Kookai is a women's fashion label founded in Paris, France in 1983 by Jean-Lou Tepper, Jacques Nataf and Philippe de Hesdin. It has a simple philosophy: "to supply women with fashion forward apparel for their wardrobes at accessible prices". [1] Kookai was launched in Australia in 1992 by its Australian licensees, Robert Cromb and Danielle Vagner. In 2017, Robert Cromb and Danielle Vagner acquired the European Kookai business from the Vivarte Group to create one global, unified brand.
Today, Kookai has over 200 stores throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Its clothing line is generally characterised as Parisian-infused chic.
Kookai owns its own manufacturing facilities in Fiji and Sri Lanka where a majority of the collection for the Southern Hemisphere is produced.
In 1996, Kookaï joined the Vivarte Group and subsequently signed an Ethical Charter to ensure that the products sold in Kookaï stores are manufactured in ethical conditions. [2] The label has maintained an ethical image through other affiliations. Affiliations include the UNICEF "Frimousses" operation that raises money to give children in need the opportunity to receive vaccinations. The label has raised money for HIV/AIDS [3] and Breast Cancer awareness. [4]
In 2012, Kookai Australia launched its own charity, Katalyst Foundation. Katalyst Foundation's approach to providing long-term, sustainable solutions to poverty in underdeveloped countries focuses on developing self-sufficient economies within communities by:
Kookaï also supports students studying fashion and arts. Its most notable collaboration is with the Fondation Elle. With the Fondation Elle, Kookaï launched a contest that gave three designers the opportunity to create a small collection for the stores. The contest was called "Prix ELLE Solidarité mode". [5] They also hosted an eco-friendly competition for students at the Decorative Arts School. The students were asked to create window displays with recycled garments from the Parisian stores. [2]
Kookaï has been featured in a number of French fashion magazines including: Be, Marie-Claire, Cosmopolitan, Glamour and Elle. [6] They have an e-boutique to enable women to do their shopping online. The shop includes size charts and shipping information. Frequent shoppers in the French stores, both online and offline, can obtain a loyalty card on which they accumulate points when they purchase regular priced items. When customers achieve a certain number of points, they receive credit for their purchases. [7]
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a multinational fashion retailer headquartered in Sweden. Known for its fast fashion business model, H&M offers affordable clothing, accessories, and homeware. The company has a significant global presence, operating thousands of stores across 75 geographical markets and employing over 100,000 people worldwide.
Ethical consumerism is a type of consumer activism based on the concept of dollar voting. People practice it by buying ethically made products that support small-scale manufacturers or local artisans and protect animals and the environment, while boycotting products that exploit children as workers, are tested on animals, or damage the environment.
TOPSHOP is a British fast-fashion company, which specialises in women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS on 1 February 2021. It now operates via the ASOS website and app, as well as being sold in Nordstrom stores in the US on Nordstrom.com. TOPSHOP previously had around 510 shops worldwide.
Zara is a fashion retail subsidiary of the Spanish multinational fashion design, manufacturing, and retailing group Inditex. Zara sells clothing, accessories, beauty products and perfumes. The head office is located at Arteixo in the province of A Coruña, Galicia. In 2020 alone, it launched over twenty new product lines.
River Island is a London-based, multi-channel fashion brand, founded in 1948 by Bernard Lewis. The retailer has a presence in over 125 of worldwide markets, in stores and online.
Primark Stores Limited is an Irish multinational fashion retailer with headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with outlets across Europe and in the United States. The original Penneys brand is not used outside of Ireland because it is owned elsewhere by American retailer JCPenney.
Nicole Miller is an American fashion designer and businesswoman.
Target Australia Pty Ltd is a department store chain owned by Australian retail conglomerate Wesfarmers. Target stocks clothing, cosmetics, homewares, electronics, books, and toys selling both in-store and online. The company's head office is located in the Melbourne suburb of Williams Landing which the company moved to in 2018. Despite the identical logo, name and similar type of outlets, Target Australia carries no direct relation or affiliation to the American retailer Target Corporation.
Westfield Carindale, is a large Australian shopping centre in the Brisbane suburb of Carindale. The centre is one of the largest shopping centres in Australia. The centre contains over 450 specialty stores and almost 6,000 car parking spaces. Other features include a food court, a Brisbane City Council library, and a state of the art luxury Glasshouse Dining Precinct.
Punto Fa, S.L., trading as Mango, is a Spanish fast-fashion company, founded in Barcelona by brothers Isak Andic and Nahman Andic. It designs, manufactures and markets women's and men's clothing and accessories.
Dame Anya Susannah Hindmarch, is an English fashion accessories designer who founded an eponymous company, of which she is CEO. Hindmarch published her first book, If In Doubt Wash Your Hair in May 2021, a Sunday Times bestseller.
Longchamp is a French leather goods company, founded in Paris in 1948 by Jean Cassegrain. The company pioneered luxury leather-covered pipes before expanding into small leather goods. Longchamp debuted women's handbags in 1971, becoming one of France's leading leather goods makers. Today, the company designs and manufactures leather and canvas handbags, luggage, shoes, travel items, fashion accessories, and women's ready-to-wear. The house is privately owned and managed by the Cassegrain founding family and does business in 80 countries through around 1,500 retail outlets.
Celine is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1945 by designer Céline Vipiana. The headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at the Hôtel Colbert de Torcy, which has French Historic Monument classification.
Elle is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, and society and lifestyle. The title Elle means She in French. Elle is considered "one of the world's largest fashion and lifestyle publications", with 45 international editions totalling 33 million readers and receiving 100 million unique monthly visitors on its 55 digital platforms.
Kay Cohen is an Australian fashion designer and business woman based in Sydney, Australia. Cohen has led a number of lingerie design brands, most notably as Founder and Creative Director of Pleasure State and as General Manager and Creative Director of Elle Macpherson's Lingerie label Elle Macpherson Intimates, also Cohen is known as the inventor of the Biofit uplift bra.
Ralph Lauren Corporation, the legal name of the Ralph Lauren brand, is an American publicly traded fashion company that was founded in 1967 by American fashion designer Ralph Lauren. Headquartered in New York City, the company produces products ranging from the mid-range to the luxury segments. Ralph Lauren is known for marketing and distributing products in four categories: apparel, home, accessories, and fragrances. Known mostly for its flagship brand Polo Ralph Lauren, the company's brands include mid-range, sub-premium, and premium labels up to its highest priced luxury Ralph Lauren Purple Label apparel.
Isabel Marant is a French fashion designer, owner of the eponymous fashion brand. She won the Award de la Mode (1997), the Whirlpool Award for best female designer (1998), Fashion Designer of the Year at British Glamour's Women of the Year Awards (2012). She was named Contemporary Designer of the Year at the Elle Style Awards in 2014. Her collaboration with H&M in 2013 was so successful that company's website crashed under the demand and the collection was sold out within 45 minutes. Celebrities wearing Marant's designs include Alexa Chung, Katie Holmes, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Kate Bosworth, and Rachel Weisz.
Vanessa Seward is a French fashion designer.
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Accent Group is an Australian and New Zealand footwear and clothing retail, wholesaling and distribution company. It has more than 800 retail stores, along with 19 brands, and more than 20 online platforms.