Melanie Flintoft

Co-Founder, Australian Fashion Labels

Australia

Winning women Asia-Pacific Melanie Flintoft

Melanie is the Co-founder of Australian Fashion Labels (AFL), a ‘house of brands’ apparel company, which delivers a vertical multi-brand and multi-channel strategy.  Currently AFL sells seven brands, which together encompass ‘contemporary casual’ through to ‘affordable luxury’ fashion, across wholesale and omni-channel retail. 

When Melanie began sourcing quality garments for her early chain of Adelaide retail stores Locco (now Birdcage Boutique), she became inspired to eventually create her own label, Little Potty Red Shoes, in 2002. In 2007, Company Directors Dean and Melanie Flintoft founded Australian Fashion Labels in Adelaide with the introduction of Finders Keepers. The label flourished due to its focus on quality, on-trend pieces with trans-seasonal appeal. 

AFL’s sales strategy encompasses global distribution through distributors, direct wholesaling and AFL owned online and retail shop-fronts under the BNKR and TYLR branded platforms. AFL has more than 3,000 stockists around the world, including several major department stores. AFL wholesales to +20 countries and has online business shipping to +55 countries globally. 

Today, while still preserving the original model, AFL also houses higher-end labels for both men and women and has also released a footwear label.  By March 2016, AFL will have 10 company owned retail stores in USA and Australia.

“AFL’s vision is to continue our aggressive, global growth - maintaining an understanding of all aspects of the rapidly evolving fashion market and continually adapting to deliver product that is both commercially and customer focused.  AFL brands will continue to set the standard at the forefront of the industry, delivering product with a quality over price strategy." Melanie Flintoft, Co-founder of Australian Fashion Labels.