Iconic Australian fashion labels Charlie Brown and Howard Shoers bought by Myer
ICONIC Australian fashion labels Charlie Brown and Howard Shoers have been acquired by Myer. Both brands will be exclusively stocked by the retail giant.
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ICONIC Australian fashion labels Charlie Brown and Howard Shoers have been acquired by Myer.
The department store will announce today that both brands will be stocked exclusively in Myer stores as Myer Exclusive Brands.
Nicole Naccarella, Myer group general manager women’s fashion said Myer was delighted to sign the exclusive deal.
“Charlie has been a major force in the Australian fashion industry for nearly 20 years and we are excited to be able to continue to work with her and exclusively stock the collections that our Myer customers love.”
DESIGNER COLLETTE DINNIGAN TO CLOSE HER BUSINESS
SASS & BIDE LEAVE THEIR ICONIC BRAND
The colourful designer will continue to oversee the design of the collections, saying she was looking forward to the future of the label.
“Myer has shown a great commitment to developing local design talent. I am pleased to continue to work with a brand that so strongly supports Australian fashion and its designers. This is a very exciting opportunity for me to work exclusively with Myer and further strengthen the Charlie Brown and Howard Showers ranges.”
This is the latest in a string of shake ups for the Australian fashion scene with designers Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton announcing they are walking away from Sass & Bide on Friday.
The pair made the announcement that they would leave the iconic fashion label they founded 15 years ago to pursue other interests.
The pair has been transitioning out of the company by reducing their roles, working as creative directors, since it was bought out by Myer last September.
The retail giant upped its ownership last year from 65 per cent of the brand, which it bought in 2011 for $42.5 million.
Middleton says it was a joint decision to leave the label, telling Vogue they could never imagine being in the business without each other.
“We came together, we’re leaving together. We just felt that was the perfect cycle.”
In a statement, Myer said they wished the pair “well”.
“They go with our great good wishes and we expect that they will be associated with Sass & Bide for a long time.”
New design director Anthony Cuthbertson, who has most recently consulted for Victoria Beckham and Mulberry and previously worked for David Lawrence, started two weeks ago and will lead the creative team with Art Director Bonnie O’Hare.
That announcement came as one of Australia’s most internationally acclaimed designers Collette Dinnigan shut up shop on Sunday after 26 years in the business.
The closure of her High Street, Armadale store, the last of her boutiques, marking the end of an era.
While several other high profile designers including Lisa Ho and Kit Willow have been forced to walk away from their business because of financial difficulties or creative differences, Dinnigan insists it wasn’t financial trouble but wanting to spend more time with her young family that inspired her shock decision last October.
“It’s a mixed bag of emotions. I feel good and proud of what I have achieved,” she says.
“But there is a lot of sentimental feeling attached to it.”
“I’ve still got a few projects on the go, but it’s not as intense.”
Dinnigan has a range of glasses through Specsavers and her children’s collection Enfant, available through David Jones. She is also releasing a book in London in September.
But her primary focus will shift to 18-month-old son Hunter, 10-year-old daughter Estella and husband Bradley Cocks.
She says the shutdown of her boutiques in London, Sydney and Melbourne has taken longer than expected, but she had such an extensive inventory of fabrics she decided to create a collection of one-off gowns.
“I had an incredible library of fabrics and laces. I decided I wanted Melbourne to have all of these one-off pieces.”
Her remaining bridal collection will be sold in a special event being held in Sydney next month (August).
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