“It’s the first time I’ve ever done [pants and knitwear] in-house,” Edmiston told Inside Retail. “It’s my most diversified range yet.” 

And it’s just the beginning. The designer will be dropping two to three exclusive ranges at Harris Scarfe every season. Later this year, she’ll be launching a sleepwear range.

“It’s been great to experiment with different looks, yarns, colours and techniques,” she said. “It’s something I haven’t done for a long time.”

Another benefit of the deal with Harris Scarfe is the reach it gives the brand into regional Australia. 

“Australia’s population has really diversified over the last year, and I think it’s a trend that will continue, so it’s kind of perfect timing to reach a new audience,” Edmiston said.

Shift to online

At one time, the brand had over 30 bricks-and-mortar stores, but about four years ago, Edmiston made a conscious decision to start ending her leases as they came up for renewal.

The arrival of international fashion chains, such as Zara and Topshop, had put downward pressure on prices, and yet landlords had not adjusted their expectations. 

“It got to the point where it just wasn’t realistic in terms of what they’re expecting,” she said.

At the same time, she saw that customers were moving online. 

“We felt the future was more in the online world,” she said. 

Today, the brand is primarily an e-commerce business. In addition to its own website, Leona Edmiston also sells through David Jones’ and Myer’s e-commerce sites, and it operates just three bricks-and-mortar stores. 

Covid and the ‘house dress’

This proved to be a smart move, given the impact Covid-19 had on bricks-and-mortar retail last year. 

“It fitted very neatly into last year because it meant we weren’t over exposed,” Edmiston said.

The biggest challenge the brand faced last year was getting a hold of stock due to the impact of work and travel bans on the global supply chain.

“It was chaos, but when we did get stock, it all sold. We could have done with a lot more stock,” she said.

Not everyone was living in sweatpants, apparently.

“The ‘house dress’ became a very big thing,” Edmiston said. “People were wearing very comfortable, pretty dresses at home instead of sweatpants all the time. There was a real place for our products because they’re very easy, stylish and user-friendly.”

Changing fashion cycle

Since going (almost) online only, Edmiston has discovered that it’s easier to stay in sync with the seasonal calendar. 

“When we had more stores, we used to plan our seasons a lot further out, a year or 18 months in advance of when they’d hit stores,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to manage stock levels [online], and we can stay a lot closer to the actual season.”

Fashion brands have long lamented the incongruity of winter clothes appearing in stores in January, the middle of the Australian summer, and calls to change the system have finally started to gain momentum. 

“I think Covid has definitely helped to bring the seasons much closer to what people actually wear,” Edmiston said.

Twenty years in retail

Looking back on her 20 years in retail, Edmiston remarked on how much the industry has changed, from the rise of online and social media to influencers. 

“I don’t think anything is the same. It’s a matter of adjusting, staying close to the customer and keeping an eye on how society is now, because it’s not the same,” she said.

And yet, one thing has stayed the same: the power of the dress.  

“The dress fulfils so many functions. It is the queen of the wardrobe,” she said. 

“I definitely have a certain signature, and my challenge is keeping it fresh and exciting.”