It's a relatively young and determined company who have no set boundaries and who know their customer intimately."Ĭotton On Group is now bigger than Solomon Lew's Premier Investments, which owns Just Jeans, Dotti, Portmans and Jay Jays, the Country Road / Witchery / Mimco group and even surf and skate wear retailer Billabong International. "It has a singular focus on every day, edited basics that are fashion focused at an exceptional price and quality. "Cotton On is a true Australian new generation success story," retail expert and former David Jones chief executive Paul Zahra says. With almost 760 stores in Australia alone, the homegrown casual fashion factory arguably has more influence on what we and our kids wear on the weekend that any other fashion chain. Sales have risen more than 20 per cent a year for at least five years and are forecast to reach $1.51 billion this year, seemingly unaffected by the invasion of international fast-fashion chains such as Sweden's H&M, Inditex's Zara, Arcadia Group's TopShop and Japan's Uniqlo. Now 44, Austin is still selling denim jackets – as well as T-shirts, jeans, checked shirts, dresses, sweaters, bras, undies and homewares – but his Cotton On Group retail empire has grown from just two stores in 1991 to more than 1300 stores across eight brands in 19 countries including the US and South Africa. "The next week I sold all 20 and made $200 – I thought that was pretty addictive," Austin says.Ĭotton On chief executive Peter Johnson and chief financial officer Michael Hardwick have disclosed for the first time the size of the company, its growth strategy and its ambition to become the world's dominant value fashion retailer. Undeterred, he went back to his supplier, who just happened to be his father, the late clothing wholesaler Grant Austin, and negotiated a better deal. In the first week he sold just one jacket for $30, barely enough to pay for lunch and petrol. The programme also addresses issues related to teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS awareness, to empower a community of girls that are happy, healthy and confident.Nigel Austin was studying business at university when, in need of cash, he started selling acid-wash denim jackets from the boot of his car at the markets in Geelong almost 24 years ago. The workshops promote well-being while developing leadership skills and resilience.
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The programme will be rolled out in a series of 8 workshops over six months. The mentors attend 2 workshops that focus on empowering them with the skills required to ensure that their mentees can learn and thrive in a positive and safe environment.
The programme pairs the girls with trained, caring and responsible mentors. The Country Manager for Africa also shared that, the Cotton On Foundation has partnered with The African Women Leadership Academy (TAWLA) to support the rollout of a mentoring programme to 35 teenage girls.Įstablished in Gaborone, Botswana in 2010, TAWLA was created to empower young women and girls through networking, mentoring and leadership skills training. These brands cover categories including men’s and women’s apparel, childrenswear, footwear, stationery, giftware, homeware, sleepwear, activewear, teen and youth fashion in addition to their philanthropic arm, the Cotton On Foundation.
Since then, the Cotton On Group has grown to include 8 brands in 22 countries with over 1,300 stores and a team of 18,000 people: Cotton On, Cotton On Kids, Cotton On Body, Factorie, Rubi, Typo, Supré and Ceres Life. Willis explained that Factorie is an on-trend, street style fashion brand, on the pulse of youth culture and Typo is a disruptive, inclusive brand that provides creators with the tools they need to build their brands in style.Ĭotton On was founded by Nigel Austin, who opened the first store in Geelong, Australia in 1991. “We stand for diversity, empowering people of all backgrounds to express their individual style and make their mark in the world,” she added. Natalie Wills, Country Manager for Africa said there’s nothing that excites them more than making a positive difference in people’s lives. Following the successful launch of Cotton On in 2019, the Group has now officially opened two additional stores. The Cotton On Group comprises eight brands that have recently broadened their offering in Botswana. Fashion-lifestyle retailer, Cotton On, officially opened their first Factorie and Typo stores in Botswana, at Airport Junction mall last week.
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