A bold business trio has joined forces to help designers “fight back against the new fashion giants”.
The three businesses – LoVu, The Emerging Designer Store and My Trade Lounge – have dedicated their services to assisting Australia’s emerging designer market push back and get their foot in the door.
According to the companies Australia’s emerging designers are finding it harder than ever to compete and grow in the fashion industry.
“Topshop, Zara and H&M [are] sinking their roots into valuable retail space and flooding the market with their large marketing budgets, advertising campaigns and overseas manufacturing."
In response, LoVu and My Trade Lounge have partnered together to provide support for the nation's fledgling fashion stars.
Sydney-siders Carolina Lopes-Souto and Michelle Raic run e-boutique LoVu.
At the forefront, LoVu acts as a median for shoppers looking to purchase emerging designer fashion, but behind the scenes the duo devote themselves entirely to helping the designers they represent to achieve success as recognised brands.
Designers are assisted by the LoVu team with all aspects of their business from selling to price points, manufacturing and public relations.
“Our own success is only dependent on the success of our emerging designers. We hope to build a network that young talent can leverage and build upon so Australia can establish a globally competitive fashion community,” Raic said.
To date, they have helped Joyce and Jade expand into designing a full range of apparel, seen Philippa Galasso grace New York Fashion Week’s runway and seen Sarah James and Ann & Albert be selected as the top five finalists of nationwide Launch Your Label.
Similarly, My Trade Lounge is also assisting Australia’s emerging designers to get stocked in more stores across the nation.
The business operates as an online wholesale platform which aims to streamline the wholesale fashion industry, helping retailers to connect with brands online.
Developed by Mia Keating and Camille Keating, My Trade Lounge provides emerging designers with a virtual showroom where they can be seen in front of retailers that are ready and looking to purchase 365 days of the year.
With the click of a mouse, retail buyers can view and place pre orders for multiple brands across the nation with one simple checkout process.
“My Trade Lounge is giving emerging designers a step up in the industry to grow their brand through retail locations, without the added expense of travel, fashion agencies and trade shows” Keating said.
New to the fold also is The Emerging Designer Store – another concept helping Australia’s emerging designers by providing them with the opportunity to have a physical retail presence.
Located in popular shopping destinations across the nation, The Emerging Designer Stores provide designers with a physical place to showcase their designs to high foot traffic.
The designers whose collections are showcased in the store take it in turns to run the store, giving the designers valuable lessons in retail and customer service.
The Gold Coast outpost to date has supported the designers behind Molly and Polly Swimwear, Coast by Kate Campbell and Fly Peacock.