Best of the best' named

SYDNEY: Melbourne has once again cemented its position as Australia's fashion capital after taking out the top gongs at the 2007 Ragtrader TNT Fashion Retailer of the Year Awards.

Victorian-headquartered chain Feathers, womenswear independent store Gorman and menswear boutique Arthur Galan were among those honoured as the country's best during an extravagant awards ceremony staged at Sydney's Doltone House earlier this week.

New South Wales chain General Pants and Western Australian retailer Mosh & Jolly were the only two non-Victorian brands to take to the podium, winning the best over 20 chain and best childrenswear store respectively.

The list of finalists included chains Esprit, Peter Alexander, Just Jeans, Review, David Lawrence, Portmans, Edge and Country Road while boutique finalists included Morrison, Belinda, Directions, Andiamo, OshKosh, Kids Things, Always Habit and Ksubi.

The winners beat off stiff competition from all around the country for this year's awards, the fourth annual, with entries in the womenswear and over 20 chain categories particularly strong.

Award judges Zoe Edquist from the Australian Fashion Council and Ragtrader's own Belinda Smart said the winning retailers went above and beyond general retail practices to ensure their businesses boasted "that extra pinch of inspiration".

This was particularly true in the chain categories, Edquist said. "Without exception, the finalists for both the large and small chain categories were outstanding. Choosing a winner was a very difficult task."

Representatives from all winning brands were present to hear an inspirational speech from emerging new design talent Josh Goot. US-based Goot, who earlier this year launched a collaboration with Target and later showed his upscale womenswear line at New York Fashion Week, spoke of the difficulties faced by all fashion businesses in trying to push creative boundaries while still finding success at a commercial level.

In closing, Goot spoke of his desire to diversify his business from a purely wholesale operation and said he would consider opening his own self-titled stores "some time in the future".