Abstract

This paper explores the emergence of one of Australia's first youth fashion brands, beginning with the development of its original flagship store and its advertising in Melbourne newspapers in the 1960s. This analysis is in terms of how the brand was inserted within the national culture with regard to the social roles presented to young women and the broader social and economic changes of the period. It explores the way the Sportsgirl brand participated in constructing for young Australian women, their increasing identification as independent, adventurous and in charge of their own sexuality. In doing so, it seeks to draw attention to the ways in which the changing aspirations and values of young women were first incorporated by the proliferating post-war consumer culture. Primary sources and interviews are used here to investigate the origins and development of the strategic decisions and approaches to the building up of the boutique and the brand. The way the Bardas family business used design and advertising and positioned the first Sportsgirl store, are analysed in terms of how their strategies were informed by overseas developments in youth fashion retailing and how they introduced significant changes to the context of the existing local retail environment.

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Nov 17th, 12:00 AM

She's a Store, She's so Much More: Sportsgirl, the Brand and the Social Construction of Young Women in 1960s Australia.

This paper explores the emergence of one of Australia's first youth fashion brands, beginning with the development of its original flagship store and its advertising in Melbourne newspapers in the 1960s. This analysis is in terms of how the brand was inserted within the national culture with regard to the social roles presented to young women and the broader social and economic changes of the period. It explores the way the Sportsgirl brand participated in constructing for young Australian women, their increasing identification as independent, adventurous and in charge of their own sexuality. In doing so, it seeks to draw attention to the ways in which the changing aspirations and values of young women were first incorporated by the proliferating post-war consumer culture. Primary sources and interviews are used here to investigate the origins and development of the strategic decisions and approaches to the building up of the boutique and the brand. The way the Bardas family business used design and advertising and positioned the first Sportsgirl store, are analysed in terms of how their strategies were informed by overseas developments in youth fashion retailing and how they introduced significant changes to the context of the existing local retail environment.

 

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