian workwear brand Hard Yakka has launched its first streetwear-inspired range for men, after producing hard labour apparel since the 1930s.
The eight piece collection, called Urban by Hard Yakka, comprised printed t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, cargo trousers and a jacket. It would appear in 50 stores nationally from March.
Hard Yakka marketing manager Laura Downey said the range was pitched at the brand’s core market of trade workers and apprentices aged 17 to 35.
“We identified that tradies are wearing surfwear brands on small work sites, such as hoodies and t-shirts that are overtly branded,” she said. “They’re after a casual and comfortable offer. They also needed something to wear from their work site to offsite, such as the pub or the local footy ground.”
The collection was priced from $39.95 for t-shirts and $69.95 for cargo trousers, with a simple colour range of black, navy, olive, blue and red.
“European workwear brands such as Mascot and Carhartt have a more casual workwear offer such as t-shirts and hoodies. We feel this range can sit alongside Levi’s denim, our existing Hard Yakka Workwear offer, Quicksilver, Rip Curl and the like,” Downey said.
Hard Yakka intended to release two collections per year and could offer a women’s collection at a later date if the range was successful.
“Industrial workwear remains our priority, however the Urban range is a great opportunity to get the brand out there to existing and new customers across Australia,” she said.
Regional boutiques had responded particularly well to the new line, which was manufactured in China.
The Urban by Hard Yakka range would be promoted through a public relations program and by directly approaching TAFE students across metropolitan Melbourne.
“We will also have a dedicated micro-site [website] for the range going live in March and stores will receive point-of-sale support,” she said.
Melinda Oliver