Cassette Society launches into the unknown

SYDNEY: Cult label Cassette Society has sought to take greater control of its operations, producing a new denimwear line, moving its production offshore and expanding into retail.

The initiative will see the new line, dubbed Cassette Society Denim, stocked exclusively in national youthwear retail chain General Pants, with whom the label has wholesaled to since 2006. Designers Katie Boyd and Tanya Rickards said the expansion of the label's core offering had been in the works for some time.

"We have been working for General Pants for several years now [and] in seasons past we have had denim highlights in our collection. Our label is playful and fashion forward and we wanted to create a line of denim that works with this."

Retailing at under $100, the first drop into store boasts four styles of minis and shorts in sizes six to 12. Targeted at girls who like figure-flattering designs, its designs are inspired by vintage pieces and feature "lots of acid wash, stone wash, rips, holes and high waists".

Having previously elected to produce all denimwear pieces in Australia "for the satisfaction of supporting the dying local industry and the ability to produce small quality runs", the new line will see the girls move production to China, Rickards said. The move meant the label could gain more competitive margins as well as collaborate with General Pants on a larger scale.

"Being the ambitious girlies we are we wanted more. It was important to us that the factories we work with have strong ethical standards and quality that is comparable with our local denim."

Rickards said collaborating with a major retail player had proved of enormous benefit to the brand with General Pants offering the design duo a significant amount of creative freedom in determining how the brand was positioned.
"To be honest [there were not a lot of compromises we needed to make]. By making areas of our collection more price-pointed we had to work harder to achieve the results we wanted for a lower price however this was an enjoyable challenge."

Rickards said 2009 was shaping up to be a busy year for the core Cassette Society brand. Already boasting stockists across New Zealand and Japan, the label is now in discussions with distributors across the US, UK and Europe with a view to expanding its overseas presence, Rickards said.

"We are also on the hunt for our first retail store. Now that we are covering all bases... fashion, denim [and] accessories, we are starting to visualise a retail store that captures the look and feel for each season." The label currently boasts around 40 stockists domestically including Adrenalin (QLD), Allegra (VIC), Paris Texas (NSW), Billie and Rose (WA) and Whistles (SA).

By Tracey Porter