MELBOURNE: LIFEwithBIRD has capitalised on its relationship with the creative director of Calvin Klein to build bridges with key department store buyers in the US.
The nine-year-old independent womenswear label caught the eye of Francisco Costa when he visited Melbourne for the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival in March.
Costa hosted an intimate event in New York earlier this month to allow designers Bridget McCall and Nicholas Van Messner to show LIFEwithBIRD to influential industry members.
Buyers from department stores Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and key independent boutiques were in attendance.
"We have also had some interest from the Barneys buyers, so we hope to meet them in person and show them the range," McCall said.
She said the brand was well stocked in the US prior to the global financial crisis, but pulled back during the tough trading period. It intends to rebuild its presence from next February, when it will take its spring/summer 2011/12 offer and some winter pieces over to show in conjunction with New York Fashion Week.
"We'd like to do a similar event to what we just did, have it low key and personal," she said. "Maybe a small catwalk show."
Key to the offer will be the brand's new basics collection, which has just been launched for summer 2010. Prices span from $80 to around $180, with singlets, long sleeve tops, dresses and t-shirts in the mix.
Growth in New Zealand is also planned, with the label taking part in the forthcoming New Zealand Fashion Week for the first time late next month. It also intends to expand further into Japan.
Domestically, LIFEwithBIRD has launched two retail stores in the last five months. The first was in Melbourne's GPO Building and the second in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. McCall said more retail outlets are planned, but no fixed time or place is confirmed.
"With the opening of our own boutiques, the other multi-brand boutiques are getting behind us more than they were, because the brand presence is stronger," she said.
McCall said she is not actively hunting for an investor to back further expansion.
"We are lucky we can stand on our own two feet and we've built from the ground up ourselves," she said.
The brand currently has around 55 domestic wholesale accounts, along with department store David Jones.
Melinda Oliver