"Given that the Zara store at Westfield Sydney opened to such huge crowds the week before (rumour has it they traded $1 million on opening day), it started me thinking about the future of Australian fashion retail. Clearly, there is money out there and women are apparently more than eager to buy trend-driven fashion while enjoying the lower prices that Zara is delivering. So what is going to make a consumer shop at an Australian designer store? Quality is one thing, because if you are paying $300 or $400 for an item, you are of course expecting quite a few wears. But the most important thing for a designer to embrace, if they want to stay in business, is to have a point of view, design-wise. The brand has to have a philosophy, a signature that is unique to that designer. The one thing I'm hoping we'll see at RAFW is vision. It's no good sending out a bit of everything – a short dress here, a shirt there, or a superfluous gown at the end."
- Vogue Australia editor Kirstie Clements' column, 'Brand needs a philosophy', writing in anticipation of Australian Fashion Week for The Sunday Telegraph, May 1, 2011. And the same strategy applies as magazines refine their print offering to offset the presence of the omniscient web.
Girl With a Satchel
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