News Briefs
Antipodium goes pro
SYDNEY: Streetwear brand Antipodium is preparing an assault on the American market after taking out the top prize at Qantas's annual Spirit of Youth Awards (SOYA). The label beat out finalists Dion Lee and Reiss Radvanyi to win $10,000 in cash and flights and a mentoring program with Peter Morrissey. Designer Geoffery Finch said the funds would go towards securing new stockists in the US, following successful showings in New York earlier this year which caught the eye of buyers at Opening Ceremony, Oak NYC and Barneys Co-op. The past six months had been a successful period for the brand with confirmation it would also be stocked at department store David Jones from February 2009. Past fashion winners of the SOYA award include Ben Pollitt for Friedrich Gray and Lang Leav for Akina.
Zimmermann openings
SYDNEY: Womenswear brand Zimmermann has opened two new retail sites and an online boutique in the lead up to the holiday season. The company launched a flagship store in Sydney's Oxford Street earlier this month, which included an adjoining courtyard cafÈ to the Kirrily Johnston, Ksubi and Sally Smith businesses. Zimmermann also opened a new store in Melbourne's Doncaster Westfield development in October and an e-boutique featuring key items for its spring/summer 2009 collections.
M&S in Aus
NATIONAL: UK High Street retailer Marks & Spencer has jumped on board the e-Christmas wagon and launched an international delivery service to Australia and New Zealand. Consumers in France, Germany, Spain, the United States and Canada would now be able to order clothes, lingerie, beauty and homeware items from its online store and ship them to friends and family members in both markets. The move is believed to be part of Marks & Spencer's strategy to grow sales of M&S Direct to $A1.7 billion by 2010/11. Final orders to Australia and New Zealand will be on December 4, with average postage costs through Royal Mail and Parcel Force at $A47.
Silkbody expands
NEW ZEALAND: Ethical clothing label Silkbody has secured three separate distribution deals for the German, Belgian and Swedish markets. Managing director Emily Cooper predicted Germany would increase the Dunedin brand's export turnover by 200 per cent in the first year alone. The first drop would be delivered into German stores in February 2009, in time for the Northern Hemisphere's spring/summer season. The Belgian and Swedish distributors would launch Silkbody into retailers over autumn/winter 2009 while a new distributor in Taiwan would take delivery in March for the spring/summer season. Launched six years ago by father and daughter team David and Emily Cooper, the environmentally-friendly leisurewear brand is currently available in the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Chile, Australia and New Zealand.
On the move
NATIONAL: Is it something in the air? Sydney womenswear label Yu and Melbourne brand Nicolangela intend to cap off a busy year by relocating their head offices and studios to larger premises. From December, Nicolangela's headquarters will be located in 8/75 Lorimer Street, Southbank Victoria while Nicolangela has just moved to the Studio Fantastik complex in Sydney. The label will occupy Studio 201, Flourmill Studio at 3 Gladstone Street Newtown.