Exclusive: Alice McCall is empowered and ready to start a new chapter

Australian designer Alice McCall exclusively confirmed to Inside Retail that she is reimagining her eponymous brand in a high-end couture way and that it will soon be entering a new chapter.

This month, the Australian designer launched her second global collection with fast-fashion juggernaut Shein, after the incredible success of her first collaboration with the brand.

McCall has also been announced as a judge for the Shein RISE fashion design competition in Australia, which is part of the Shein X program that incubates young designers and assists in commercialising their creative endeavours.

The same incubator enabled the Australian designer to continue to create after she made the tough call to close the Alice McCall business after nearly two decades of operation, during which time she opened 20 stores and built a team of over 100 staff.

The new Alice

McCall confirmed that consumers will soon see a new iteration of her brand: “I am relaunching, so watch this space,” the designer told Inside Retail.

This comes after her self-named business was liquidated in February 2023. The business previously entered voluntary administration in 2020, which led to the closure of 17 of its 20 brick-and-mortar stores and pivot to an e-commerce-focused strategy.

“I’m going to be doing something a little bit more high-end and sort of very sexy, sort of very special, unique, someone-offs, almost couture, because why not? Why not?” McCall told Inside Retail at an industry event in Sydney on Thursday.

“I can wear a lot of hats and I can do a very commercial design, but also something a bit more, sort of elevated, and I never like to pigeonhole myself. I’m a bit of a renegade,” she said.

”Vanguard is better, but I’m a renegade too.”

At the same time, McCall remains interested in further collaborations with Shein: “I am relaunching, but I hope there are more opportunities with Shein because it’s been an absolute dream,” she said.

Fashion and design are in McCall’s blood. Her mother was the youngest person to be accepted into the London College of Fashion. “I very much learned the craft of design from her, pattern-making, and sewing, and my sister was a designer,” she said.

Before launching her eponymous brand in 2004, McCall was a stylist for 10 years. She has been a designer for nearly 30 years.

Shein shop

Off the back of its rapid growth in the Australian market, Shein is opening its latest pop-up at 65 York Street in Sydney this weekend.

Running from Friday, August 23, to Sunday, August 25, the pop-up will allow Shein shoppers to try on clothes from six collections — Vcay, Bae, Musera, Lune, Mod and Alice McCall’s second drop — prior to purchasing them.

The concept is the same one that Shein launched at the Ultra festival earlier this year. It allows patrons to shop in person and have their hauls delivered to their preferred address, rather than carrying them out of the store. Consumers can scan a QR code to add an item to their cart and check out online. This closes the gap between the in-store customer experience and the point of purchase.

Due to the positive reception and success of McCall’s first collection with Shein — which was available in Australia, New Zealand and the US — her second collection is available globally. The first collection had 30 styles, and they all sold out.

“Some quicker than others, I think there were some styles they reordered three or four times,” McCall said. “It was really successful, hence why the second one’s gone international.”

Intricate details and colour feature heavily in McCall’s second collection with Shein. These elements are also central to her concept of ‘dopamine dressing’, which is when consumers use fashion to improve their mood.

McCall’s designs embody the ‘look good, feel good’ philosophy’ and mirror a broader societal shift of dressing and wearing make-up for self-expression as opposed to fitting into mainstream trends.

Although Australians are budget-conscious, they are splurging sporadically on products that make them feel good.

By collaborating with Shein, McCall is bringing her signature tailoring and feminine prints to a broader audience at an affordable price point.

The latest collection includes a shimmery, deep-lilac dress that calls to mind a previous McCall design worn on the Victoria’s Secret pink carpet.

“They [Shein] are just a dream to work with, to be honest,” she said, citing “the efficiencies, the technologies” of the Chinese company.

“I travelled to China, I got to meet the team and it’s been a joy, to be honest,” she said.

High demand for on-demand business model

Shein uses an on-demand business model for its Alice McCall collaborations, which have been in high demand.

This model aims to minimise overproduction and deliver beauty and fashion accessories to a mass market.

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