After decades of successful dealing in the field of fashion in Europe, Greek brand Raxevsky is now in Australia in an attempt to capture the hearts of Australian women with its creations.
A joint venture between a Greek Australian businessman and the Greek company which follows the European fashion trends with retail shops in Greece and Europe, the e-shop Raxevsky in Australia was launched in Melbourne at the beginning of November.
“Raxevsky has been very popular, not only in the Greek community, but also elsewhere in Australia. There were many requests from women in Australia who asked about how they can buy Raxevsky. This is how the idea for the online shop came,” Nicola Sounas from Raxevsky Australia tells Neos Kosmos.
Along with her husband, businessman George Iliopoulos, Nicola Sounas is the person responsible for bringing the famous Greek brand to Australia. The co-operation that Iliopoulos and Sounas had with Raxevsky resulted in setting up a new company in Australia, under the name Raxevsky Australia Pty Ltd.
“We approached many business people during our initial visit in 2012 while we were doing our market research. However, we found Nicola to be the right person leading the Raxevsky brand in Australia, so we offered the joint venture and they gladly accepted,” the Raxevsky representative said.
The story behind Raxevsky fashion is a long and successful one. Founded in 1976 by Eleni Raxevsky and George Mourtzouchos, the company was initially registered under the trade name Helen’s Club S.A. Initially, the company was focused on export to European countries such as France, Austria, Holland, Spain and Sweden. The company also exported its products to the USA and Canada.
In 1982 the company, with Eleni Raxevsky and her sister Dimitra at the helm, made a decision to expand to the retail market. Soon after, two Raxevsky stores were opened in the heart of Athens, at Kolonaki and on Patision street.
Today, the 66 Raxevsky stores that operate in Greece employ 290 workers, while six other stores in Europe employee another 22 people. And all Raxevsky clothes are designed in Greece.
“Raxevsky designs are for modern women, using new-generation, skin-friendly quality textiles. Strict sewing specifications are applied and a perfect fit for the female body is achieved. More than 400 ‘limited edition’ codes include casual, business and evening wear that can be found easily, quickly and simply through our online shop,” Nicola Sounas says.
With a big online shop and Melbourne as its base, Raxevsky is now ready to present their latest collection ‘Spring-Summer 2013-2014’ to the Australian market. The new collection is inspired by the Cretan natural beauty and was shot in Crete with famous Greek actress Zeta Makripoulia.
“Zeta Makripoulia is a very famous Greek actress and the beautiful Cretan island gave us a beautiful photo shooting concept. Zeta has been our ambassador and face for Raxevsky for many years, and we have worked very closely to always design new styles which meet today’s woman’s expectations,” the company representative said.
Being a big retail network of over 50 shops in Greece and well-known as the top label for Greek women, Raxevsky people believe the brand is destined to succeed in Australia as well.
“We believe that women in Australia will love Raxevsky creations because they are fashionable and they have a special fit with a Mediterranean look, which is missing in the current Australian market.
“We will still promote Zeta Makripoulia in Australia, as she has now become known to the Australian people through the successful Greek Australian movie Kings of Mykonos starring Zeta, Nick Giannopoulos and Vince Colossimo,” Nicola tells.
The Australian Raxevsky e-shop offers exclusively clothes with the label Raxevsky, with three collections included: Raxevsky, Summertime/Winterfresh and the collection Zeta Makripoulia for Raxevsky, designed by Zeta Makripoulia herself.
To make the online shopping easier and more convenient for Australian customers, the company’s showroom has now been opened in Melbourne’s suburb of Dandenong, for them to see and try the new Raxevsky creations.
The Raxevsky Australia e-shop offers the whole collection Spring-Summer 2013-14, available in their showroom and right at your doorstep within two to three working days from ordering.
“We have currently set up a small showroom in Dandenong in case a client wants to visualise or try the designs, however they will need to make an appointment before they visit the showroom.”
Raxevsky creations are designed in Greece, with the fabrics coming from Europe and the production in many countries around the world. If the near future of Raxevsky brand in Australia meets the hopes of its people, production may be moved to Australia as well.
“We believe we can succeed in Australia. The next step is to open a series of retail shops, and one of our future goals is to produce here too. We will be taking small steps and slowly build the brand which has been so successful in Greece,” Nicola says.
The Raxevsky Australia showroom is situated at 91 Cheltenham Road, Dandenong, Melbourne. To find out more and to see Raxevsky Spring-Summer 2013-14 collection, visit www.raxevsky.com.au or call (03) 9807 0658