Kiron Barui, who lives in Toowoomba, 127 km west of Brisbane, unveiled her 2015 Wearing Memories range on Sunday 14 September during a runway show held in the fashion capital of London.
The launch was part of an event called Fashions Finest, which takes place during London Fashion Week and features up-and-coming designers from both the UK and abroad.
Wearing Memories was founded in 2012 and offers a range of gold, sterling silver and pearl jewellery inspired by the memories associated with the popping of a champagne bottle.
International head of sales for the jewellery business, Lara McVeigh, told Jeweller that the decision to launch the Drinking the Stars collection – a tribute to Dom Perignon – at London Fashion Week was because the event represented the “pinnacle of UK fashion”.
“It’s the location to launch an emerging international brand,” she said. “It’s a gateway to Europe.”
McVeigh added that the runway show had been overbooked by 200, stating that people had been curious about the “little Australian brand and its talented, creative designer”. She also expected that retailers would be “clambering” to stock the range ahead of Christmas.
While this was Wearing Memories’ first solo runway show, the jewellery also appeared on the London Fashion Week catwalk in February this year as part of a partnership with UK fashion designer Sofia Dourvari.
“Partnering with a quality clothing label enabled Wearing Memories to position its brand not only in the champagne and wedding markets but also in the luxury fashion and accessories markets,” McVeigh said.
Expanding distribution
Wearing Memories is currently available in France, New York and London, and although it is also stocked locally in Perth, most of the interest has been generated from Europe.
When asked why the Australian business had a strong focus on the European market, McVeigh explained, “Australia traditionally follows the European market. We felt that we needed to be accepted and embraced by France, the home of champagne, for the market to make the connection with their luxury beverage and our unique way of preserving the special occasions associated with it.”
However, McVeigh indicated that the business would be concentrating on distribution in Australia in the near future.
“Our successful launch at London Fashion Week is making our own potential retailers and stockists here in Australia stand up and take notice of this emerging Australian luxury brand,” McVeigh added.
Kiron Barui, who lives in Toowoomba, 127 km west of Br