By Aimee Chanthadavong

Myer may have Sass & Bide and Peter Alexander Sleepwear but David Jones has entered into exclusive agreements with UK high street fashion brands Phase Eight and L’Agent by Agent Provocateur.

Phase Eight has 106 standalone stores in the UK and 196 concessions in the same market. It is also available in 203 stores internationally including Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

According to Phase Eight CEO Lee Harlow, the exclusive deal with David Jones is the next step spearheading to expanding the brand into the Australian market.

“Over the past 30 years Phase Eight has become a significant womenswear brand in the United Kingdom,” he said.

“We are now increasingly focused on developing our global brand presence in attractive markets such as Australia and Asia.

“As the leading department store group in Australia, we felt that David Jones was the ideal partner to launch Phase Eight in Australia. David Jones has a rich heritage, and Phase Eight are excited to be a part of this. We also have been impressed by the David Jones team, their clothing offer and the high standards they maintain in store. We are committed to partnering with them to grow our presence further.”

Phase Eight was founded in 1979 by Patsy Seddon, a mother of young children who set out to create elegant garments that remained practical and affordable. Specialising in dresses including occasion dresses and wedding dresses; Phase Eight continues to offer women exclusive designs in beautiful fabrics and unique prints.

“There is a wonderful synergy for both David Jones and Phase Eight in working together to bring this leading UK fashion brand to the Australian customer who is increasingly well travelled and savvy in regards to international fashion brands,” Donna Player, David Jones group executive of merchandise, said.

Phase Eight will be available in David Jones’ Elizabeth Street (NSW) and Bourke Street Mall (Vic) stores as from February 2014 and will be progressively rolled out across other stores in Davis Jones’ portfolio.

Meanwhile, L’Agent by Agent Provocateur is designed in collaboration with Oscar award winning actress Penélope Cruz and her sister Mónica. The introduction of the label follows Agent Provocateur launch into the Australian market through David Jones in February 2013.

“It became clear to us that this is a growing market and that there was a gap in the market for a younger, edgier collection of intimate apparel with the same focus on quality and fit. L’Agent addresses this gap,” Sophie Clark, David Jones general manager of womenswear, said.

“The L’Agent target customer is digitally savvy so the online campaign featuring Penelope Cruz’s short film resonated with our younger customers creating a build up of demand for the brand before it even reached our stores.”