Fast fashion giant Cotton On has confirmed it will tap a new market next month as it continues to build its empire.
The chain, part of the Cotton On Group, will launch a completely new category in Australia on May 13, in a bid to further enhance its product offering.
The CO for Men collection will launch initially via five selected Cotton On outlets across Australia, as well as two stores in South Africa and online via its e-store.
Targeted at a market of males between 18 to 40, who are looking for fashion-forward product at an affordable price, Cotton On has described the CO Men collection as a range “made up of pieces that will appeal to a customer who is looking for an edgier and more fashion-forward offering than the current Cotton On line, which is driven by editorial”.
The collection has been tightly edited and consists of 10 outfits, broken down into 24 styles and 37 options. As part of the line, Cotton On has blended traditional men’s dressing components like raw selvedge denim, tailored blazers and jersey tees with a connective thread of zip and faux leather detail that takes its cue from motorcycle details.
Zip closures are placed at an angle across the body for a point of difference and the palette focuses on classic hues like black, white and grey with highlights of khaki, mulberry, and a leopard print shirt for the more daring dresser.
Cotton On men's category buyer and senior men’s trend forecaster Craig Webb added that every style is under $100, with CO Men's tees starting at $19.95 and selvedge denim priced at $59.95.
“Nobody else can do that in our market,” he said.
The launch of the CO Men collection also follows the success of the latest CO by Cotton On for Women range.
“I think that the Australian male is ready for editorially-influenced fashion at an accessible price,” Webb said.
“The market is flooded with high-end, high priced fashion, but we offer a great fashion look for the guy who is also budget conscious – nobody else is really doing that. We’ve had great success with CO by Cotton On for Women, so why not give our male customers a similar offering?”
Cotton On has also secured high-profile international twin models Zac and Jordan Stenmark for the CO Men's collection launch campaign. The pair have just returned from working the international runways for Tom Ford, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren.
Blogger Liam McKesser of men's fashion blog Front Row Suit has also styled the collection for the campaign shoot with the Stenmark twins and will also blog and post across his social media channels throughout the launch and as Cotton On builds on the collection.
Im addition, Cotton On has appointed Lara Bingle as its social media 'Roving Reporter' to attend all the brand's photo shoots and events. Bingle will support the campaign launch with behind-the-scenes social media posts prior to launch and then images from the campaign shoot as Cotton On launches the new collection to market.
“Cotton On is constantly growing and expanding on both a local and global scale. The demand for fast fashion pieces at an accessible price is what drives our growth,” Webb said.
“The long-term plan is to run the brand parallel to CO by Cotton Womenswear and be available in the same stores globally. We intend to keep providing our customer an elevated fashion offer but at the same price point as Cotton On.”
The Cotton On Group currently operates in 12 countries, including Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Philippines, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates, Germany, South Africa, Thailand, Lebanon and the USA. The brand's headquarters are in Geelong, housing a team of close to 600 people, with country offices globally.