Officer plans overseas campaign

Knitwear label Faye Officer has broadened her range with a view to expanding her presence overseas.
The Melbourne fashion doyenne has doubled the previous output of her self-named label with her latest 20-piece collection.

The result is an enhanced offer featuring European inspired designs in luxury yarns of 100 per cent merino wool as well as cashmere, silk and wool blends.

Featuring fine cross-over cashmere pieces, frill neck sweaters, exposed seam jackets, tight skirts in short and three-quarter lengths and - at the top of the price range - a knitted coat priced $390, the collection marked a return to wholesaling for Officer, who has concentrated on her retail business in recent years.

Describing the range as "my best collection yet", Officer said she had begun manufacturing offshore after the Melbourne manufacturer she used was forced to close down.

"I've expanded my wholesale offer in order to get my numbers up in terms of manufacturing runs," she said, adding she had successfully negotiated relatively small runs of 150 per style across three or four colours with a new Chinese factory.

Chinese factories could produce her designs at a quarter of the price of onshore operations and had access to state-of-the-art knitting machinery, she said. Officer had already made contact with the Singapore representative of government export body Austrade with a view to selling her product in the region.

"I think the range will do very well somewhere like Singapore as the lightweight garments would be suited to the climate there." She was also considering exporting to New Zealand, she said.

 "As a boutique label many local retailers want guaranteed exclusivity on your brand in the suburb in which they're located. In a market like Australia the only way to expand is really to look at the offshore market," she said.

Prior to launching her current collection Officer's focus was on her womenswear boutique Carlton Catwalk in North Carlton, which stocks the Faye Officer label as well as larger size labels Mela Purdie, Visage and Paula Ryan. It also retails a range of complementary womenswear labels including New Zealand brands Mild Red and Starfish. 

By Belinda Smart