AUSTRALIAN FASHION

In the ever-shifting landscape of fashion, where trends rise and fall with dizzying speed, the once-revered territory of vintage clothing is being quietly overshadowed by a mountain of newly manufactured, mostly lower-quality garments. As the industry churns out more product than ever, it leaves behind an unsettling legacy: in 2023 alone, the fashion world reportedly generated a staggering 97 million tons of waste. Of that total, 18 million tons were discarded textiles, 2.5 million tons comprised chemical waste and 3 million tons were packaging materials. Authentic, high-quality vintage pieces, on the other hand — rich with history and individuality, and representative of a high level of craftsmanship – are becoming harder to find, precipitating a looming sense of cultural loss.

“The most sustainable garment is one that’s already in circulation,” says Marina Testino, an activist and advocate for sustainable fashion. “With so much clothing in the world, relying on existing textiles such as vintage, preloved, second-hand, thrifted or upcycled items reduces the demand for newly produced fibres. Vintage is a key part of this solution.”

Fast fashion, on the other hand, by its nature churns out new collections constantly, encouraging consumers to buy into short-lived trends and discard garments after minimal wear. This cycle leaves little room for thoughtful fashion consumption and devalues vintage clothing, which represents the opposite of this throwaway culture. “Fast fashion dictates what’s in style so frequently that anything older than a season is deemed passé,” says the designer and painter Heidi Middleton, who founded the responsible-fashion and art atelier Artclub. “This mentality overlooks the timeless nature of well-made garments from past eras.”

“Fast fashion has certainly impacted the availability and appreciation of vintage clothing,” says Testino. “Unlike fast fashion, which can churn out endless quantities of ‘vintage-inspired’ items, vintage is inherently limited — you can’t recreate clothing from decades ago. This rarity gives vintage its unique value in a sea of mass-produced, throwaway pieces.” Middleton, for one, has observed a resulting devaluation of craftsmanship. “Vintage clothing has always held a strong place in my creative process — I reference detailing, silhouettes and moods from historical fashion when designing for Artclub,” she says. “It’s disheartening to see this artistry replaced by mass production.”

While fast fashion threatens the availability of vintage fashion by dominating retail spaces and flooding the few second-hand outlets with inferior garments, there is hope. Consumers’ growing emphasis on sustainability is steering the fashion industry towards a more conscious approach. While unsustainable practices have long been profitable, brands are increasingly recognising that future success depends on adopting more eco-friendly processes in order to stay relevant in an increasingly conscious marketplace.

“Repurposing clothes, mending imperfect garments, renting, swapping and loaning fashion are gaining momentum,” says Middleton. “I like incorporating this into my current design process at Artclub, where interactive garments, or styles that can be worn in several ways, are becoming more prevalent.” She notes how her own children are drawn to vintage pieces. “My daughters often mix vintage with modern pieces, reflecting the growing importance of vintage for both environmental and social reasons,” she says. Testino agrees: “I see the future of fashion evolving toward a more conscious industry. While some may dismiss sustainability as just another trend, I believe it reflects a deeper cultural shift. Today’s consumers are incredibly informed and they expect transparency from the brands they support.”

With social media helping to celebrate individual style, shoppers are starting to turn away from the rigid cycles of fast fashion, opting instead to mix high-quality vintage pieces with modern finds, creating looks that are distinctly their own. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok reward creativity and self-expression, empowering people to break free from fast fashion trends and embrace more sustainable, personal styles. “Just look at young people today — they’re tired of being told what to wear,” says Testino. “They’re more focused on developing their personal sense of style and using clothes as a means of self-expression.” Testino says vintage clothing’s authenticity is its advantage. “Vintage has the added benefit of staying on trend,” she says. “Fashion constantly draws inspiration from past eras, whether it’s the Y2K revival,’70s fringe or ’90s grunge. Vintage clothing offers an authentic, elevated way to participate in these trends while contributing to a more circular economy. On top of that, these pieces are generally more timeless and durable than their fast fashion counterparts. It’s a win-win.”

For brands, sustainability can involve extending the life of their products through take-back programs, repair services and platforms that promote resale and upcycling, ensuring garments stay in circulation longer. “These initiatives encourage creative reuse and promote accountability in fashion production,” says Testino. “They will also hugely benefit future second-hand markets by adding more high-quality, durable goods into the mix.”

Testino is optimistic. “The growing awareness of sustainability is reshaping the industry,” she says. “Brands are responding by investing in conscious solutions and consumers are more informed than ever. The balance will continue to shift as demand for accountability grows.” Middleton, meanwhile, offers some advice. “Invest in quality garments, whether they be from known designer houses or lesser-known but well-crafted pieces,” she says. “This is important for the longevity of garments and supports our need to wear natural, high-quality fabrics moving forward.” Vintage fashion’s value remains its irreplaceableness — it represents not just clothing but a connection to history, craftsmanship and personal style that transcends trends. In the face of fast fashion’s rapid churn, the growing demand for authenticity and sustainability may well be vintage fashion’s saving grace.

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The creative director position at a decades- or centuries-old fashion house is a dream gig for many, and one that calls for confidence. However, an equal, if not greater, measure of self-belief is required to court consumers under your own name, with your personal aesthetic defining the branding.

Amassing a strong local following for her cool-girl spin on classic wardrobe staples, the designer Courtney Zheng says her family’s experience in textile manufacturing — particularly denim — was a driving force in her professional journey. Zheng recalls spending her school holidays alongside her mother and father in their workshop, and while she flirted with the idea of a career in banking, she instead learned the family business. Courtney Zheng the label officially launched in 2023, with style signatures that include razor-sharp pleating, ankle-skimming hemlines, tailored waistcoats and a pared-back palette of black, grey and taupe, punctured with the occasional burgundy or teal.

Exposure to the nuts-and-bolts realities of clothing production led to Zheng’s “deeply pragmatic” approach to design. “I start with the feel and potential of fabrics, which then guide the design’s development,” she says of her process. Zheng’s “mostly androgynous and casual” approach to dressing heavily flavours her concepts, and she lists a well-cut suit, masculine silhouettes and hardware accents as fashion essentials. Treasured pieces from her personal wardrobe include a Rick Owens gown purchased for her year 12 school formal and a Saint Laurent Le Smoking jacket, patiently saved up for and bought around the same period. Both of those brands have muses who mirror her own: in her words, “strong sensual, and sophisticated”.

Despite her line of work, fellow designer Lesleigh Jermanus says she doesn’t take personal style too seriously. “There’s always a playfulness,” says the co-founder and creative director of the women’s ready-to-wear label Alémais, which was founded in 2020. “I love colour and great accessories. But above all, I have to feel comfortable.”

Jermanus’s personal taste echoes through her sustainably created collections — comfort, colour and a sense of whimsy are all markers of an Alémais piece. Jermanus cut her teeth on the design team of the Australian ready-to-wear brand Zimmermann. For her own label, she envisaged creating a contemporary wardrobe for an ageless, “spirited individual” looking to build their look with “pieces that bring a little bit of magic to getting dressed”. Attracting fans such as Gwyneth Paltrow and the “Bridgerton” star Nicola Coughlan, the label saw Jermanus win the prestigious National Designer Award in 2022. It also scored the coveted opening slot on the 2023 Afterpay Australian Fashion Week schedule for its debut runway presentation.

In terms of Australian summer trends, Jermanus points to the country’s strong connection to the environment. “Right here at home we have some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world and our daily interaction with nature, the ocean, the sunsets, the bush means that we have a more relaxed approach to life,” she says. “This laidback lifestyle influences the garments Australians reach for as wardrobe staples — easy silhouettes, natural fibres, pieces you can throw over swimwear and styles that are comfortable in our hot summers.” 

The natural world is equally inspiring to the designer Ryan Morrow. An alumnus of the renowned independent local labels Jac+Jack, P Johnson, Song for the Mute and Commas, Morrow spent years honing his perspective and craft under the names of other creatives. This year he debuts a namesake collection that articulates his own vision, representing “something that has been with me for as long as I can remember”. Morrow the brand keeps to a narrow focus, building a “quintessentially Australian presence” through a menswear range spanning technical outerwear, precision-cut trousers and gauzy shirting that feels at home both indoors and out. Its hues are earthy and industrial, and selected materials are woven for the elements — think Japanese all-weather cloth and specialty-dyed recycled nylons.

“I found myself finishing work [in the city] and jumping in a friend’s four-wheel-drive to go camping, jumping out in the Australian bush and being very aware of my clothing in these two environments,” says Morrow of the collection’s origins. “I loved the idea of connecting them through my design and simplifying the movement from the everyday to the outdoors.”

The collection’s light touch belies the designer’s fastidious attention to detail. “Thoughtful adjustments in width and length can go a long way in giving a piece a sense of ease,” says Morrow, who took the time to pattern-make his own designs, “testing the shapes and design details”.

Across the aesthetic divide sits the Sydney-based breakout talent Alix Higgins, whose designs sidestep the natural realm in favour of the digital. With famous fans including the “Euphoria” actor Hunter Schafer and the musician Grimes, an Alix Higgins runway show — brimming with slogan-covered separates, iPhone-captured prints and polka-dot motifs composed of the designer’s own fingerprint scans — is one of the most sought-after tickets at Afterpay Australia Fashion Week, with good reason. Higgins has the pedigree, having studied fashion and textiles at the University of Technology Sydney before undertaking a master’s in fashion at the prestigious Institut Français de la Mode in Paris and a stint as print designer at the renowned French label Marine Serre. He also has the accolades, including the Australian Fashion Laureate’s Emerging Designer of the Year award last October.

But it’s perhaps Higgins’s intimate approach to the design process that fuels the brand’s upward trajectory, the pieces being inspired by his own wardrobe. “My personal style always bleeds into the collections,” he says. “I have been obsessed with polos and flannos for the longest time,” he says of the classic preppy and Aussie flannel shirts. “This most recent collection featured them quite heavily. I also love short skirts and graphic tees, which have become a signature of mine.”

The Higgins universe is bright, propulsive, Tumblr-style tongue-in-cheek and, like a continuous scroll, ever-extending. With an eventual foray into denim, leather goods and bridalwear on the horizon, Higgins says he intends to “keep expanding the output in a more luxurious direction each season”.

The Resort ‘25 collections at Australian Fashion Week (AFW) showcased several notable themes. Metallics stood out at Acler’s show in the form of golden knee-high boots, while newcomer Rory William Docherty impressed with a high-shine bubble skirt. Pearls were draped around models at Emma Mulholland on Holiday‘s debut, and dripping from head pieces as part of Bella Davies‘s collection at FDS: The Innovators show. Meanwhile, sheer fabrics made their way into almost every runway.

The most impactful theme of the week, however, was the clever use of upcycled materials – showcasing the artistry behind Australian fashion but also its capacity for meaningful change.

Albus Lumen opened the week with its “Rebellion” collection drawing inspiration from the concept of rebirth. Designer Marina Afonina deconstructed archival pieces from the past nine years and reinvented them by distressing garments, dying fabrics and adding new elements. Pants were dip-dyed, sheer tops were tied in all directions and coats were adorned with pearls.

For emerging New Zealand fashion designer Rory William Docherty, “slow fashion” stands as a cornerstone of his craft, evident in his AFW debut. Docherty’s collection was a continuation of his previous designs using familiar offcuts and fabrications, to give new life to favoured pieces. Metallic pink pockets were stitched onto Levi jeans and accessories were made from alfoil cuts.

“The pieces in ‘Love Collateral’ transcend seasons, gender and age,” he tells T Australia. “The design ethos merge the poetic with the practical, expressing masculinity and femininity and blending grace and drama with the kind of easy pieces that have universal appeal.”

Ingrid Verner of Melbourne label Verner incorporated op shop finds into her ’70s surf culture-inspired collection. She utilised deadstock fabrics, capturing the essence of a classic Australian summer through hibiscus print shirts, striped T-shirts and a playful line of ugg boots and slippers created in collaboration with Australian label Ugg Express. 

“Memories, culture and a sense of the uncanny play an important role in ‘Blue Heaven,’” Verner tells T Australia. “But above all, inspiration has been drawn from an exploration of surroundings: the here, and now and the everyday.”

“A love for Australian op shops and exploring the line between the cherished and the discarded also help set the scene for this collection.”

Up-and-coming labels Speed and Injury both proved to be ones to watch, spearheading sustainable initiatives like made-to-order pieces and upcycling fabrics to reduce waste. However it was Jackie Galleghan, the founder and designer  behind Sydney label Madre Natura, that made the boldest statement of the week. Just moments before the show, she announced the collection she’d be sending down the runway would feature the exact same pieces from last year. Entitled “Last Season Collection,” each garment received a fresh interpretation. As part of the initiative, Madre Natura broadcasted the show live to a global audience on TikTok. 

Sustainable practices extended beyond the runway. Renowned Australian model, dancer, and actress Mimi Elashiry, a prominent figure in the fashion industry, unveiled a new project called Love Your Mama in collaboration with Celeste Tesoriero of Sonzai Studios. The duo are partnering with sustainably-conscious brands worldwide to advocate for their practices. AFW marked the debut, with Elashiry and Tesoriero wearing pieces by T.G Botanical from Ukraine, Daar Dahlia from Kyro and Soultys the Label in Sydney.

The Ugg Boots and slippers from Verner’s Resort ’25 collection are now up for auction, with all proceeds going towards mental health organisation Beyond Blue.

More expert Fashion coverage from T Australia:

• The T Australia List, Curated by Fashion Designer Emma Mulholland
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Raised in Lane Cove, Sydney, and now based in New York City, 29-year-old Nirui burst onto the fashion scene in 2015 when she began uploading pictures of her bootleg fashion creations to Instagram. Dubbed the “queen of fashion hijacking”, Nirui created rhinestoned asthma inhalers with fake Dior logos and Louis Vuitton-clad Barbie dolls, and soon amassed more than 200,000 Instagram followers (her handle is @avanope). Marc Jacobs hired Nirui in 2019 to co-create his Gen Z offshoot label, Heaven by Marc Jacobs. The brand specialises in the ’90s and early noughties staples that Nirui grew up obsessing over — shrunken baby-doll T-shirts, acid-wash denim jackets, raver-style platform boots — and has quickly won a cult following among “It” girls such as Bella Hadid, Olivia Rodrigo and Iris Law.

Although the label has a decidedly American feel (Nirui has collaborated with the alternative ’90s/noughties filmmakers Sofia Coppola and Gregg Araki on capsule collections), there are nods to Nirui’s Australian roots. She cites “lad and lass” culture — a once-prevalent Sydney fashion trend typified by oversized Champion jumpers and counterfeit designer handbags sourced at Paddy’s Markets — as a key influence on her aesthetic. And in 2019, she organised a creative partnership between Marc Jacobs and the Sydney-based artist Kyle Montgomery, in which a special selection of Montgomery’s artworks were sold at Jacobs’ Madison Avenue flagship store.

For Nirui, being Australian is intrinsic to her success, both directly and indirectly. Many local designers cite the physical distance between Australia and creative hubs such as London, Paris and New York as a source of inspiration and creativity, and Nirui is no different. “Growing up, I romanticised New York so much,” she says, referencing weekends spent hunched over back issues of Dazed & Confused magazine at the Borders bookstore in Sydney’s Macquarie Centre. “I often wonder if I’d had all this at my fingertips, would I have been less hungry for it?”

There is also a growing number of young Australian fashion school graduates making a name for themselves in Europe. Tyrone Dylan Susman graduated from RMIT in 2013, then spent months applying for design jobs at international houses, to no avail. In 2017 he decided to move to Paris, where a chance encounter at a museum with his idol, the avant-garde fashion designer Rick Owens, transformed Susman’s life overnight. The story, as 32-year-old Susman tells it, is that he walked straight up to Owens and asked him for a job. Owens, overwhelmed by the young man’s easy confidence, invited him to join the Rick Owens label as a fit model. Susman quickly became both a muse and protégé to the designer, opening his runway shows as a model, assisting him in the design process and eventually joining the tight-knit four-strong central team of Owenscorp, the company that Owens established in 2004. Susman now travels the world with Owens (the Melburnian’s Instagram account is filled with images of luxury hotels, cruises and snapshots with celebs). He’s also planning to launch his own brand under the Owenscorp umbrella. “It’s a dream come true for a boy from the other side of the world,” he told Harper’s Bazaar earlier this year.

Shannon Lewis is another Australian who beat the odds, finding a job in Paris’ elite world of high fashion. “It’s just not an expected thing when you’re studying fashion in Australia that you’re going to end up working in Europe,” says the junior knitwear designer at Maison Margiela. “In some ways I think you’re always over-performing, because you’re so aware and appreciative of how unlikely your situation is.”

Lewis, 28, graduated from the Queensland University of Technology in 2016 and was accepted to do her master’s at the illustrious École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs fashion school in Paris. “I was definitely the only Australian at the school,” she says. “My instructors said there was something that stood out as unique about my student designs because they were inspired by the Australian natural landscape.” Following a stint in the couture house of Schiaparelli, Lewis landed at Maison Margiela, the label headed up by the iconic designer John Galliano.

For a kid who grew up sketching Comme des Garçons runway looks from the pages of magazines, it’s nothing short of a dream come true. It’s a sentiment echoed by Isabella Jacuzzi, a fellow QUT student: “I didn’t even think working in fashion was possible. You just didn’t hear about people in Brisbane becoming designers.” Jacuzzi is now based in Amsterdam, where she is a designer at the fashion house Viktor & Rolf.

While studying in Brisbane, Lewis and Jacuzzi would stay up late crafting their student collections and discussing their dreams of eventually working in Europe. Among the students they shared studio space with was Michaela Stark, who was a couple of years above them at QUT. Yet another Australian powerhouse, Stark moved to London in 2017 and, through a fortuitous turn of events, found herself working for Beyoncé’s stylist, Zerina Akers. Stark created costumes for Beyoncé’s various projects, including her 2020 fashion and music extravaganza “Black Is King”, and now runs an eponymous label, producing couture undergarments crafted to accentuate the body in unexpected, often extreme ways. Stark’s fascination with the so-called “grotesque body” began while she was a student at QUT: her final-year collection featured pieces such as the Saggy Skin Dress and Fatroll Jumpsuit. Last year, one of Stark’s corsets featured on the March cover of Russian Vogue and she collaborated with Jean Paul Gaultier as part of a performance in Paris.

“It’s crazy, to me, to think about us as students working from the same little studio room at Kelvin Grove, dreaming about being able to work with these European brands,” says Jacuzzi. “QUT wasn’t considered one of the big fashion schools, and yet you have all of these designers who have carried the aesthetics they found at school in Queensland and have perfected and amplified them around the world.”

Lewis and Jacuzzi agree they were fortunate to begin their careers at a time when Australians were, to borrow a popular phrase, “killing it” overseas. In 2021, mass shake-ups at Condé Nast saw two millennial Australians take up illustrious roles: Margaret Zhang was appointed the editor in chief of Vogue China, and Megha Kapoor became the head of editorial content at Vogue India.
In the past decade, several other Australians have taken up plum jobs, including the London-based fashion consultant Yasmin Sewell; the former editor in chief of American InStyle Laura Brown; and Christine Centenera, the fashion director at Vogue Australia who founded the brand Wardrobe.NYC and has collaborated with the likes of Kanye West and the late Virgil Abloh (Centenera, in particular, has had a profound impact on the way modern women dress, with everyone from Kim Kardashian to Bella Hadid citing her as a style influence).

Then there’s the cohort of Australian brands such as Christopher Esber, Zimmermann, Ellery, Dion Lee and Alex Perry that have formed a kind of Australian new wave, finding mass popularity across the globe. Zimmermann and Dion Lee are now part of the New York Fashion Week schedule, while Kym Ellery has permanently moved her operations to Paris.

Multiple reasons have been given for this phenomenon: the quality of Australian textiles, above-average government funding and geographic isolation, which some believe breeds a signature creative energy. There’s certainly no doubt that the globalisation of fashion has helped get word of talented young Aussies out there in a way that was once far more difficult. The proliferation of social media and e-tail behemoths including Net-a-Porter and Matchesfashion.com means a new designer can be unearthed and sell out a collection within 24 hours. Plus, the “elevated casual” look that Australian designers tend to excel at — whether it’s the understated-yet-sexy glamour of Esber’s creations, or Ellery’s pared-back interpretation of structured Parisian chic — is becoming increasingly relevant in a world where the lines of work and play are bleeding into each other. But there’s something less tangible, too.

A sentiment expressed by everyone interviewed for this story is that Australians possess a tenacity that is unique and noticeable. “When I booked my one-way ticket, I’d never even been to New York,” says Nirui. “I had no job, it was totally impulsive. But I’m very much of the mindset that if you want to do something, you’ll find a way to do it. I was always busying myself with new projects and teaching myself new things. I do think there is something uniquely Australian about that.”

Lewis shares the same conviction — she landed in Paris to study her master’s without being able to speak French. “There’s so much that’s challenging when you arrive somewhere new that you tend to develop a part of you that can adapt to anything,” she says. “I’ve talked to many Australian friends who agree that we are very good at adapting in that way.”

Jacuzzi concurs: “I think we just inherently understand that no-one is going to give it to you on a platter, you’ve got to find a way to make it work.” She was in Paris when she was offered an interview for a Viktor & Rolf internship. She flew to Amsterdam the same day, then permanently moved to the city a week later. “I’m proud that [Australians] have this reputation as go-getters,” she says, “because it’s true.”

This is an edited extract from Issue 6. To read the full story, pick up a copy of our new issue in newsagents nationally, order online or subscribe to receive T Australia straight to your letterbox. You will find it on Page 80, named “Rags to Riches”.

As this issue of T Australia hits newsstands, local style setters will be gathering in Sydney for Australian Fashion Week. The event has a special resonance this year as it celebrates the resilience of an industry hit particularly hard by the pandemic. Last year’s Australian Fashion Week preceded extended lockdowns across the country that caused many manufacturing, wholesale and retail businesses to either downsize or permanently close.

The fashion industry is an integral part of the country’s economy, generating $27.2 billion per year and employing 489,000 Australian workers, 77 per cent of whom are women, according to a 2021 report by the Australian Fashion Council. While data on the effects of the pandemic on profits is scarce, an April 2020 Business of Fashion report estimated that the global fashion industry would suffer a 30 per cent year-on-year loss that year.

“Maintaining production in Australia is integral to our industry’s growth and development,” said Bianca Spender in an interview with The Guardian last August. (Her mother, the acclaimed designer Carla Zampatti, died tragically last year at the age of 78.) Spender will be leading the triumphant return of the industry, with her namesake label (now in its 13th year) awarded the prestigious opening slot on the fashion week runway. After two years of uncertainty and disruption, the key message of 2022 is that Australian fashion is back, and it’s stronger than ever.

One of the most surprising takeaways from those two years is how adept designers are at thriving amid chaos. Several new and emerging labels, such as All Is a Gentle Spring (set to debut at fashion week this year), Emma Pills and Erik Yvon, found international audiences with their Gen Z-friendly, highly TikTokable designs.

Meanwhile, Jordan Dalah, who graduated from the esteemed British design school Central Saint Martins in 2017, made his runway debut to much industry fanfare at last year’s fashion week, and counts Lara Worthington, Georgia Fowler and the music sensation Benee as fans. Commas, the resort line started by the Sydneysider Richard Jarman in 2017 and co-run by his wife, Emma Jarman, was invited to appear on the official 2020 Milan Fashion Week menswear schedule. The label subsequently won Australia’s National Designer Award in 2021.

This is an edited extract from our newest edition. To read the full story, pick up a copy of our new issue in newsagents nationally, order online or subscribe to receive T Australia straight to your letterbox. You will find it on Page 80, named “Rags to Riches”.