Tigerlily buyer Crumpler to return label to beach-babe origins
Aussie bag maker Crumpler is the new owner of Tigerlily. Here is what its chief says went wrong with the famous swimwear brand.
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The new owner of fashion label Tigerlily says a dramatic brand overhaul that moved it away from its bikini and bohemian “beach babe” roots — ramping up prices in the process — fell flat with customers.
Aussie bag maker Crumpler has taken over Tigerlily in an unusual pairing that will move the brand’s offices from Sydney’s golden beaches to Melbourne’s inner-city laneways.
“One thing that I was very conscious of in bringing on the brand is that we do not want to lose that aesthetic and beach lifestyle culture,” Crumpler chief Adam Wilkinson said.
“We have made a very conscious decision to recruit people who are living and breathing that culture.”
The takeover by Crumpler, which is marking its 25th anniversary, follows Tigerlily being placed into voluntary administration in March.
The collapse came amid the coronavirus crisis but followed a major brand overhaul unveiled in late 2019.
Tigerlily wiped its archive of 4300 photos from Instagram, unveiled a new logo, highlighted its clothing over its swimwear and shifted towards higher-priced fabrics such as linen, silk and organic cotton.
Since being taken over by Crumpler, which went through a successful rebrand under Mr Wilkinson in 2018, Tigerlily has restored its original logo and is getting ready to roll out a new collection more in keeping with its past.
“Tigerlily lost its way,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“When we looked at the business we felt that if we could bring it back to the fun, eclectic design and aesthetic that the brand was known for, there was a real opportunity.
“Obviously a brand needs to evolve and we need to be on trend, current and relevant.
“But bringing back some of the key shapes, the bright colours, making sure the price point is accessible and offers really good value for money — that is the key for us.”
Crumpler is backed by private equity firm Crescent Capital. Crescent also owned Tigerlily, buying it back during the administration process in a corporate manoeuvre that angered some suppliers.
Rival swimwear brand Seafolly, which was placed into voluntary administration in late June, is undertaking a similar corporate shuffle with its private equity owner.
Tigerlily’s store network has been shrunk from 26 to 10 and Mr Wilkinson said the tie-up with Crumpler would generate both back office and logistics savings.
“Crumpler has quite an expansive head office space and warehouse space that we were not using to capacity … we thought there were some very good synergies across the businesses,” he said.
Tigerlily was founded in Sydney in 2000 by model and businesswoman Jodhi Meares.
Originally published as Tigerlily buyer Crumpler to return label to beach-babe origins
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