Six years after leaving fashion to pursue his passion for fine art, Australian designer Jayson Brunsdon has returned to the rag trade with the launch of his JB Jayson Brunsdon collection at Harris Scarfe. Inspired by American sportswear designers such as Claire McCardell, Halston and Donna Karan, the range includes mix-and-match pieces that can be dressed up or down, from knit dresses and cardigan coats to chic jogging pants. The collection is not only in keeping with the increased demand for co
for comfortable clothes since Covid, but Brunsdon’s own way of dressing as the father of a young child.
“My whole outlook and priorities have changed so much over the last few years,” said the designer, whose evening wear once appeared regularly on the runways of Australian Fashion Week.
“I haven’t been going out as much at night, I rarely go out to dinner, it’s all about home life and kids life now.”
It wasn’t lost on Brunsdon that his new way of living and dressing became the norm for millions of people during Covid, so when he got the call from Harris Scarfe, he saw an opportunity to cater to their needs.
“I thought it was perfect timing for — I wouldn’t even call it fashion, I guess it’s more style and lifestyle,” he said.
For Brunsdon, that meant a lot of knitwear with a little edge, such as a zipper, puff sleeve, or pop of animal print.
“What I wanted to do was take that idea of comfort and elevate it into something that was sophisticated and chic and very easy to wear,” he said.
A gap in the market
Brunsdon’s is not the only big name in fashion that Harris Scarfe has added to its offering in recent months. Earlier this year, the department store chain, which is primarily known for its kitchen and home products, launched an exclusive range of women’s fashion designed by wrap-dress queen Leona Edmiston.
“It’s a really smart move because their customer base is a little older and they’re familiar with me and Leona going back over 20 years,” Brunsdon said.
He also noted that Harris Scarfe has a bigger presence in regional parts of Australia than the major department stores, David Jones and Myer, and is actually investing in growing its physical footprint, while other retailers are shrinking theirs.
“A lot of people don’t shop online, they prefer a physical space where they can try on clothes,” he pointed out. “As far as I can tell, there is a bit of a gap in terms of department stores, and I think they might be filling that gap.”
Harris Scarfe CEO Graham Dean recently revealed that the business is planning to add as many as 100 bricks-and-mortar stores to its network in the coming years. It recently opened its first store in central Sydney since it was acquired by the Spotlight Group last year.
Dean also explained the reason behind the store’s investment in fashion: “Apparel is critical for our business because it helps drive traffic into the store, and then people cross-shop across the other divisions,” he said.
Brunsdon revealed that he will be launching an exclusive homewares collection with Harris Scarfe later this year.
“I’m really excited about that,” he said.
Back to his roots
Beyond his work with Harris Scarfe, Brunsdon is focused on running and growing his fine art business, which involves selling limited-edition prints, as well as stationery and homewares, such as mugs, candles and door mats, through his e-commerce site.
“It’s not a huge business by any means, but it gets my rocks off,” he said. “It’s a great creative outlet, and I really enjoy doing it. It takes me back to where I started from.”
Brunsdon worked as a fashion illustrator for Australian magazines including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Dolly in the 1980s, before becoming a fashion editor and stylist and eventually launching his own designer brand in 2003.
The brand was stocked in Australian department stores David Jones and Myer, as well as Neiman Marcus and Selfridges internationally, and shown at New York Fashion Week, before Brunsdon shut it down in 2015.
“I just wanted to spend more time with my son who was quite small at that stage, and I wanted to get back to illustrating,” he explained. “It was on my bucket list.”