Carvela, one of the major footwear brands that was stocked at David Jones, will launch its own stores in Australia following the collapse of the iconic department-store chain. 

The London-born, Italian-designed women’s footwear and accessories label has launched its locally fulfilled e-commerce store, carvela.au, with plans for an upcoming national bricks-and-mortar rollout.

Carvela is part of the Kurt Geiger group, acquired by Steve Madden last year. Charlene Perera, GM of Steve Madden Australia, will lead the brand’s Australian business. 

“Going ecommerce first means we hold full control of the brand experience from day one and we read the market in real time,” said Perera. “Every order tells us something about where our customer lives and what she’s buying. That’s how we’ll choose our store locations.” 

The Australian range spans sandals, heels, flats, sneakers, bridal footwear and handbags, with coordinated shoe and bag sets designed to lift basket size. Stock is held and shipped locally, with free shipping over $170 and free returns.

“We wanted local stock, local service and a local team that understands how Australian retail works, and that’s what we have with Charlene,” added Ross Warden, chief retail officer for Carvela Global. “Our omnichannel model in the UK shows how strongly e-commerce and stores support each other, and we’ll follow that same path here.”

Carvela products were previously only stocked and sold in Australia via David Jones.

The move comes after the 188-year-old department store chain collapsed into administration and receivership last week. In the latest update, receivers said they would close half of David Jones’ 38-store network.

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