The dramatic burgeoning of overseas interest in organic clothing has spurred local player Humanitee to expand its global reach.
Humanitee founder Peter Abbott confirmed the brand was planning to capitalise on an explosion of interest in ethical and organic products in Europe and parts of Asia.
"We've had a lot of interest from overseas retailers, mainly in Japan, the UK, Denmark and Sweden," he said, adding that recent developments in the UK were a sign of the times.
"In February the Lord Mayor of London released a statement incentivising UK fashion retailers to move to organic. I can't overstate how big organic fashion has grown over there," he said, adding that Australia was "way behind" overseas trends.
With its international penetration set to occur by year end, the brand planned to triple the number of lines offered, from around 50 basic styles across men's and women's categories to a more fashion-oriented range that would also include childrenswear. New product would include a "hero" fashion-oriented women's range including T-shirts, skirts and frocks priced from $50 for basic tops to $150 for dresses.
"We're taking inspiration from Donna Karan's 'seven easy pieces', offering simple, stylish, co-ordinating clothes that can provide an entire wardrobe."
With Humanitee distributed via local charity tie-ins until recently, the brand would also be expanding its reach closer to home, he said.
"We're targeting around 50 to 60 stores across Australasia and we're directly approaching those that we think best suit our profile."
A revamped online store would also launch by year end, Abbott said.
Producing high quality clothing with 100 per cent organic fabrications, ecologically sustainable production methods and a strong emphasis on community involvement, the "sexy organic" Humanitee label represented the way of the future, he added.
"Organic clothing is the fastest growing market in the world and it's set to continue, as people realise that disposable fashion is killing our environment. Before long organic clothing will be mainstream."