SYDNEY: Wholesale group Hotsprings has reaped the benefits of its first celebrity apparel venture, with a host of department store and retail chains confirmed to stock its Ruby Rose line.
Called ‘Milk and Honey designed by Ruby Rose’, the launch range is scheduled to hit 40 Myer Miss Shop stores this month. Of these, 16 stores will host concession spaces for both mainline Milk and Honey and the new Ruby Rose range. The new line will also appear in selected Glue stores, Globalize stores and various independents.
Hotsprings managing director Wassim Gazal said the MTV host had stirred up priceless publicity for the youth womenswear label across television, radio and magazines. The brand was included in the Myer spring/summer 2010 catwalk show earlier this month, which Gazal said was a rare inclusion from the Miss Shop division.
“We initially had a marketing budget and at this stage, to be brutally honest with you, we haven’t had to spend it,” he said.
Rose is the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week ambassador at the forthcoming event, with associated marketing planned by Hotsprings to capitalise on her participation. She has also used Twitter posts to approximately 43,000 followers to promote the collection.
Initially designed as a capsule offer for summer 2010, the launch selection was boosted to 60 pieces, equal to that of its mainline Milk and Honey range.
Five collections will be released each year, with limited edition stories for New Year’s Eve, music festivals and other key events. Gazal said the Ruby Rose offer has a “harder edge” than the mainline, which is more playful and feminine. Prices range from $59 to $100.
Hotsprings also runs menswear lines Coast Clothing and Flinders Lane. It has forged a greater presence for Coast Clothing for summer 2010, launching its sportswear line into Myer stores. The brand is also stocked in David Jones, with sleepwear and boxer shorts a key component.
“We worked with David Jones to create concepts in key sites over the past season; a continuation of this program with both David Jones and Myer is part of our plan for coming seasons,” Gazal said.
It has launched a ‘real man’ catalogue campaign for summer 2010, using everyday men rather than models.
“Some of those campaigns have been successful in the past with brands like Gap and J.Crew. It was a chance to showcase the range across a wide range of men in both age and career.”
The group also acquired the license to surfwear brand Mambo earlier this year. This month it relaunched the label with a new, lower price structure. Retailer Big W is a key stockist, along with Beach Culture and Myer.
Melinda Oliver