MELBOURNE: It produces private label products for national retail giants General Pants and Tony Bianco - now it’s eyeing men.
Mischa Accessories has signed a formal licensing deal with independent footwear label Croft Shoes to produce a line of men’s satchels, weekenders, laptop bags and backpacks under the Croft brand, with two to four collections released per year.
Croft products are currently distributed to 80 stores across Australia and New Zealand, with strong representation in department store David Jones. Croft owner Paul LaRosa said the two companies had worked together since 2008, but a formal licensing agreement with Mischa was inked just last month.
Manufactured in China, the new accessories range will retail from $70 to $120 and offer six to eight styles per season in canvas and PU fabrications.
LaRosa said Mischa, which produces house brands for a number of national retailers, approached Croft in a bid to extend its portfolio.
“Mischa identified the men’s market as an opportunity to add to their rapidly growing accessories business,” he said. “The option was to invest and develop a new label or seek out a men’s label [which] was interested in extending into the category.”
Mischa Accessories is also set to bolster its licensing agreement with footwear retailer Tony Bianco, which it has held for more than three years. The company currently produces and wholesales four PU handbag ranges for the brand annually. The first leather range is now set to debut in October. There are some 20 to 30 SKUs per collection.
Mischa also supplies products to General Pants Co and wholesales its own range of branded products nationally.
Assia Benmedjdoub