Camila, the 20-year-old Australian luxury resort and ready-to-wear brand known for its vibrant prints and globe-trotting aesthetic, is ramping up its U.S. operations.
The company, which has 27 boutiques around the world, opened its fourth U.S. store last week at the Mall at Short Hills in New Jersey. The company expects to open a total of 20 stores in the United States by 2027-2028 in major states such as New York, California, Texas, and Florida.
Camila is launching the Hotel of Curiosity concept at Short Hills Mall, complementing its existing U.S. boutiques at Merrick Park in Coral Gables, Florida, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, and Aventura Mall in Miami. start.
The 2,000-square-foot Short Hills store is decorated with handcrafted mosaic floors, custom carpet, a champagne bar with upholstered seating, and a vintage train decorated with travel imagery from founder and creative director Camilla Franks. Masu.
A view of the Camilla store at the Mall of Short Hills.
Tim Hill Photo LLC
“I aim to provide a luxurious experience for first-time visitors and loyal customers alike,” said Franks, who launched her business in 2004. “Some of them have been with me since the beginning. “There are some,” said Franks, who started the business in 2004. Made by skilled craftsmen, it takes center stage. Women's and men's clothing are displayed on a wooden floor with brass totem animal details. Decorated with Franks' iconic prints, the columns display accessories, footwear, sunglasses and homewares. There's also a kids and baby section with kid-scale supplies, 3D soft animals, and custom coloring stations.
“I love to take my clients on adventures while sharing my passion for travel, exploration, transformative experiences, and vibrant colors,” says Franks. “Stepping into my newest boutique is like stepping into another world, a place where you slowly discover yourself, guided by my boutique angels.”
“This is like my love letter to travel, storytelling, and printmaking,” she said.
Celebrating the brand's 20th anniversary, Franks told WWD: “My business is my first baby…we've grown together. It's been a beautiful, colorful, sometimes a little scary, exhilarating and empowering roller coaster ride, and we've been together for over 20 years. The year has come.”
The company has grown to 366 people, and 95% of the team is made up of women. Franks credits her success to her passion for print design and print hunting, as well as her “undeniable naivety about what it takes to run a global business.” thinking about.
“If you had told me 20 years ago that I would be Australia's leading designer, I would have told you you were crazy,” Franks said over Zoom from her home in Australia.
Camilla advertising image.
Provided by Camila
“I'm a print hunter and immerse myself in amazing cultures like Africa, India, Vietnam, Japan, and Tibet. I get away from society for a month and feel like I'm part of it and learn about it.”Culture , textiles and embroidery,” she said. She says she has taken about 100,000 photos.
“Our customers are really interested in the storytelling in the prints, and the prints become heirlooms and are passed down from generation to generation,” Franks said.
Today, Camila has a strong presence in major US accounts such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and Mitchells, with a strategic focus on new ready-to-wear collections. The brand is distributed by 130 retailers in the United States and carried by online retailers such as Net-a-porter, Mytheresa, Revolve and Shopbop.
Camila has experienced significant growth over the last year, with revenue from its two boutiques in California and Florida increasing 60%. Coupled with the successful launch of the brand's third boutique, which opened in Coral Gables, Florida, in October, the retail channel posted 80% growth in the US last year.
Images from Camila's campaign.
Provided by Camila
Overall, direct-to-consumer sales (retail stores and online) account for 60% of sales, Camila Chief Operating Officer Rebecca Mansergue said.
“We are seeing growth in the business primarily due to strengthening our omnichannel mix through store expansion,” Mansarg said.
He said the company plans to double its revenue in the U.S. region over the next three years. The US accounts for 25% of global revenue and plans to increase to 40% over the next three years. This will be achieved through store expansion, improved data collection to improve retention, and growth in ready-to-wear.
The Short Hills store is the first of three Hotel of Curiosity boutiques that will be converted from existing stores into a new upscale concept. The company expects U.S. boutique sales to increase 50% in fiscal 2025.
The strategy is to hold short-term pop-ups and establish yourself in a specific region. Manserg said Texas, New York, Florida, California and Las Vegas are the main target states for the boutique stores.
The company is expanding its business with Saks Fifth Avenue, its largest U.S. partner, and Camila's resort and ready-to-wear lines have grown 30% in the past year, Manserg said. The partnership covers both e-commerce and in-store collaborations and will expand to multiple locations in Florida, with Saks pop-ups planned for Brickell, Bal Harbour, and Boca Raton this month and in April.
Saks will open a Camila pop-up on the (contemporary) fifth floor of its flagship store from April 17th to April 30th, celebrating prints in five windows at Saks.
Tracy Margolies, Saks Chief Merchandising Officer, said: Our customers love this brand for its beautiful signature prints and will be excited to add the new ready-to-wear collection to their wardrobes. ”
Saks presents exclusive prints from Camila's new ready-to-wear capsule 'True Bloom'.
Manserg pointed out that ready-to-wear has been a game changer for the company. For example, Saks has seen an 87% increase in Camilla ready-to-wear over the past two years, Mansaag said.
In Europe and the Middle East, Camila has businesses in Harrods, Bloomingdale's in Dubai, Harvey Nichols in Saudi Arabia, Bon Ginny and Globus in Switzerland, Kadawe in Germany, Vacco in Greece and Attica in Greece. We sell to a network of 148 boutiques in the EMEA region.
Camila also has a strong presence in more than 40 major hotels, including One & Only, Waldorf Astoria, Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons.
The label has traditionally been in the resort-inspired dress business, but in recent years has added separates, outerwear and tailoring. This collection is manufactured in India. The company plans to launch its first line of denim this fall, with six stock storage units made in Turkey retailing for $400 to $500.
Franks said her ready-to-wear collections incorporate more linens and different fabrics, less embellishment and more structured silhouettes, but prints are still part of her DNA. Overall, dresses average $699 to $99, pants $659 to $799, and outerwear and tailoring $799 to $2,999. Swimsuits cost between $300 and $400.
