Article by Myriam Robin, courtesy of the Australian Financial Review.
Billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart has long marched to the beat of her own drum. Her foray into fashion appears characteristically idiosyncratic.
Driza-Bone, the outdoorsy 126-year-old apparel company she purchased last year, used last month’s Brisbane Fashion Festival to premier several limited edition jackets, in bright colours with imagery in the lining.
Two of the coats – which retail for $895 – feature Indigenous designs. One uses the “stunning image of a Flying Doctor plane landing in the outback, capturing the romance and rugged beauty of Australia’s vast landscapes”. Another has a man swimming in a waterhole. And then, there’s the last two, featuring images from the wedding of Rinehart employee Marguerite Olivier.
Olivier’s wedding photos have previously graced the Facebook page of Hancock Agriculture, the Rinehart-owned operation, noting Rinehart’s attendance as well as the fact that the groom and groomsmen wore Rossi Boots (Rinehart purchased Rossi last year, extending a rivalry with fellow mogul Andrew Forrest, who owns boot maker RM Williams).
Olivier is a sponsorship manager at Hancock Prospecting. She has previously been reported to be Rinehart’s goddaughter, and a long-time friend of the family.
In one lining, for a rust red coat, the entire wedding party is depicted, Rinehart standing next to Olivier in a bright fuchsia gown. Another coat – available in tan – depicts Olivier on her own against an outback gorge.
“This unique lining celebrates the majesty of the outback and captures the profound significance of this awe-inspiring landscape,” the description states.
It isn’t the first time Rinehart has turned to her employees and extended network to market her apparel empire.
Hancock Agriculture chief executive (and former NT chief minister) Adam Giles has previously fronted an ad decked out in head-to-toe Rinehart merchandise. At the recent Paris Olympics, Rinehart hosted a party for Australian’s Olympians, many of whom credit Rinehart’s philanthropy for their recent success and who donned golden Rossi boots for the occasion. Indeed, the limited edition Driza-bone coats were modelled on the runway and in promotional material by members of Australia’s swim team, including Hannah Fredericks, Mikayla Smith, Mitch Larkin, Sinead Cronin and Brendon Smith.
In an interview leading up to the Fashion Festival, Rinehart said she had had a personal involvement in creating the pieces that opened the Brisbane Festival. A spokesman for the billionaire did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
