SYDNEY — Rose Byrne is the new face of Oroton.
The 35-year-old Australian actress has signed a three-year contract with the Sydney-based luxury accessories brand, with the first campaign for spring 2014 bowing on the Oroton Web site on today and in the September issues of local fashion magazines.
Sydney-born, New York-based Byrne is best known for her roles in “Bridesmaids,” “Neighbors,” the legal thriller series “Damages” and will make her Broadway debut next month in “You Can’t Take It With You” opposite James Earl Jones, Kristine Nielsen and Annaleigh Ashford.
“For me to be the face of Oroton, it feels right — it feels as Australian as I do. I’ve grown up with the brand and it has always had a special place in my heart” she said.
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Shot by Boo George, the spring campaign is part of a major overhaul for Oroton Group’s 76-year-old flagship brand, whose primary business is handbags and small leather goods and accessories priced from 45 to 1,400 Australian dollars or $42 to $1,310 at current exchange. The brand posted 2013 sales of 90 million Australian dollars, or $83.1 million at average exchange, for fiscal 2013, according to chief executive officer Mark Newman – just under half of the group’s $186.2 million, or $172 million, in sales for the year.
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Oroton operates 68 freestanding stores and department store concessions across Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. One franchised store opened in Dubai in December and there are plans for up to 30 stores in China within the next three-five years.
Also getting a refresh on Friday is the Oroton Web site and e-commerce store, which accounts for more than 10 percent of sales.
Last week, a new store concept was unveiled at Oroton’s 1,270-square-foot Sydney flagship inside the Queen Victoria Building on George Street, a look that will gradually be rolled out to all stores. Inspired by the Australian Outback, the store revamp was a collaboration between Oroton general manager and creative director Ana Maria Escobar and London-based consultancy Universal Design Studio. Key features include ochre-like textured walls, perforated brass scrims, pear wood and oxidized bronze cabinetry, moss green velvet soft furnishings and Irish green marble.
The Oroton revamp is one of three pillars of the Oroton Group’s turnaround strategy as it navigates a period of transition following the June 2013 expiration of the Ralph Lauren license after 24 years. The license had previously accounted for 45 percent of group sales and 35 percent of net profits.
In August 2013, Oroton Group signed a 10 year joint venture with Brooks Brothers to develop the brand in Australia and New Zealand, with up to eight stores expected to open by the end of 2014. In October, it revealed an exclusive franchise agreement with Gap Inc. that could see 20 Gap Inc. stores opened within Australasia within the next 10 years.
In February the group issued a profit warning, saying it expected EBIT for the six months to January 25 to fall almost 24 percent to 8 million Australian dollars and confirmed its previous guidance for full year EBIT between 13 million and 15 million Australian dollars, or $12 million to $14 million, but said the final result was likely to be towards the lower end of the range.