SYDNEY: Robby Ingham Stores is striving to become a force in Australian designer retail, with the purchase of the Directions boutique a major addition to its arsenal.
New Robby Ingham part-owner, Marlene Mangioni, said she and Ingham will take ownership of the long-standing Double Bay womenswear store on February 1, 2011.
The pair will retain the name and will continue to stock Australian labels, with the addition of some unique international brands.
"We are buying [Australian brands] for it at the moment and we will be also incorporating some of the second and third-tier internationals in there, but pitching them at the same client that has been there so long," Mangioni said.
The move follows a major overhaul of the Robby Ingham boutique in Paddington for both men and women, which included a renovation and the introduction of Australian brands to the predominantly international offer, from summer 2010.
Around eight local designers including Lover, Therese Rawsthorne, Goot by Josh Goot, Laurence Pasquier, Banjo & Matilda and Jac & Jack are in the mix.
Mangioni said part of her mission when she joined the business a year ago was to create a multi-brand lifestyle boutique that catered for various fashion needs. She previously spent 10 years with competing retailer, Belinda.
"Rob had a very strong men's presence and women's was here, but it had taken second seat to the men's in the last few years," she said.
Mangioni said the store will house a refreshed array of premium international womenswear brands including Stella McCartney, Givenchy and Proenza Schouler. These will sit with slightly less expensive labels, such as Thakoon, Acne and Scotch & Soda, to offer price and lifestyle variety.
International and local labels will be merchandised alongside each other.
She said the mix of women's and men's apparel and local and international labels all in one place are elements that set Robby Ingham apart from Belinda.
"I think that the Belinda stores are all very different and the customers are able to go in and shop in each individual store for whatever the aesthetic of that particular store is,” she said.
“We are basically catering for all of those in one. We have the liberty of having the floor size.”
The company also launched its designer seconds store Trunk in Sydney this year and is due to reveal a new promotional website and blog.
Melinda Oliver