Cerini's printed flora flourishes
Renowned for her self-titled bag and apparel label featuring prints based on Australian flora, Cerini said the recent launch of an online store, appointment of new sales staff and division of the business into distinct bag and apparel streams marked a "new chapter".
"Last year our growth was 10 per cent, but next year we are looking at 30 per cent," she said.
It was hoped the website would bring Nicola Cerini to a wider audience in Australia and overseas, added the designer - who currently distributes to around 150 stockists across Australasia.
Value-adding features including an archival textile search allowing customers to order bags from prints not available in current collections would also increase demand for the site, she said.
Online sales would be complemented by a more "hands-on" sales strategy to push penetration into regional areas and keep current stockists "better informed of the brand's activities".
Cerini's inaugural winter apparel range - around 20 styles including boiled wool drawstring coat and zip up top, wide leg pants, skirts, tunic dresses, roll neck jumpers and sleeveless tanks - would also give the brand year-round coverage.
This has been a big year for Cerini - who in August launched a "Spanish" range of prints following a three-month stint in Barcelona funded by the Australian Arts Council.
The range - a blend of soft pastel colours and designs including Bougainvillea, Spanish Pansy, Pine Trees, Aloe Vera, "El Toro" Spanish bull and Moorish Tiles had been well received by customers, she confirmed, describing the Spanish trip as "invaluable".
"It was a great opportunity to be in another culture, to rejuvenate myself, take stock and find the energy to move forward," she said.
Currently participating in Freestyle - a Melbourne Museum exhibition of 40 outstanding Australian designers scheduled until next February - and with potential new products including a Nicola Cerini umbrella range for next winter, 'energy' is undoubtedly in high demand for the designer.