STRATEAS CARLUCCI | AFC Flagship

We were thrilled to announce earlier this year, that we’d be undertaking a new project; AFC Flagship, and that we’d be kicking things off with local Melbourne label Strateas Carlucci! AFC Flagship connects our renowned designers with temporary retail spaces to call their own, and tell their brand story. Thanks to support from the prestigious shopping destination St. Collins Lane, AFC Flagship came to life this March 2019.

_ MEET STRATEAS CARLUCCI A creative collaboration between designers Peter Strateas and Mario-Luca Carlucci, STRATEAS CARLUCCI is deconstructed androgyny, subtly subversive yet playful, producing modern luxury wardrobe staples, created from the concept of binary oppositions. The designers have championed a Masculine / Feminine duality within their collections through the idea of creating a unified collection that is not driven by gender, but by a concept.

Founded in 2013, the duo debuted their collection at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia in April 2014 and haven’t looked back. From being the very first Australian Menswear designer to be invited by Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers and Créateurs de Mode to show their collection on the official Paris Fashion Week Calendar, through to the very first Australian brand to be invited by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana to show at Milan Fashion Week as a guest designer in a fully supported runway show.

Numerous counts of industry awards and accolades later (head here for an extensive list), the duo continue to make waves globally. Off the back of their recent showings in Paris and Milan, we were thrilled to be able to help facilitate their venture into retail on their home turf.
_ THE SPACE

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So why AFC Flagship?

“We’ve been wanting to explore a retail concept for some time now, however being a small independent brand, we have been cautious within this space. So this opportunity with the AFC was a perfect solution for us, where we could set up a retail space for a short period, however still be able to give our customer the full brand experience like we have always envisaged.

It’s allowed us a great opportunity to test retail, and also provide another form of retail, where it’s for a limited time and able to make it more of a retail installation and experience, opposed to just following the norm.”

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You've had some great success overseas in terms of international recognition, shows and stockists, why have you decided to remain Melbourne based and manufacture locally?

Being a global brand today is much more accessible and multi-faceted than what it was in the past. Once upon a time, you needed to be based in Paris, Milan or New York to be able to reach global brand awareness and success. However, with the aid in technology and social media platforms, you can be based on the other side of the globe, like us in Melbourne, and still be able to build a global business.

Being based in Paris, of course comes with its advantages as opportunities become more readily available, however it too comes with it’s own set of challenges. For us, the choice has always been simple. We love our home and the city we were born and raised, and every time we travel, although it’s incredible to take in other cultures, history and beauty the rest of the world has to offer, we still call Melbourne our home and find it one of the best cities in the world.

Being a small business, we oversee all our production locally, and we like the fact that we are still supporting the local manufacturing economy. Sustainability is also ingrained into our business DNA, despite our lack of communication within this space. We produce our collections ethically, and we cut all of our sampling in-house, and also majority of our production, to minimise waste. We also work closely with likes of the Woolmark company, and include 100% Australian Merino wool into our collections, which apart from being an amazing fibre to work with, is completely renewable, biodegradable and sustainable.

Being based in Melbourne allows us to stay connected to our industry, and despite its challenges, we hope that we can contribute in a small way.

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What's next for Strateas Carlucci?

We are working on our next seasons collection, and also looking into exploring new categories and accessories. Some collaborations may be on the cards, yet too soon to reveal… watch this space 😉

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Drop by the space at St. Collins Lane while you can…

Location | Level 1, St. Collins Lane, 260 Collins St, Melbourne

Opening hours & getting there >>

Contact | shop@strateascarlucci.com

Images via Strateas Carlucci, including Collection – DEFECT – Fall 19, with Photography from Ribal Hosn.