The long stretch
Company Profile
Its garments were once described as resembling vegetables that had been "left in the fridge too long". But as Assia Benmedjdoub discovered, Metalicus' shrivelled nylons are a proving to be a hit throughout the world.
It seemed almost inevitable that Melma Hamersfeld, daughter of a Polish tailor and wife of a now retired knitwear manufacturer, would one day become a ragtrader herself.
"It all started in my home. My house was Metalicus," the designer says who, buoyed by her husband Bernie and a desire to leave a legacy of her own, launched an accessory label for women in the early 1970s.
It's not the Metalicus consumers of today would recognise – nor the one which blew out its "fifteenth" birthday candle earlier this year. Back then, and throughout the 1980s when accessories and clothes were bought in equal measure, Hamersfeld was threads apart from the shrunken bodywear basics pictured here; instead specialising in bohemian leather belts, jewellery and hairclips.
That all changed in the early 1990s.
"There was a downturn in the economy and I could see that accessories weren't an important part of people's wardrobes anymore."
During this often difficult period, when profit margins weened and the "boom" experienced by Metalicus during its early days followed suit, Hamersfeld fortuitously came across a "torn stocking top" or more aptly, a primitive version of Bodytight – a stretchy piece of clothing made from hosiery fabric.
"[I] took this one design and fabric to my hosiery manufacturer as an influence to begin crafting the first pieces which began as basics."
In 1992, the real Metalicus was born. Specialising in separates for women – and more recently girlswear under the Miss Metalicus banner and Mini Metalicus for infants – the brand quickly found niche in the Australian market, which was then flooded with size-specific, age-specific, dressy apparel. By contrast, Metalicus, a basics brand which produced leggings, singlets, tanks and tees in one-size fabrications, offered a fresh alternative.
While these early pieces continue to play an integral part in the brand's success – the classic scoop-neck, long-sleeve top is still a top seller – Hamersfeld now injects her collections with trend-driven pieces such as hoodies and skinny dresses in brights, stripes and textured prints. Fabrications and dyeing techniques are also always under the microscope with Metalicus utilising cottons, merino wools and microfibre materials in its ranges.
"Our wide range of ever-evolving garments all feature our signature stretch fabrication and include [other] fabrics," Hamersfeld says. "We continue to push boundaries with technology through out fabrications and dyeing techniques."
This constant reinvention has paid off. At the time of press, Metalicus representatives confirmed that along with a 40% growth in sales over the last financial year, a forth Australian retail site was set to open in Kotara, Newcastle in October and a further two locations in Sydney and Melbourne were also under review. This is on top of the brand's rapidly growing distribution base; currently spanning 600 local and international specialty and department stores.
Hamersfeld attributes some of the brand's success to her strong visual merchandising and marketing campaigns. Admitting the garments don't often have strong "hanger appeal" – they were once described as resembling wrinkled vegetables by a newspaper journalist – retail and visual specialists utilise mannequins, look books and catwalk images to promote the look of the items when worn. Fashion print advertising, web, catalogue and consumer events then reinforce this aesthetic, says Hamersfeld.
"Metalicus is also a brand that is about layering and creating a look through colour. Our windows are one of the best tools we have to showcase our products to our customers."
There's no doubt Hamersfeld, who is expecting to "dramatically increase" her wholesale base in Australia, New Zealand and Europe within the next year, will adopt this winning formula as she goes in search of the brand's first retail store in London.
She has no qualms about citing the UK as her biggest region for growth.
"The beauty of Metalicus is that it really is for everyone. The young girl with the beautiful figure loves it, the corporate woman who is too busy to iron and needs her clothes to match easily love it. Our challenge is to deliver a message which the wider audience can relate to without boxing ourselves into a corner that is too young or too conservative."
By Assia Benmedjdoub