Savvy always in style
The best fashion looks don’t have to carry a big price tag, especially with so many retailers offering quality outfits at big discounts
SOARING cost of living pressures shouldn’t mean you can’t dress stylish, with a string of big-name retailers offering fashionable outfits at affordable prices.
Department stores Best&Less, Target, Big W and Kmart, as well as fashion chains Glassons, H&M and Cotton On, are offering cutprice alternatives to designer brands.
Shoppers are able to snap up full outfits at cheap prices, including $12 cotton tees, $35 jeans and
$20 dresses, with Target counting denim and linen pieces among its bestsellers, while Big W has noted a spike in demand for its organic cotton range.
Best&Less CEO Rodney Orrock said the store – best known for affordable kids clothing – “invests heavily into every aspect of its fashion ranges”.
“Our Australian design team, garment technicians and buyers create the looks for each season, taking inspiration from international fashion shows, colour and fabrication trends and local research insights to launch a capsule that is fashionable, comfortable, versatile and still affordable,” he said.
“We invest a great deal in understanding our customers, and to provide a wardrobe that can ‘keep up’ with everyday life. We have longstanding relationships with our local and global suppliers, which assists us in continuing to innovate our ranges including growing our sustainable fashion capability. We use Australian cotton, organic cotton, recycled fabrics as the base for the majority of our fabric choices, ensuring that our product performs and breathes well.”
Target head of design Bec Biggins said affordable prices were “what customers need right now”. Instead of pushing fast fashion, she said, the focus was on “timeless” clothes that could be worn regularly.
“Knitwear has been extremely popular, with yarns that have a lovely soft handfeel and our new seasonal colour palette offers style and easy versatility to wear more often,” she said.
“We want to make a real difference to our customers by making products that can be loved longer, for everybody, and every bank balance.”
Big W head of commercial apparel Lowri Breed said the focus was on keeping prices “low”, with a spike in demand this season for its Brilliant Basics cosy fleece range, which starts at $8.50 for trackies and sweaters.
“We’ve also seen an increase in interest for our Organic Cotton pieces including the Womens Organic Cotton Tees for $6 and our range of Organic Cotton Jeans from $25 available in sizes 6-26,” Ms Breed said. “Now more than ever, customers are looking for high quality and affordable fashion that they can fit within their budgets.”
Among its winter bestsellers are a pair of $20 combat boots, Chevron Leggings ($20) and matching crops at $15.
Cut-price retailer Kmart has also upped the quality of its clothing.
“At Kmart, we are proud to give our customers even more access to great quality product at the lowest prices,” a spokesman said. “Our inhouse design and merchandise teams have done an incredible job in offering apparel ranges across men, women and kids that won’t break the bank, and we love seeing all the creative ways the customers use or wear the products to reflect their individual style and creative flare.”
Global fashion brand UNIQLO Australia merchandising manager
Yuko Oka said the chain “continues its mission to provide our customers with high-quality fashion, and easy essentials for every day, at affordable prices”.
“UNIQLO is proud to offer timeless essentials with innovative materials and fabrication methods, that are thoughtful, ingenious, comfortable and long-lasting that accommodate to everyone,” she said.
A spokeswoman for fashion chain Glassons said: “Our customers are savvy shoppers and we find that they appreciate having access to fashionable, high-quality, ethical products at an affordable price point.
“(The Glassons retail) model is built on buying what our customers want and for when they want it.
“This means we don’t destroy or waste product compared to many in the market. We are also proud of the headway we have made on our lower-impact product offering and our continued growth here.”