The tie-up with Bon-Ton will mark Mambo's first foray into North America and will see the Australian-based label stocked in 263 stores across the US, through eight department store chains which fall under the Bon-Ton group. Mambo will join other brands stocked by Bon-Ton stores on June 15, with current labels including Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike and Puma.
Under the license and design agreement, Mambo, which holds an apparel license partnership with Hot Springs in Australia, will continue to design the collections with Bon-Ton managing the sourcing, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of the line in the US.
The debut collection from Mambo will target men and women from the ages of 16 to 29 and will include menswear, children's wear and footwear, with plans to introduce womenswear, accessories, underwear, watches, backpacks and eyewear in the following months.
Mambo currently has 330 stockists across Australia and New Zealand with one stand-alone store in Sydney and two in the UK. While the US assault is sure to boost Mambo's international reach, the brand is planning further expansion into overseas markets, Mambo’s managing director, Angus Kingsmill, said.
“The US is a huge market, and one Mambo needs to be in to be considered a truly global brand,” he said. “But we want to take this iconic Australian brand to the world.”
“We currently have a principal partner agreement with a very successful Brazilian surfwear label who has the infrastructure in place to take Mambo across South America and we are also in discussions with a major South Korean retailer as well as companies in Canada and South Africa.”
Kingsmill also said he recognises the challenge of launching into a competitive market such as the US and is currently working with Bon-Ton on a marketing strategy to promote the label's launch.
“Bon-Ton is very keen promote the fact that we are an Australian brand, so we’ll be looking at John Travolta flying a planeload of Mambo ambassadors to the US, including pro surfers Luke Cheadle and Dayyan Neve, skater Brad McDermott, models Cheyenne Tozzi and Erin McNaught and comedians from The Chaser, along with some of our artists. We are also looking at recruiting some US ambassadors such as Adrian Grenier from Entourage who is a fan of the brand. Bon-Ton are prepared to throw a lot of money behind the launch campaign.”
Daniela Aroche