“There was a time in the early 2000s when no woman’s birthday was complete without the receiving of an Oroton accessory”, muses Alissa Thomas, writing for Grazia Magazine. The Oroton brand has a rich history in Australia. Launched in 1938 and loved ever since by Australian women, the brand has had challenging times of late. In 2017, the brand was placed into receivership and was sold to one of it’s Board Members, Will Innes for a reported $25M. While the brand was always known for classic, quality handbags, it needed updating to compete in an increasingly competitive landscape.
Innes brought on Sophie Holt as Creative Director. Holt, credited with refreshing the Country Road Brand, set about modernising Oroton, adding apparel and breathing new life into the Accessories brand: “I have fond memories of Oroton growing up. It is a very special Australian brand, loved since 1938 by many Australian women. It was an incredible opportunity to take a brand with such history and quality and make it relevant to a modern customer.”
Holt started by adding casual totes in canvas fabrics and silk scarves to the range. Moving from there, she added apparel to allow the brand story to be communicated fully and effectively. Oroton’s accessories have also been revamped. Quilted leathers, new colourways and gold fastenings with a rebranded insignia – a metal ’Oro’ dangling throughout is catching the eyes of consumers. Influencers such as Monikh Dale, Lindsey Holland, Sylvie Mus and Tylynn Nguiyen are keeping the brand on fast rotation on Instagram. Oroton is appealing to a younger, modern demographic with a higher discretionary spend. Consumers are responding to the refresh and the modern tale on it’s rich brand history.
The brand also has a refocus on sustainability. They have launched a partnership with resale platform, AirRobe. This allows Oroton customers to resell, rent or recycle their pre-loved Oroton pieces. The partnership builds on Oroton’s sustainability mission, which also includes the use of recycled and plant-based materials, supply chain transparency and best practice processes.
Oroton CEO Jennifer Child says: "Being timeless for us isn’t just about the quality of our products, being timeless is also about creating memories and experiences we share with our customers.
If you’d like to chat about the current movements of some of our best loved Aussie brands, speak to Janine, Amy and Natalie from Permanser Consulting.