n, and new collections will be delivered every two months thereafter.  Sportscraft’s kids’ range will be available online and in-store, as well as on The Iconic and David Jones’ website.   “It’s a very natural extension and makes complete sense for the brand,” Elisha Hopkinson, managing director of brands at APG & Co, the private company that owns Sportscraft, alongside Jag, Saba and Willow, told Inside Retail. “We often have wanted to shoot family moments, but we didn’t want to put children in [campaign images] because we didn’t have children’s wear.” Hopkinson said the brand’s move into kids’ clothing received strong support from The Iconic, which has offered children’s wear since 2018. Children’s wear is considered a lucrative category in the overall apparel sector since kids are constantly outgrowing their clothes, which leads to more frequent purchasing, a fact not lost on Sportscraft. “We recognise that people are having to buy for children more,” Hopkinson said. “Sustainability and being ethically compliant is a really important part of our business. We make clothes that last forever, and if you look in anyone’s wardrobe, they’ve got enough of everything.” Older consumers generally need to fall in love with a garment or have an upcoming event in order to justify purchasing a new item of clothing, she said.  “Children’s wear is an opportunistic market and we’re really excited to see how our customers relate to our first range.” Founded in 1914 Sportscraft was founded in Australia in 1914 by Russian immigrant Wolf Bardas. Astonished by the size and climate of his new country, which enabled people to lead their lives outdoors, he named the brand in reference to the active lifestyle of his customers, as well as the quality of his garments.  “These two things are still relevant to us today,” Hopkinson said. “Craftsmanship is really important, we constantly invest in our fabrication. We do a lot of testing to make sure it lasts, there’s no pilling, and that it doesn’t fade quickly when it’s got sunlight on it. And in terms of the sports element, the product is designed to move and do things in. It’s not [about] sport in the activewear sense, it’s [about] the old-school term sportswear. What you would wear to the sports club.” The last few years at Sportscraft have been about communicating this brand story more clearly to customers.  “We often photograph [models] outside enjoying Australian life. We’re not a wear-to-work brand that’s meant for indoors. You see people [in our campaigns] picking kids up from school, catching up with girlfriends and having a coffee, running errands. We’re developed for everyday living,” Hopkinson said.  While Hopkinson said Sportscraft is not actively pursuing a younger demographic, it has started using more diverse models in terms of age, size, and background to reflect the broad appeal of its classic clothes, which never go out of style. “People who are looking for beautiful white shirts, beautiful trenches, beautiful linen shirts, beautiful shirt dresses, beautifully fitting pants, we’re absolutely the go-to place,” she said. “We’re not trying to be in the fashion trend space.” This timeless aesthetic is reflected in Sportscraft’s relationship with Liberty, which dates back to 1983. The brand is the biggest buyer of Liberty fabrics in the southern hemisphere, Hopkinson said.  “Liberty is obviously renowned for their unique prints, but they’re also renowned for the beautiful fabrications that they use. When you buy their prints, you don’t just buy their prints, you actually buy their fabric. That’s how they control their quality. And quality of fabrication has always been a really strong brand pillar for Sportscraft, hence why the relationship really works for us,” she said.  Sportscraft’s latest Liberty collection includes maxi dresses, skirts, tops, tees and suits for women and floral shirts for men, as well as a range of clothes for kids. The looks were created with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in Australia in mind. “We wanted to do something that was more exclusive and more designer-led to make some noise in the market,” Hopkinson said. “We’re giving a nod to the fact that everybody wants to get back to the normal way of Australian life, which is the quintessential garden party.”