MELBOURNE:Jeanswest is preparing to take on the big boys of denim.
The casualwear retailer has aimed its target at high-end denim purveyors with the launch of Selvedge - a premium international offering without the designer price tag. CEO Stephen Younane said the strategy was just one of the company's initiatives for the calendar year.
"Usually Selvedge is associated with high end brands like Ksubi - but we're doing it for $149 a pair," he said. "Selvedge has an interesting story. It used to be made in the US, but when the US denim market really took off the old Selvedge looms were sold to the Japanese, who have been making it ever since."
Launching for autumn 2009, the Selvedge range was made from premium Japanese Selvedge denim and featured four styles for men and women. The range had been differentiated through exclusive trims, vintage rivets and buttons, printed pocket bags, open side seams and fashion washes.
Jeanswest had spent months negotiating with suppliers to secure the fabrication, until now the preserve of "black label" denim brands. Younane said the company's design expertise and the volumes involved had been helpful in sealing the deal. The company had also invested considerable time educating its staff about the unique qualities of Selvedge, he added.
"At our recent international conference it was a really proud moment for me to tell our people about Selvedge and the excitement about the product was palpable. Managers couldn't wait to get back to the stores and start selling."
Younane said the introduction of Selvedge was part of a long term revamp for the Jeanswest brand, which would see new branding and store fit-outs rolled out this year, along with a raft of customer loyalty and branding initiatives.
One of these was the recent introduction of a newly re-branded loyalty program, which officially launched across Australia on March 2. Dubbed the Jeanswest Rewards Program, the initiative kicked off with a spend-and-save offer.
Other projects designed to clinch brand loyalty included a contest to create an interactive digital campaign around the theme of "denim love affairs", with the winning entry pocketing a trip for two to Paris.