Australian designer’s online fashion label worn by Kylie Jenner hits the market
It started life in the coastal oasis of Byron Bay, but fashion label Johansen has reached the kind of cult status most designers only dream of, after being worn by celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and supermodel Adriana Lima.
The now-iconic Australian brand has attracted a devoted following both at home and in the United States with its timeless, casual and sophisticated pieces.
Founder Jessica Johansen-Bell established the eponymous business in 2015 and says much of the success comes down to customers feeling really good about the way the simple cuts and chosen fabrics hug the body.
“That’s what people always say to us,” she says, “that once you try it on it’s amazing. Something that looks like a plain dress just fits so well.”
Johansen-Bell recently listed the business for sale to further her property development portfolio.
She traces the brand’s rapid rise to the day in 2018 when Jenner wore a Johansen piece the company had sent to her stylist. Jenner posted herself wearing the silk Cha dress in her Instagram stories to her audience of 399 million followers – an “amazing” scoop for the Aussie fashion label.
“We saw that the dress had been delivered to Jenner and then within two hours she was wearing it,” Johansen-Bell says. “She was doing a lip kit tutorial wearing one of our dresses.”
A second Johansen collection was subsequently sent, which Jenner later wore in New York.
“That was really what took the business to the next level, because it just skyrocketed us,” Johansen-Bell says. “Everyone knew about the brand after that and it went through all the media. That was the beginning of being kind of a celebrity brand.”
Other stars who’ve sported the label since include Rosie Huntington Whitely, models Alessandra Ambrosio and Sofia Richie Grainge, and home-grown superstars Elle Macpherson and Delta Goodrem.
Johansen’s rise has been well-documented with features in esteemed magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire and Who Magazine, and websites like MammaMia.
In 2022 Johansen-Bell appeared on the Netflix series Byron Baes and wore the brand throughout the season, adding another level of exposure.
While she says it’s bittersweet to be handing the reins to a new buyer, Johansen-Bell has already started her next endeavour, moving into the property development realm. There’s a sense that the timing is right.
“I’ve been designing for 10 years now so I’m ready to do something different,” she says. “I’m so thankful for the opportunities that Johansen has brought me and I’m now able to move onto an exciting new chapter.”
Lorna Bailey, principal at Byron Bailey Real Estate, says the sale is a rare opportunity to own a celebrity brand that brings with it established relationships with fashion A-listers.
She envisages interest from fashion creatives and enthusiasts seeking a strong entrance to the international market, but says it could also be the ideal opportunity for a well-known brand that wants access to the more influential market.
“The online platform of virtual shopping is world orientated providing the freedom for the brand to go anywhere,” says Bailey.
“You don’t have to move to Byron Bay to run this business,” she says. “The business supports a lifestyle of freedom and choice and is not location dependant making this an easy step for anyone based anywhere. As the orders come in, the online team handle the shopping cart and run that side of things.”
The listing comes at a time when the business is robust, with reliable best-sellers 10 years in the making, and the opportunity to capitalise on the existing star power.
“There are repeat customers, and renewed styles each and every month, with the exciting new collection ready to be launched for instant credibility for the new owner,” Bailey says.
Johansen’s latest off-the-shoulder prototype maxi dress has sold out many times over, with repeat customers eagerly awaiting the brand’s next winter-wear collection, soon be in the new owner’s hands.
“Uniquely engaging offers over $1 million, the buyers for this profitable and affordable online store will inherit no overheads or costly structures given the brand’s success,” Bailey says. “In the world we live in there is nothing as successful as an online retail store with a desired product.”
Expressions of interest should be made to Lorna Bailey of Byron Bailey Real Estate on 0410 609 789.
This article has been created in partnership with Byron Bailey Real Estate.
