Bewildered Brunsdon armed and ready with Myer

SYDNEY: Australian designer Jayson Brunsdon is set to capitalise on his recent defection to Myer with new product launches, a retail outlet and bold expansion strategies on the horizon.

The eveningwear designer, who defected from rival department store David Jones late last month, said the new partnership would help sustain the growth of his business, which reportedly saw a double in orders for its cruise collection this year.

Brunsdon said he was "deeply dissatisfied" with David Jones after its buyers failed to place a substantial order for the collection during Rosemount Australian Fashion Week in May. He said despite a strong response from boutique buyers and media, the department store confirmed it would only stock the range at its flagship outlet in Elizabeth Street, Sydney.
"I was bewildered. Here we were rapidly growing in every other market and I couldn't understand why it wasn't working out with David Jones. It wasn't feasible for us to have just one store stock our product."

Brunsdon said under his new partnership with Myer, four stores would stock his cruise collection but this would triple for his autumn/winter 2008 range. Brunsdon added that clear signage and a mixed brand portfolio meant he would not be in direct competition with any other designer labels at Myer.

"I think it will inevitably mean that we draw younger consumers to our brand too."

Although Brunsdon was unable to provide details of his planned diffusion line with Myer, he did confirm that an additional daywear venture was in the works.

"We're fielding a lot of demand for polished daywear from our American stockists. We'll definitely have more evening separates for our upcoming collection [at New York Fashion Week] so that might even boost the amount of boutiques who stock us there."

Brunsdon, who will show at New York Fashion Week for the second time this September, currently supplies two American department stores - Neiman Marcus and Saks - and more than 40 independent outlets. He said his long-term ambition was to maintain his presence there, further his reach into the European market and potentially open another boutique in Australia. 

"We haven't confirmed any sites yet but it's definitely something that we're looking at." 

By Assia Benmedjdoub