Let us introduce you to Buckle. They are an Australian accessory brand that have been around for almost 100 years handcrafting belts and braces in the inner west Sydney suburb, Stanmore. They’ve retained a strong local, traditional and heritage feel which is why there’s no wonder why craftspeople have stayed at Buckle for over 25 years. Their products are stocked in Myer, David Jones and quality independent retailers making them an Australian staple.
It’s a small Australian business with a strong Australian history. The co-founder was Alick Buckle who was the Mayor of Mossman in 1922. From here, Buckle’s grown up and has had to move fluidly through crisis’ such as WWII, the GFC and now a global pandemic. More recently, their ability to be resilient was due to their new collection incorporating two local designers; Jocelyn Proust and Ali Wilkinson.
Jocelyn Proust is a renowned Australian textile designer known for her unique abstract take on Australian flora and fauna.
Similarly, Ali Wilkinson, finds her passion in textiles from the outdoors in particular the Australian backyard filled with delightful colours of native eucalyptus, wattle and gum blossom trees.
“I am honoured to work with Buckle in bringing my bespoke designs to the market place, especially during these unprecedented times of Covid-19. Businesses who are promoting local Australian designers, both online and in-store, are important, giving us exposure and impact on the retail market place.” Ali says.
We spoke to Melissa Gibson, Co-Owner of Buckle. “Supporting the local community and staying afloat is at the forefront of our mission during this time. It’s more important now than ever to be Australian designed and made”.
Although Buckle has continued to stay true to Australian roots, they have also experienced the huge shift over to e-commerce and a focus on online consumers. Buckle, with their own website and presence on The Iconic, hit the global market increasing their competition last year by joining Zalora. Based in Singapore, the e-commerce company was established in 2012 by Rocket Internet and operates across the Asia pacific region in countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Currently, Zalora hosts over 100 brands yet only a handful are Australian.
Now with COVID-19, establishing an online presence is necessary to keep the brand a float hence the recent designer collaborations and an increased focus on social media.
Consumers are now steering towards brands with good reputations and with collaborations and increased expansion, Buckle is one to keep your eye on.
We will definitely be seeing more of this in the future. Watch this space.
