Barbara Hastings, who established Sydney-based Pastiche in 1986 with husband Phillip, confirmed to Jeweller that the pair had decided to retire after almost 30 years in the industry.
“We felt it was the right time for a lifestyle change and to inject new blood and a new direction into Pastiche,” she said.
Amy Bradley – who had been a Pastiche employee for the past six months – along with her husband, Chris, purchased the business, with the couple becoming Pastiche’s new directors effective Saturday 22 August.
Commenting on the acquisition, Bradley said, “Barbara and Phillip have done a wonderful job of establishing the Pastiche name over the last 30 years, and we hope to make them proud by taking it to new heights.
“We look forward to meeting current and future clients and building on the Pastiche reputation of developing strong business relationships as a trusted Australian brand.”
Fresh ideas
Bradley explained that a number of changes were planned for the supplier, including a September product release that would “bring a distinctly new feeling to the Pastiche range whilst supporting the heritage of the brand”.
“In the longer term, we have some exciting new product designs and initiatives which we look forward to sharing with everyone in due course,” she stated, adding that the Pastiche head office would also be relocated.
In terms of staffing, Hastings said all office staff had been retained, although the three existing sales representatives had voluntarily decided to end their employment. Two new representatives were hired in their place.
“Stockists should look forward to an exciting time of new energy and fresh ideas, concentrating on high fashion designs and an increase in advertising and marketing tools to support growth in their Pastiche collections and sales,” Hastings said.
Hastings indicated that she and her husband would continue to offer support to Pastiche staff but would focus on spending time with their family and giving back to the community through charity work.
Pastiche has more than 400 retail stockists located across Australia, New Zealand and other territories such as Dubai and Vanuatu.