Australian couple turn clothing line into branding powerhouse
- Corello
- Nov 12, 2015
- 4 min read
WOLLONGONG, NSW (November 12th, 2015)— Wollongong couple Melissa Core and Rick Caballo launch a branding company and add an Australian twist to the American market that is attracting all the big brands.
Just a few years ago, Wollongong couple Rick Caballo and Melissa Core stormed the U.S fashion market, launching their music and art-inspired apparel and accessory brand CORELLO. In just under two years CORELLO was inducted into the Tennessee State Museum for changing the face of country music fashion.
Miranda Lambert, Steven Tyler, Florida Georgia Line and Alice Cooper are just a few artists that rocked out in CORELLO, creating strong awareness for this cutting edge brand.
The CORELLO brand broke through the seams after coming third, in front of Adam Levine's new line, for People Magazine’s top 10 fashion brands of 2014. Soon everyone wanted a piece of it.
In 2015, Caballo and Core followed up on CORELLO’s success with the launch of Dead Horse Branding. Based in Nashville, TN, this 360 degree creative management company services brands across all areas, simultaneously offering creative art and brand management.
"Dead Horse was created out of pure need and common sense," Co-Owner Melissa Core states. "When we built CORELLO we were fresh into the U.S apparel market scene and didn't know where to start. We created our own in-house manufacturing facility and launched our brand through the top fashion trade shows like WWD MAGIC, PROJECT VEGAS, ATLANTA APPAREL MARKET.”
Their plan was not necessarily the best or most cost effective way to start or grow, but it was all they knew at the time.
Caballo and Core struggled finding photography at cost-effective prices, and PR/Marketing retainers that were affordable. The cost of hiring a specialized sales and distribution team started at $7,000 a month, not including creative services, which put it out of reach of the emerging label.
To keep CORELLO profitable, Melissa and Rick took on all aspects of the business and worked 18 hour days for two years straight, growing and pushing themselves daily. Caballo, a seriously talented and well-rounded creator, immersed himself in the creative side; Core headed up business, sales, marketing and distribution. Not too long after, other companies quickly saw the fluidity of the Corello brand, and its rapid growth, and wanted to know who was implementing the brand’s direction. Little did they know it was the creators themselves.
“It’s really simple: when you add too many outside influences into a brand which each have their own flavor, flaws are inevitable. Dead Horse is a one to one ratio - one brand, one manager, one creative team. We're a streamlined unit that sees everything through from start to finish. One thing about Australians is we’re versatile. Many Americans concentrate on one area and stick to that. Australia is a much smaller country with less people, and it’s purely a cultural thing, but it’s turned out to be an advantage for us. We move fast, tell it straight and are cost effective. In my eyes, communicating with one person for one brand is a no-brainer," Core says.
"We met with Daymond John from FUBU/Shark Tank, and we realized we have a great brand but there was not one place we could go to for the problems brands face. Daymond made me realize there is a powerful need for our branding business model," Caballo says.
"Our team is anti-corporate and our work environment is especially important. Winter hot tub breaks and summer pool creative sessions are part of a normal day for us. Working amongst our two acres of land surrounded by trees feeds our creativity," Core says.
Big brands like Duck Dynasty stars Jep and Jessica Robertson have called on Dead Horse to build them a brand from the ground up.
Hit music producer Tony Brown was next to work with Dead Horse. "Tony is an icon, a legend. He played keys for Elvis! But there’s so much more to his story. He was also the President of MCA records, where he produced and signed acts like Reba McEntire, George Strait, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood, Barbra Streisand and Lionel Richie. I can’t say too much about his brand just yet, but I can say there’s a killer, edgy coffee table book on Tony’s life in the works that we are producing,” explains Rick Caballo.
Dead Horse also works with John Mason, one of the most famous entertainment attorneys in the world. Names such as Shakira, John Wayne, Olivia Newton-John, ABBA and The Presley family are just a fraction of those on John's resume. “He’s a creative legal killer - just my type,” Core adds.
All the services Dead Horse offers start from a branding point of view. They never take a photo without knowing the brand that is being sold, and they never start on a brand until the vision and goals are set.
Dead Horse is also currently building a cool off-road apparel brand for celebrity country music rap artist Colt Ford, called SLINGER. This new brand is set to cross some major boundaries, and combine the skating and mudding worlds.
Brand managers with a powerful creative and sales team all in one, Melissa and Rick are back in Australia expanding their clients brands into the Australian market and meeting with Australian brands to help break them into the U.S market.
For exclusive information and updates on Dead Horse Branding visit www.deadhorsebranding.com
If you would like more information on this topic please call or email Dead Horse Branding:
USA -818 807 8180 – info@deadhorsebranding.com
Australia- 0481251894
5836 Cloverland Dr, Brentwood, TN 37207
[BRANDING, MANAGERS, CREATIVE SERVICES, TONY BROWN, DUCK DYNASTY, PUBLIC RELATIONS, MARKETING, ENTERTAINMENT, FASHION, ENTERPENUERS, SYDNEY,WOLLONGONG,AUSTRALIA]
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