Fairbanks unleashes her inner child

MELBOURNE: Her fan base might be surprised to learn this, but high end designer Belinda Fairbanks has always had a thing about mucking around on the beach.

For Fairbanks, her new surfwear label Children of the Sun has been a long time coming however. Aimed at 14 to 28 year old females -- a distinctly younger market than her self-named brand -- the label comprises around 30 pieces, with the inaugural summer collection featuring dresses, tops, shorts and string bikinis.

"Next summer we'll definitely look at broadening out the offer, particularly in swimwear, but for now we just wanted to get the label out there," Fairbanks said, adding she was in the process of securing deals with high end fashion boutiques as well as surfwear specialists including Osmosis and Jetty Surf in Victoria and Surf Dive 'N' Ski in New South Wales.
With bikinis priced at $89.95, tee dresses at around $79 to $89 and long dresses at $129.99 the range was positioned just above established surf brands such as Roxy and Billabong, she added.

"The surfwear market is so price driven that I really had to bear price points in mind, which is a big change for me, but I also wanted to provide girls with a more fashion oriented alternative to what was out there."
Designed to hark back to 70's and 80's beach culture Children of the Sun embodied a significant change in the surf market, she said.

"There's now real demand for something a little more sophisticated than the established "surf" aesthetic. We've seen other fashion labels like Milk and Honey and One Teaspoon entering the game, so it's a good time to launch this brand."
Children of the Sun's upcoming winter offering would include party dresses, tees, knits and trackie pants, she said, describing the label as a "personal lifestyle choice".

"I've been doing the Belinda Fairbanks label for five years and I really love it, but surfwear is very close to my heart. I live by the beach and it's always been a big part of my life. This label is really aimed at a younger version of me."

By Belinda Smart