Chapel a two-way street

MELBOURNE: Fashion doyenne Jenny Bannister's new Chapel Street store has engendered a scheme to give design novices a helping hand.

Bannister – who first launched her self-named label in 1976 and now specialises in contemporary "after dark" womenswear –- has corralled the talents of several fourth year RMIT students under the auspices of her own mentoring program, dubbed "First cut".

The fledgling designers –- all unknowns until now  –- would sell through Bannister's new store at 121 Chapel Street, Prahan, the designer confirmed.

"After moving to the new store last September I realised what a funky, happening spot it was. The place is heaving with nightclubs and restaurants and I really wanted to add to my offer – as well as selling my own label -- to cash in on that younger, groovy market. I went out looking for new labels to stock and wasn't all that impressed, until I came across these RMIT students," she said.

The design hopefuls –- including Cheryl Chee, Sonia Krann, Sarah Schofield, Sarah Macdonell, Clare Reynolds, Courtney Tyrrell and Harmony Lam – had been chosen for their talent and an aesthetic that complemented Bannister's own, she confirmed.

"They'll be selling on consignment, with 60 per cent of the sale going to them, 40 per cent to me and 10 per cent covering GST."

While Bannister would benefit from exclusively stocking fresh talent, she envisioned the scheme as "working both ways".

"The idea is to get these kids market ready, so they know how to deal with all aspects of running a successful fashion retail business, from industrial relations to quality control."

A second mentoring stream called "Custom Line" and focusing on third year RMIT students was also in development, she confirmed.