Sportscraft
Product brand
UnclaimedAn Australian clothing brand known for classic tailored casualwear and department-store retailing.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Sportscraft is an Australian clothing brand for women, men, and, since the expansion of its range in 2021, children and babies. Its roots lie in a Melbourne tailoring business established by Russian Jewish immigrant Wolf Bardas in 1914. That business developed into the Sportsleigh manufacturing company before entering retail in 1947 with stores on Collins Street and Toorak Road. The name Sportscraft was adopted in 1948 to describe the company’s emphasis on well-made, tailored casual clothing rather than purely formal tailoring. Early products included jodhpurs, slacks, pleated skirts, and shirts. Under Morris Bardas, the company used distinctive marketing to build recognition among women in post-war Australia. The brand became associated with dependable construction, practical styling, and a polished but accessible interpretation of casual dress. After Morris Bardas died in 1959, his son David Bardas continued to lead the business. During the 1960s Sportscraft broadened toward youth-oriented fashion, and during the 1970s it added menswear, moving beyond its original women’s focus. The wider business expanded substantially during the 1980s and 1990s. In late 1987, Sportscraft acquired the Extra Clothing chain from Just Jeans. By the 1990s, the group had developed into a large Australian fashion enterprise with approximately 200 stores and a portfolio of 19 women’s and men’s labels. Growth was accompanied by financial pressure, particularly in connection with the Sportsgirl Centre on Collins Street. In 1994, banks took control of assets securing the group’s borrowings, and South African retailer Truworths acquired a 90 percent stake in the group. The group later experienced declining sales and increasing losses. Truworths stopped funding the business in 1999, and the company entered voluntary administration in November of that year. In 2000, its core retail brands were separated and sold: Sportscraft went to Apparel Group, while Sportsgirl and David Lawrence went to other buyers. This restructuring marked the end of Sportscraft’s operation as part of the earlier Bardas-led fashion group, but the brand continued as a standalone Australian apparel label. Sportscraft’s distribution has included department stores and more than 20 branded outlets. Its contemporary proposition remains centered on classic, versatile clothing for adults aged approximately 25 and above, with an expanded family-oriented assortment introduced in 2021. The brand has also maintained a connection with formal Australian national representation. In 2019 it was selected as official uniform supplier to the 2020 Australian Olympic Team, designing the opening-ceremony and formal uniforms. The appointment was described as the eighth occasion on which Sportscraft had supplied apparel for Australian athletes.
History
Sportscraft traces its origins to a tailoring business founded in Melbourne in 1914 by Wolf Bardas, a Russian Jewish immigrant. The enterprise later grew into Sportsleigh, a clothing manufacturing company. In 1947, it began operating retail stores, opening locations on Melbourne’s Collins Street and Toorak Road. The following year, the business adopted the Sportscraft name. The new name reflected its intended specialization in tailored casual clothing, including jodhpurs, slacks, pleated skirts, and shirts. Morris Bardas led the brand during the post-war period, when innovative marketing helped it become familiar to Australian women and established its reputation for reliable, stylish clothing. Following Morris’s death in 1959, his son David Bardas became head of the company and continued its expansion. The business moved into youth-oriented fashion during the 1960s and added menswear during the 1970s, transforming Sportscraft from a primarily women’s label into a broader family apparel business. Expansion accelerated in the 1980s. In late 1987, Sportscraft acquired the Extra Clothing chain from Just Jeans. By the 1990s, the wider business had become a substantial fashion group, reportedly operating about 200 stores and 19 fashion labels for women and men. The scale of the group also brought financial exposure. The Sportsgirl Centre on Collins Street placed significant pressure on the company, and in 1994 banks moved to secure assets supporting the group’s loans. David Bardas consequently lost control, while South African company Truworths acquired a 90 percent interest. The group’s financial difficulties continued. Declining sales and rising losses led Truworths to stop funding the operation in 1999. The company entered voluntary administration in November of that year. During the restructuring in 2000, the principal retail brands were sold separately. Sportscraft was sold to Apparel Group, while Sportsgirl and David Lawrence went to different purchasers. The transaction separated Sportscraft from the original Bardas-controlled group and established the ownership structure under which the brand continued its later retail development. Sportscraft has been distributed through department stores as well as its own branded outlets. Its adult proposition has generally emphasized classic, polished, and versatile clothing, with women’s and men’s collections aimed primarily at consumers aged 25 and older. The brand later broadened its family offer, launching an expanded children’s and baby range in 2021. A notable later chapter was Sportscraft’s involvement with Australian Olympic apparel. In July 2019, it was chosen as official uniform supplier for the 2020 Australian Olympic Team. The brand designed uniforms for the opening ceremony and formal occasions. The appointment was identified as the eighth time Sportscraft had provided apparel for Australia’s athletes, reinforcing its association with nationally visible formal and occasionwear.
- 2021
Expanded children’s and baby range
[1]The brand expanded into children’s and baby apparel.
- 2019
Selected for Australian Olympic Team uniforms
[1]Sportscraft was appointed official uniform supplier for the 2020 Australian Olympic Team.
- 2000
Sportscraft sold to Apparel Group
[1]The core brands were separated and sold individually, with Sportscraft going to Apparel Group.
- 1999
Voluntary administration
[1]The wider business entered voluntary administration after declining sales, growing losses, and the withdrawal of Truworths funding.
- 1994
Control of the wider group changes
[1]Banks secured assets connected with the group’s loans, and Truworths acquired a 90 percent stake.
- 1987
Extra Clothing acquired
[1]Sportscraft acquired the Extra Clothing chain from Just Jeans.
- 1970
Menswear introduced
[1]Sportscraft expanded into menswear during the 1970s.
- 1960
Expansion into youth-oriented fashion
[1]During the 1960s, the business broadened its fashion offer toward younger consumers.
- 1959
David Bardas succeeds Morris Bardas
[1]After Morris Bardas’s death, David Bardas assumed leadership of the company.
- 1948
Sportscraft name adopted
[1]The business changed its name to Sportscraft to signal its focus on tailored casual clothing.
Products and positioning
Mid-to-upper-market Australian apparel with a classic, polished, and practical style.
Apparel · 1948
Women's clothing
Women’s clothing is central to Sportscraft’s historical identity. The range developed from tailored casualwear and has included skirts, shirts, trousers, and other polished separates. The proposition combines practical everyday wear with a more formal finish, reflecting the brand’s long association with classic Australian department-store fashion.
Apparel · 1970
Men's clothing
Sportscraft entered menswear during the 1970s. The category extends the brand’s tailored and understated aesthetic into men’s shirts, trousers, casual separates, and occasion-appropriate clothing. It forms one of the brand’s principal adult product areas alongside women’s apparel.
Apparel · 2021
Children's and baby clothing
An expanded children’s and baby range was introduced in 2021. The extension broadened Sportscraft’s family apparel offer beyond its established adult women’s and men’s categories.
Team apparel · 2019
Australian Olympic Team uniforms
For the 2020 Australian Olympic Team, Sportscraft designed opening-ceremony and formal uniforms. The assignment connected the brand’s tailoring and occasionwear capabilities with a nationally prominent sporting event.
Marketing campaigns
- 20192020 Australian Olympic Team uniform partnership
Australia
Sportscraft was appointed official uniform supplier for the Australian Olympic Team and designed the team’s opening-ceremony and formal uniforms.
Outcome. The partnership reinforced Sportscraft’s association with formal Australian apparel and marked the eighth reported occasion on which it supplied uniforms for Australian athletes.
Brand decisions
2019
Design uniforms for the 2020 Australian Olympic TeamProduct launchBackground
Sportscraft was selected as the official uniform supplier for Australia’s Olympic delegation.
Action taken
The brand designed the opening-ceremony and formal uniforms for the team.
Aftermath
The appointment gave Sportscraft a prominent national showcase for its formal and tailored apparel expertise.
2000
Separate and sell the core retail brandsM&ABackground
The wider fashion group entered voluntary administration after declining sales, mounting losses, and the withdrawal of Truworths funding.
Action taken
The core brands were sold individually, with Sportscraft transferred to Apparel Group.
Aftermath
Sportscraft continued as a distinct brand after the breakup of the earlier multi-label group.
1987
Acquire Extra ClothingM&ABackground
Sportscraft was expanding its retail footprint and broader fashion-group activities.
Action taken
The company acquired the Extra Clothing chain from Just Jeans.
Aftermath
The acquisition contributed to the group’s larger retail and brand portfolio during its later-1980s expansion.
Estimated acquisition price. Approximately A$30 million (Late 1987)
1948
Adopt the Sportscraft name and emphasize tailored casualwearStrategyBackground
The original Sportsleigh business was broadening from manufacturing and tailoring into branded retail.
Action taken
The company changed its name to Sportscraft and positioned the brand around tailored casual garments such as jodhpurs, slacks, skirts, and shirts.
Aftermath
The new identity supported the brand’s post-war retail growth and its reputation for polished but practical clothing.
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