Ericaamerica shoots for Asia

PERTH: Progressive womenswear label Dressage by ericaamerica has already captured the attention of the folks out west. But now the apparel line co-created by designers Lucas Bowers and Erica Wardle has turned its thoughts to Asia instead.
The label's aggressive expansion program - which began with the recent launch of a website for Dressage's umbrella label ericaamerica - also include plans to open a flagship store later in the year.
Wardle said the decision to push Dressage, already stocked in London, Ireland, Scotland, Dubai and New Zealand, into Asia had come about following research she and Bowers had done into the Chinese, Japanese and Korean markets.
The pair, whose designs retail for between $90 and $1500, was also attracted to the originality and "future forethought" these countries had, she said.
"I feel that most fashion forces a very serious 'adult' perception of what we have to be as women at a certain age and I want to bring back a choice to be an individual and pretty, simply for your own joy.
"We find that Asian consumers have a really healthy sense of themselves and bravely make their own trends. The girls in particular are still so engaged with their innocent, girly side and we think they would really enjoy and understand the playfulness of the Dressage range."
While Wardle, who formerly worked in costume and dance design, conceded the drive into Asia was likely to mean the label would be forced to instigate smaller sizing, she said this would not mean Dressage's more curvaceous consumers would be overlooked.
Dressage was launched to cater for women seeking something different from the trend-based fashion that only catered for being "in, thin and serious" and this would never change, she said.
"Currently we manufacture sizes eight to 16 [but] I would like to push it up to a size 22 in the future. I have dressed many women of this size and when you wear it, you wear it well! We will have to add smaller sizes two, four and six [into the range and] I guess time will tell how it is received."
Wardle, who sources high-quality heirloom cottons from Switzerland and adds porcelain buttons and handmade knits into her designs, said the label also planned to continue its alignment with the music industry with both designers currently working on new costumes for rock brand The Sleepy Jackson's upcoming world tour.