Expansion in the bag for Sam
Not content with having launched an online shopping site and a third flagship at Sydney's Strand Arcade in recent months, the founder of footwear, bag, accessories and clothing brand Sambag is also dramatically expanding her apparel offering.
Having broken into swimwear, dresses, denim and shorts for summer, Wagner is now working on an inaugural second summer range comprising around 30 to 40 pieces, with swimwear priced from $140, dresses at $200, ballet flats at $165 and jeans at around $180.
Now boasting two Sydney outlets and one in Melbourne as well as a host of wholesale stockists Sambag has clearly consolidated its Australian presence.
However, with plans to take on the US market Wagner is reluctant to rest on her laurels and is accordingly pleased to have scored her first international trade fair spot at renowned New York fair Sole Commerce.
Scheduled September 18 to 20 in the big apple, this year's Sole Commerce exhibitors list includes acclaimed brands Sigerson Morrisson, Kate Spade, Anya Hindmarsh and Christian Louboutin, hinting that Sambag's position as a top-end international contender is secured.
While past seasons had seen the brand stocked at US retailer Barneys, Wagner had focused more recently on opening stores in Australia, she said, adding she now hoped to leverage Sole Commerce to grow Sambag's presence through new stockists and US media coverage.
"It will cost Sambag $US4,400 ($A5,270) for the stand plus all the usual expenses such as accommodation, airfares, the design and installation of the stand," she said.
"I have wanted to do a fair in New York for a long time but I wanted it to be the best. Sole Commerce is by far the most exclusive and elite international trade fair so I initially asked how I could become an exhibitor. We presented the label to them in April of this year and it had to then go through a panel made up of buyers and fashion editors for magazines. With such a high profile panel, I was really honoured when I finally got the call saying I had been selected, especially as there are only 120 exhibitors worldwide."