Petal & Pup’s long game: Inside the campaign built to scale

Launched in 2014, Petal & Pup is an womenswear label that has built its reputation on a savvy use of customer feedback to inform its fits, colours and designs. 

But today, with offices in Brisbane and San Francisco, a showroom in Los Angeles and expanding wholesale partnerships with Nordstrom and David Jones, the brand is entering a different phase of maturity. The company’s first global evergreen campaign reflects that shift in maturity. 

That maturity is more interesting when set against the brand’s starting point. Petal & Pup’s beginnings were humble and intensely hands-on. Founded in Brisbane by Tiffany Henry in 2014, the label started as a small online boutique that very soon outgrew its founder’s personal capacity. In its formative years, family members including Henry’s mother, husband and uncle supported operations as demand grew. 

Over ten years on, its latest campaign is positioned as a permanent brand platform, it introduces a refined logo, updated colour palette and an evolved visual language anchored by the Australian Protea as a recurring motif. Rather than serving a single collection, the initiative establishes a cohesive identity framework designed to travel consistently across digital channels, wholesale partnerships and international markets as the business scales.

Launched on 9 February in Australia and rolling out in the United States on 2 March, the campaign  marks Petal & Pup’s move from campaign cadence to long-term platform thinking. As part of a.k.a. Brands’ stable of fast-scaling labels, Petal & Pup is no longer in the business of aesthetic experimentation.

Petal & Pup’s trajectory has also been shaped by its acquisition by a.k.a Brands’ in 2022, a move that placed it within a portfolio of digitally native fashion labels including Princess Polly and Culture Kings. The backing brought access to shared data infrastructure, supply chain scale and international expansion expertise, particularly in the US market where a.k.a. has established operational depth.

For brand president Victoria Estella Perry, the decision to invest in a long-term platform was a necessity. “We’ve evolved from a locally grown Brisbane label into a global brand with meaningful retail partnerships,” she told Inside Retail. “With Nordstrom’s nationwide expansion last year and our launch in select David Jones stores this year, we needed a unified presence. This platform allows us to move beyond one-off campaigns and deliver consistent, scalable messaging across retail, digital and wholesale channels.”

That unification arrives in the form of a refreshed identity and a tagline: “Aussie Born. Loved Everywhere.” 

“The tagline celebrates our roots and story, something that resonates strongly both locally and globally,” Perry explained. “While we started in Brisbane, it also speaks to our growing presence in the US, which is our key growth market. It reinforces desirability and trust as we expand across wholesale and international markets.”

Shot entirely in Australia, it leans into nature-inspired visuals and what Perry calls “joyful, optimistic storytelling.” True to the company’s women-first philosophy, it was created entirely by women, from models to production teams. “As we continue to grow globally, this campaign signals our long-term vision and confidence in building a brand that feels warm, emotive and deeply connected to its community,” Perry said. “It celebrates togetherness, femininity and the shared joy of dressing for life’s moments.”

The phrase “life’s moments” recurs. Petal & Pup’s promise is situated in occasion dressing that feels attainable rather than aspirationally remote. The brand positions itself as trend-forward yet accessible, a combination that has resonated across Australia and in the US. 

Balancing that narrative with the rapid merchandising cycles demanded by a.k.a. Brands’ data ecosystem is far from a small task. “We view speed and brand equity as mutually reinforcing,” she said. “We listen closely to our customer through real-time data and constant feedback to understand her preferences, fit needs and the occasions she’s dressing for. Knowing which silhouettes, colours and fabrics are resonating allows us to respond quickly and confidently across Australia and the US, where opposite seasons and channel dynamics require nuance.”

As far as maturation is concerned, Petal & Pup is not abandoning its digital agility but formalising it. The evergreen platform provides longevity and a backbone for wholesale expansion, international growth and more complex channel management. As the proteas bloom across screens and shop floors, Petal & Pup is no longer content to be a fast-moving player in the feed. It is staking a claim as a global fashion brand with Australian DNA and long-term intent. 

What started as a tightly run, founder-led operation in Brisbane has evolved into a cross-continental business navigating wholesale complexity and international seasonality. The contrast calls to attention the scale of Petal & Pup’s trajectory from intimate beginnings to institutional ambition.

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