Project: Fleece Relaunch
JORDYN AVERY FOR COTTON ON, 2025-26
In April 2025, I joined the Ladieswear team to work on the relaunch of our Fleece Program. I was excited to join a major money-driving category within Cotton On. Though the Ladies Fleece department had significant commercial potential, it was lacking a clear point of view.
We noticed that our fleece offering had become disconnected from the evolving lifestyle of our customer as well as emerging market trends. We saw an opportunity to redefine the category by creating product that felt both intentional and versatile. Through customer insights and competitor research, we identified a growing demand for elevated fleece that could seamlessly transition throughout the day. Our core customer, women aged 18-24, wanted pieces that were as comfortable as they were stylish - outfits that could take her from university lectures to coffee dates without compromising on aesthetic.
With this insight, we set out to build the 'cool girl' everyday fleece wardrobe: a cohesive collection of elevated essentials that balanced comfort with trend. This project challenged us as a team to rethink an established category from the ground up, aligning product strategy, customer insights and trend direction to deliver a collection that better reflected the needs and aspirations of our customer.
Moodboard
Development & Fitting
With six core styles plus our 'fashion icing' (trend-driven small buys) to work with, our team had a mammoth task ahead. Myself and co-Product developer worked by range month to prioritise styles which would be the first to re-launch. With a timeline of only seven months until shipment samples were required in order to meet on-time delivery, we had to work quickly to ensure a successful re-launch of the fleece program.
Not only did we have to improve each style aesthetically, management had requested that all key blocks be reworked to create a more commercial fit. This meant updating every tech pack with new grade rules, construction and stitching details, fabric and trim specifications and fabric quality. I worked extremely closely with my garment technician to resolve fit issues and communicate pattern changes to our suppliers.
Tech Packs
Using PLM, I worked through every existing tech pack and created new SKUs for all of our volume styles. New tech packs also had to be created for the trend-driven styles of the season.
We created a template to help streamline all trims and fabrications and ensure consistent language was used across the entire category. I updated the comments section for each style to not only align on the exact requirements for our designs, but also to ensure the information was easy for suppliers to read and understand.
I typically include a large number of images in my specification sheets. Adding text with arrows over the top of the image makes it extremely clear as to exactly which part of the garment you are referring to.
Refinement & Strategy
March is the optimal time for the launch of new fleece styles each year for Cotton On's Southern Hemisphere stores. This is a transitional time at the tail end of summer when the customer mindset shifts towards winter dressing. Thus, we knew the re-launch needed to take place at this time.
The below CADs highlight the range offering in March 2025 compared to March 2026. For the 2026 range, we reduced the SKU count and significantly paired back the colours. Our research on Northern Hemisphere brands, like Aritzia and Garage clothing, showed that neutrals were key. It became clear that we needed an accent colour. Shades of deep plum, aqua and cobalt blue were being utilised by our competitors to capture the customer's attention. Following this strategy, we completely shifted the ladies fleece range from miss-matched colours and ill-fitting shapes to a cohesive, intentional collection which was much better suited to our target market.
Project Outcome
The re-launch of ladies fleece, one of Cotton On's fastest-growing categories, was more successful than my small team could have even imagined. Within the first two weeks of trade, the category became the third most profitable within the entire business (across ladies, mens, kids, active, swim and accessories).
We sold through almost 10k units of the Baggy Sweatpant in Australia alone before the end of the month, allowing us to chase into an additional 50k units to keep stock levels at bay throughout the winter season. This style reached an 11 rate of sale (units sold / number of stores), the highest any womenswear category had seen outside of Black Friday sales.
I am extremely proud of the elevated collection that we as a team executed. It has a luxe, broad appeal for a range of customers, whilst still maintaining our youthful identity at the forefront.
