Sportscraft still in fashion after a century on the rack

THERE may not be a letter from the Queen, but that won’t stop an Australian brand from having a right royal celebration.

THERE may not be a letter from the Queen, but that won’t stop an Australian brand from having a right royal celebration.

Sportscraft this year celebrates its centenary of dressing Australians from all walks of life.

It’s a different world to that in which Russian immigrant Woolf Bardas began his business in Melbourne in 1914, bringing with him an expertise in pleating, but the company’s ability to ride through changing times comes down to one thing, according to Daniel Bracken, chief executive of Sportscraft’s parent company Apparel Group.

“Throughout the life of the brand, there has been an unwavering focus on product,” he said. “Product and quality.”

He believes that even in the current Australian retail market, that heritage and the existing relationship with customers will see the company continue well into its next 100 years.

“In my opinion, the international brands coming into this market, despite the level of disruption they bring, they’ll never know the relationships here that a great local brand has with its customers,” said Mr Bracken. “So long as you’ve got a great brand and stick to pillars of your business - for us, quality and fit and great prices that stand us very well looking forward in an increasingly challenging market.”

The brand yesterday unveiled eight ambassadors for the year: Kylie Kwong, Nick Farr-Jones, Gracie Otto, Samantha Harris, Rachel Griffiths, Anthony “Harries” Carroll, Ita Buttrose and Michael Klim

As well as a major event on the company’s birthday, August 11, a number of other activities will take place. The brand will launch a capsule collection in mid-May with connections to its past. For men, there will be a classic wool peacoat and chinos, “which have been a staple diet for the Sportscraft wardrobe since we launched menswear in the 1970s”, Mr Bracken said. For women, it will include a trenchcoat, a silk scarf and a reversible pleated skirt - something particularly close to the company’s heritage.

“Our whole history was in pleating,” Mr Bracken said. “(Wolf Bardas) brought pleating to Australia. Our archives tell us he made pleated skirts for Queen Victoria before he came here.”

Perhaps that letter isn’t totally out of the question.