Morley rock and rolls for summer
Alongside the thrill of re-entering the category after a brief exodus last year, the former Buddhist Punk director said he's also keen to cash in on the womenswear boom.
"One of the great things about having my own brand is that I don't have to split the profit four-ways like I did with Buddhist Punk. Now, I'm making the same sort of thing, keeping the profits and able to sell great stuff to people for half the price."
Already supplying his menswear line 'Nicholas X Morley' to 16 stockists throughout Australia, the designer said his debut womenswear collection could best be described as "beach meets dancefloor".
Manufactured in Indonesia and Shanghai, the line includes swimwear, knitwear, shoes, jewellery, accessories and a heavy use of rayon jerseys, silks and stretch silks.
Morley, who has created glam rock collections for superbands AC/DC and the Rolling Stones throughout his career, has also collaborated with Swarovski for select, crystallised garments.
Although an official pricelist was not released at the time of press, the designer said most would mirror those from his menswear line which sells from $80 to $150.
Targeted at women aged 15 to 25, his spring/summer 2007/08 range collectively draws on his experiences at Buddhist Punk, Mambo and urban brand Ed Hardy with bold prints and a punchy palette of black, white, silver and fluorescent tones.
"Although it's a lot younger than the stuff I did with Buddhist," Morley said. "I used to be a real raver when I was younger and I've gone back to that. It's all very techno."
Looking to secure around 50 to 60 Australian stockists over the next few seasons, Morley said he's also considering approaching David Jones in the long term.
In the meantime however, the designer is focused on pushing the international success of his menswear division which already has stockists sprawled throughout Japan and the UK.