Often I'll refer to drops in comparison to dropping an album or rolling out a movie. My mates get a bit sick of the analogies.
Creatively I always attempt to put a little piece of my story in every drop and marketing roll out. Earlier in the year I subtitled my annual footy release "Divison 1". The thought stemmed from a feeling of having to step up and raise the bar for myself to set a new standard. The collection was 11 pieces which is quite risky for a brand of my size but it paid off.
Most recently I themed my Winter Release around a running theme in the city since Covid. "Those Who Stayed" touched on the need for escapism everyones felt since coming out of lockdown and the choice to fight against the FOMO with everyone travelling to Europe during our winter. Personally to put it bluntly it frustrates me bein around miserable people that only find relief in escapism rather then building a life to enjoy day in day out. This was my reaction to this trend in our city, a one minute 3 act story. Something I've wanted to do with a campaign/roll out since I started.
Another favourite has been the dual collection I dropped for last summer, showing the two sides of my life at the moment. Wanting to be young and loose, while also wanting to be structured and disciplined with work, exercise and general routine. Although I didn't have the skills to properly convey that message clearly at the time it's still nice to have for myself to look at and reflect on. Also not well conveyed but most overlooked how the design of the garments in each drop conveyed each opposing lifestyle; the beata singlets symbolising structure and discipline while the oversized tees and shorts depicted a more traditional laid back Australian lifestyle.
Although scaling the business will require restocks and some simpler roll outs I always want to the core of the brand to be story telling or an exploration of themes or subcultures in Melbourne.
Cheers, Simon
