A fashion show held last month in the grassy backyard of Chelsey Martin’s Brentwood home is the latest sign that Australian designers are becoming increasingly popular in Los Angeles.
The show, which featured a host of models standing on white boxes, was the inaugural fête organized by downtown L.A. event firm Fashion Down Under, whose goal is to promote emerging Australian designers and connect them to retailers in Los Angeles.
“The main purpose was to provide introductions they wouldn’t necessarily have all the way in Australia,” said Ashley Simmons, 26, who co-founded Fashion Down Under with Ivanna Fontana. “Being Australian and living in the U.S. and understanding both markets, we thought it would be something that we could do to help the designers launch in the U.S.”
As the event at home of Martin, the Australian consul general, attested, Los Angeles is becoming a hot market for Australian fashion labels, which have begun to make this their second – or primary – home. Companies such as Fame and Partners and Shoes of Prey recently moving their headquarters here. Flannel, Bassike, and Australian Fashion Labels have also opened their first stateside brick-and-mortar shops.
Many of the labels said the consumer demand in Los Angeles is driven by the beachy, laid-back lifestyles shared by Aussies and Angelenos.
Nyree Corby, founder and chief executive of Fame and Partners, said it was a natural choice to move from Sydney. The firm is operating out of a temporary downtown L.A. space until construction is finished on a 9,500-square-foot venue in the Arts District. Since the two-year-old firm launched its U.S. website in 2015, American shoppers now account for 70 percent of the company’s revenue. It did not ship to the United States in 2014. The company declined to disclose specific revenue figures.
“L.A. has its roots in fashion,” Corby said. “It’s a rich source for talent for both e-commerce and technology. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a lot of parallels in terms of weather and lifestyle between Sydney and L.A.”
Australian Fashion Labels echoed the thought. The company opened an office more than a year ago after seeing strong success with its wholesale business. On May 7, it’s set to open BNKR, a retail destination in downtown Los Angeles that will carry its in-house labels C/meo Collective, Finders Keepers, Keepsake, Fifth Label, and Jaggar Footwear.
Dean Flintoft, co-founder of Australian Fashion Labels, said it made sense to open a flagship store downtown because it’s close to its U.S. headquarters.
“Our BNKR retail store is a flagship, which is about showcasing all that we do, increasing brand awareness, event space, facilitating PR activities, and educating customers on our brands,” Flintoft said. “Our L.A. girls tend to shop for eventwear and casualwear and our brands cater perfectly for both of these markets.”
Life’s a beach
Fame and Partners launched two years ago, raising an undisclosed angel round from firms including Creative Enterprise Australia and Sydney Angels Sidecar Fund. It closed a $7.6 million Series A round last month that was led by Santa Monica’s Upfront Ventures and FirstMark Capital of New York.
The dressmaker, which has 45 employees, partners with three manufacturing facilities in China. Its website allows shoppers to customize their dresses – including color, hemline and neckline – and even the inclusion of sleeves. Prices range from $189 to $399. Shipping takes seven to 10 days.
Corby said the latest funding round would be used to beef up its executive team and hire 40 more people. Fame and Partners recently brought on former Toms executive Leah Stigile, who serves as its chief revenue officer. In addition, the company plans to improve its operations capability to have at least 50 percent of its orders manufactured within 48 hours.
Increased investment also helped custom shoemaker Shoes of Prey, which recently moved its headquarters to Santa Monica from Australia. The company received its largest boost in January, raising $15 million in Series B funding. Jodie Fox, co-founder of Shoes of Prey, said the firm moved because of growing consumer demand in the United States.
But not every Australian label thinks a physical move will help its bottom line.
Flintoft of Australian Fashion Labels said while its U.S. business continues to grow, a move wouldn’t make sense at this point.
“At this stage of our business cycle, it would be very difficult and expensive to bring the more than 100 head-office staff with us to the U.S. if we moved,” Flintoft said.
