Salmon enters wider stream
The diffusion collection, dubbed "i", will be influenced by Salmon's eponymous high-end label but will be delivered at more affordable price points of around $85 to $240, compared to a starting price of $180 for Megan Salmon.
Salmon said the new range, which will be manufactured out of China to keep costs low, has been created to give retailers a mark up of three times the wholesale price.
"We put so much energy into researching and designing in order to develop one season of the [Megan Salmon] range, which only accesses a very small proportion of the Australian and international market. This is a way of broadening our reach," she said.
The "i" range - which includes dress styles and separates - will be released in September for first summer with around 10 styles in two colours, followed by a 50-piece winter collection.
Salmon's business partner Stephen Culley described the expansion of the range as "a "commodification" of the Megan Salmon label.
"It's really about marrying a high level of artistic design with industry."
Culley said the range would be available through selected boutiques across Australia and New Zealand.
"We don't want to over expose the brand and we're not interested in stocking the product in department stores."
Salmon also plans to expand her accessories label dd by megan salmon - launched earlier this year and comprising scarves and wraps - with a handbag and footwear range.
The handbags have been prototyped and she is currently negotiating with manufacturers with a view to launching for spring/summer 2006, while footwear will be launched six to 12 months later. The expanded product range would capitalize on the popularity of the Megan Salmon brand in the US and Europe. Salmon said she was viewing the range as an "export opportunity".
"The idea is to make a beautiful product and keep the handwriting of the brand but also achieve more volume," she said.