Designer Thorpedo's new line into Victoria

Stüssy Girl designer Emma Thorpe is stepping out on her own.
After five years of industry experience, the budding entrepreneur has launched a new womenswear label emma-thérèse. Set to hit stockists in September, the spring/summer line will feature 10 individual pieces including dresses, jackets, shorts, trousers, jeans, a bustier and a kaftan.
Thorpe said while she'd always wanted to run an independent label, the idea came from an "unlikely" place.
"About 18 months ago, I went on a trip to Bali and I immediately saw it as a great sampling and production possibility," she recalled. "I wasn't ready to start my own label after graduating from RMIT but I knew, at the time, that this was something I could pursue outside of my office hours. It also meant I could use Bali as a place of manufacturing as well as a holiday destination."
Aiming to position emma-thérèse as a boutique-level brand for women in their "20's to 30's", Forde's line will retail from $145 for shorts, $165 for pants, $245 for dresses to $400 for jackets. Using only natural fibres, including cotton voile, leather and denim, the pieces will be largely manufactured in Bali with Forde's high waisted skinny jeans produced locally.
"There's so much expertise here when it comes to denim," she explained. "Things like fabric quality and washes are really important and I want to keep a tight control over the jeans."
Hoping to gradually expand the label throughout Australia, Thorpe said her greatest challenge was maintaining a balance between her work at Stüssy Girl and emma-thérèse.
"In some ways it's much easier because the amount of styles is one tenth the size of that of Stüssy," she said. "Time-wise, the most challenging part is fitting both into the working week. It's a labour of love and really, no one goes into the industry with the idea that it's going to be easy."