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The iconic clothing company has featured in films and can’t be overlooked for its place in some of our proudest moments.WA mining magnate Gina Rinehart is making a foray into fashion retail after purchasing beloved Aussie label, Driza-Bone. The deal is being done via the billionaire’s S Kidman & Co company and means the brand best known for its oilskin jackets will remain in Australian hands, with the nation’s richest person at the helm.

Mining and agribusiness billionaire, Gina Rinehart’s joint venture cattle business, S. Kidman and Company, has branched into the rag trade, buying the popular rural fashion brand, Driza-Bone.- Adam Giles, S. Kidman and Company chief executive officer, Adam Giles, said the acquisition contract, signed last week, ensured Driza-Bone remained back in Australian hands, while also uniting two iconic Australian brands. “This marks an exciting chapter for S. Kidman Co and Hancock as we enter the clothing and apparel industry,” he said. “We will bolster Driza-Bone’s expansion strategies, enabling the brand to venture into new international markets while staying true to its Australian heritage and commitment to superior quality.”

S. Kidman & Co executive chairman Gina Rinehart said the acquisition marks S. Kidman & Co and Hancock’s first step into the clothing and apparel industry.“Driza-Bone’s oilskin coats are iconic. My interest in Australian fashion started when I was quite young as my mother designed and made clothes for herself and me too over my early years,” she said. “We are honoured to carry forward Driza-Bone’s pioneering legacy while supporting its growth. Our family’s and company’s long association with the outback seems to be a natural fit.”

Driza-Bone, with a history stretching back to 1898, was acquired by the British motorcycle clothing company Belstaff in the late 1980s but then went through more ownership changes before the Lempriere family, which has strong interests in the wool industry, bought it well over a decade ago. Driza-Bone was later merged with RB Sellars, a rural clothing business founded by Richard Sellars-Jones, to become Propel Group. The manufacturing assets of fellow heritage brand Rossi Boots were bought by Propel Group in April 2020, following Propel’s earlier purchase of Rossi’s IP and business assets. Rossi’s history dates back to 1908. It’s best known for its iconic combat boots, designed for soldiers in World War I and which led to a decades-long partnership with the Australian Defence Force.

Propel Group is selling its water-resistant coat and apparel brand Driza-Bone to billionaire mining magnate Gina Rinehart via her S Kidman and Co pastoral company. “We will bolster Driza-Bone’s expansion strategies, enabling the brand to venture into new international markets while staying true to its Australian heritage and commitment to superior quality,” said S Kidman & Co chief executive Adam Giles. “The Driza-Bone brand is synonymous with the spirit of the Australian bush. We are committed to upholding and nurturing Driza-Bone’s legacy of Australian craftsmanship while also propelling it to new heights.”

Billionaire WA mining magnate Gina Rinehart is making a foray into fashion retail, with a purchase of the beloved Australian brand Driza-Bone.“We are honoured to carry forward Driza-Bone’s pioneering legacy while supporting its growth,” she told reporters. “Driza-Bone has been an emblem of Australian quality and resilience.”

Iconic Australian brand DrizaBone has been bought by billionaire businesswoman Gina Rinehart’s S. Kidman & Co in a move expected to preserve and expand its legacy. Ms Rinehart said Driza-Bone had been intertwined with pivotal moments in Australian history. “From sheltering soldiers at Gallipoli during World War I, to being worn in the magnificent film The Man from Snowy River, and by our Olympians for the Sydney Olympics, Driza-Bone has been an emblem of Australian quality and resilience,” she said. “Driza-Bone’s oilskin coats are iconic.” Ms Rinehart said she was honoured to carry forward Driza-Bone’s pioneering legacy while supporting its growth. “Our family’s and company’s long association with the outback seems to be a natural fit,” she said.

Saturday, 2 December 2023.