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Peter Strateas and Mario-Luca Carlucci, the designers behind locally produced luxury brand Strateas Carlucci, know they\u2019re in a small \u2013 and somewhat endangered \u2013 club.<\/p>\n
In the same week that Melbourne-made denim brand Nobody Denim went into liquidation (the company\u2019s assets were subsequently bought by another Australian brand, Outland Denim), Carlucci says unless consumers throw more support behind local labels, there will more forced closures.<\/p>\n
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Staying homegrown \u2026 Strateas Carlucci designers Peter Strateas (left) and Mario-Luca Carlucci (right) with models, including 13-year-old Ryder Carlucci.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Simon Schluter<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cPeople are more aware, they want something locally made, great quality, ethically sourced, fabrics to be organic and all of that but are they willing to make that jump with the price point? The answer is sometimes no, sadly,\u201d says Carlucci.<\/p>\n But, says Strateas, the team isn\u2019t getting too down about the shrinking state of local manufacturing, which had a temporary revival during the pandemic. \u201cWe\u2019ve always looked at the limitations we have [of being Australian made] and find the positives in it,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s influenced the way we have designed.\u201d<\/p>\n Strateas and Carlucci launched their luxury streetwear label in 2013 to immediate acclaim, earning them some of the nation\u2019s top emerging design prizes and the honour of being the first Australian label to show at Paris Men\u2019s Fashion Week, back in 2015.<\/p>\n If their first decade in business was about conquering the international market, then their second, buttressed by the impact of the pandemic, is about building their customer base here before once again showing in Europe.<\/p>\n But in a tightened economy, they realise not everyone has $1000, or more, to blow on a jacket. Taking a leaf from designers they admire, such as French contemporary luxury brand Jacquemus (founded by Simon Porte Jacquemus), they\u2019re expanding their accessories, jewellery and kids\u2019 ranges. The new offering will be part of a solo show at Melbourne Fashion Week on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201c[Jacquemus is] disruptive, but he\u2019s also become a household name \u2013 that\u2019s where we wanted to be,\u201d Carlucci says. \u201cWe still have plans to get to that level.\u201d<\/p>\n The trick is to branch out without selling out, says Carlucci.<\/p>\n The designers hope their kidswear will fill a gap for parents looking for something less gendered, as well as something sustainable (many are made from offcuts from the adult styles) and a little \u201cedgy\u201d. Most pieces will cost less than $100.<\/p>\n \u201cKidswear was very skewed on [gender lines], and very \u2018kiddy\u2019,\u201d says Carlucci, who has a 13-year-old son and a daughter, who is six. \u201cWe found there was a big discrepancy. There are the designer brands playing in that space, and then you have your high street or fast-fashion brands \u2026 So we found there was a gap in the market.\u201d<\/p>\n The fashion week show will also debut a capsule range of luxury upcycled pieces produced in partnership with sustainable fashion incubator and retail space Future From Waste Lab.<\/p>\n At our meeting, Carlucci is wearing a jacket made from the scraps of recycled suits the pair sourced from \u201call over\u201d \u2013 op shops, factories, salvage operators and a big call around their extended circle. To the trained eye, it\u2019s obvious how much work went into the jacket, but they agree some consumers still struggle to understand that upcycled doesn\u2019t mean a cheaper pricetag.<\/p>\n \u201cHow do you make waste luxury? For someone to see it and not say, \u2018That looks like an upcycled garment?\u2019\u201d says Carlucci.<\/p>\n For everyone else, there\u2019s always an earring \u2013 or a kid\u2019s T-shirt.<\/p>\n