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Trimapee Fashion Label
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Melbourne Fashion Label – Men’s & Women’s ClothingView recent Trimapee Collections on Australian Fashion Review Blog Introduction to the Trimapee Fashion LabelMelbourne-born designers Mario-Luca Carlucci and Peter Strateas, studied Industrial Design and Comunication Design respectively at the prestigious Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), where they collaborated on a number of private commissioned based artworks, primarily in sculpture. Intrigued by the human form through their work in sculpture, the pair decided on a change of career and launched their own fashion label, ‘Trimapee’ as self-trained fashion designers in 2005.
Their debut menswear collection was shown that same year as part of the Mercedes Benz Start-Up Program, as selected finalists. Taking part in the Mercedes Benz Start-Up Program provided the platform Trimapee needed to launch their menswear Winter 2006 line, entitled ‘Vampyre Collection’ – the critically acclaimed collection put the brand firmly on the fashion brand, with Trimapee soon becoming recognised by the fashion press, with editorial features in Vogue Australia, Harpers Bazar, Ruush, Dazed and Confused, Yen and Mood Italia, amongst others. Trimapee has come a long way since that first small menswear collection in 2005 – the brand has expanded to include full ready-to-wear womenswear and menswear collections, accessories, handmade shoes and jewellery. The brand now regularly shows their seasonal collections on the catwalks of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week, L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival and the Sydney Fashion Festival.
Unlike many Australian labels, that rely primarily on wholesaling to get their clothes on the market, Trimapee have their own strong presence in retail. They started with a little concept store in Fitzroy called ‘The Mike Shoppe Gang, but once the lease was up, the duo decided it was the perfect opportunity to move into a bigger space. The Trimpanee relocated to Melbourne’s Central Business District – this didn’t affect the already loyal fan base but did provide a great opportunity to expand with new customers. A second Melbourne store soon followed and online boutique The Grand Social picked up the brand increasing the brand’s international profile.
Trimapee Fashion Label: Key Dates
Aesthetic of the Trimapee Fashion LabelWith a signature monochromatic edge, the Trimapee collections are inspired by music and art as well as, events from the past and the present. The brand has become known for its dark and moody aesthetic, with lots of smoky layers, relaxed tailoring and androgynous silhouettes. The brand’s distinctive aesthetic has attracted a number of celebrity followers including, M.I.A, John Mayer, The Vines, JET, Silverchair, The Presets, The Klaxona and Adrian Grenier from hit US TV show, Entourage. Future of the Trimapee Fashion LabelA few seasons back, Trimapee made the decision to stop wholesaling the business locally, instead choosing to focus their attention on their own retail and other projects, such as overseas expansion. Like many wholesale business at the time, Trimapee found it difficult financially to continue to sell the range and retrieve funds from stores. This isn’t to say that the Trimapee label will never wholesale locally again, but at the minute they are content with the way things are – they currently have no yearning desire to place the label in other stores, and exclusivity is a very effective selling point.
If you like the look of Trimapee, why not check out fellow Australian fashion labels, Chronicles of Never, Mjolk, Beat Poet and Saint Augustine Academy. Visit the official Trimapee website, here. Other Australian fashion designer profiles 
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