Beare Park's co-founder and creative director Gabriella Pereira. Photograph courtesy of Beare Park. Cast your mind back to Australian Fashion Week 2021: it’s a cool Wednesday afternoon at the Sydney Opera House, and the Abbotsleigh Girls Choir performs a beautiful rendition of “Song to the Siren” in the forecourt. The scene is quintessentially Sydney, setting the stage for Australian label Beare Park’s debut on the runway. In hindsight, it was a perfect introduction.
The label, co-founded by friends Gabriella Pereira and Angela Krantz, has since emerged as a leader among Australian slow fashion labels, known for its elevated tailored pieces. Every garment is designed in the same city where it mades its debut, and crafted in limited runs by a close-knit community of master tailors and makers in Sydney and Melbourne.
If you weren’t already familiar with Beare Park’s elegant silk gowns, felt coats, and signature blazers, there’s a chance you spotted the brand earlier this year. The CommBank Matildas, Australia’s star women’s soccer team, made a strong statement, wearing personalised off-field Beare Park suits before their two-nil victory over China PR in front of a record home crowd at Sydney’s Accor Stadium (we’re convinced the statement ‘fits gave them the confidence for such a stellar win).
T Australia caught up with the label’s co-founder and creative director Gabriella Pereira to reflect on Beare Park’s journey since its 2021 debut, and to share her recommendations for a T Australia List.
How significant was it for you to dress the Matildas team, and can you share the story behind how that design was created?
Dressing the Matildas was a major moment for Beare Park! I still pinch myself that it happened. The Matildas are peerless in the way that they have positively influenced Australian sport and the inspiration they provide — especially for women. It was a supreme privilege to be able to provide the players with a custom Beare Park suit.
We had numerous conversations with the players themselves and Football Australia about what they wanted from their Official Formalwear and how they wanted to feel when wearing it. We were lucky enough to meet with all the players in the early stages of developing the suits and were able to show them our different shapes and fabrics.
We then secured 100 metres of a deep navy wool twill (crafted from 100 per cent Australian Merino Wool), which featured a golden pinstripe from one of our family-owned suppliers in Melbourne. We knew the fabric could not be replicated and so it was exclusively ours. It felt like the most perfect fabric for the uniforms as there was just enough to make the suits for the CommBank Matildas.
What local designers or collections are you currently coveting right now?
I love Albus Lumen and Nagnata for activewear.
Is there an underrated food spot in Sydney that you particularly love?
I really love Zinc in Potts Point for breakfast and lunch. The atmosphere is unpretentious, and the food reminds me of very good home cooking – produce and flavours are always so fresh. There is a slight traditional British influence with corned beef hash and a sensational smoked trout Kedgeree sitting permanently on the menu. Definitely my favourite Sydney brekkie spot (good coffee too).
Where is your ideal holiday destination right now, and why?
I am very fortunate in that I get to travel internationally very frequently with my work. I think my next ideal holiday destination would be somewhere in Australia that perhaps I could drive to, with my dog and relax for a couple of weeks. Maybe a farm stay somewhere like Orange or Mudgee with lots of countryside walks, play a bit of tennis and enjoy a few slow winery visits.
Do you have a favourite album or book, or have you recently discovered something new that you’ve enjoyed?
Music is a huge part of my life and am forever obsessed with Anohni and the Johnsons. In July 2023 they released a new album: “My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross”, I’ve had it on repeat almost constantly since its release. That’s a standout album that comes immediately to mind.
