Vicious goes back to its roots, vertically

MELBOURNE: Edgy label Vicious Threads is alive and kicking after an overhaul comprising a return to denim and plans for a retail launch.
Targeting the youth market for the first time, Vicious Threads founder Ivan Gomez confirmed sub-brand Vicious Denim would launch through independent boutiques nationally next month [August], with Myer and selected chains stocking a small differentiated range from the line. The label comprised 30 pieces each in men's and girls' styles with the latter including a mini-short with braces, three-quarter length military influence knickerbockers and a pencil skirt for the "sassy, fashion forward, younger woman", he said.
Price points were $169 to $179, considerably lower than the original $300 retail price of Vicious Threads denim, which targeted an older market.
Gomez said he also planned to launch a retail business next year - "most likely two stores in Melbourne and one in Sydney" -, adding that "going vertical" was the only way for niche labels to survive.
The company's diversification had been facilitated by a white label business launched 18 months ago and now accounting for 40 per cent of the business, he said.
"Put simply, without the corporate business we wouldn't have a business."
Vicious Threads launched in 2003, but irked by copycat labels, soon discontinued its denim component.
"We launched on the back of denim and that was what excited us; we became internationally and locally recognised for it, but it hit a raw nerve when a couple of seasons in, the bigger players in the denim market started to copy our designs and washes.
"I'm a bit more of a realist now. I realise that if a brand is any good it's going to get copied. If I'd had that attitude three years ago Vicious Threads would have been a strong denim brand by now."
The knee-jerk exit from denim had ultimately paid dividends however, with Vicious Threads successfully creating and conquering the "runway street" category, he said.
The company's current return to denim in the form of Vicious Denim held great promise, thanks to exclusive fabrications from Japan, Europe and the US, coupled with a long history in the category.
"We understand the need to provide a point of difference. We're not going to release a three legged jean, but a directional jean with a fantastic fit will certainly be our core focus."