Tag: Australian fashion

Melbourne brand Dominique Healy is ethical, sustainable, elegant and ageless

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Elegant, seasonless, and ageless, the work of Melbourne based designer Dominique Healy has a built up a dedicated fan base of customers since she launched her eponymous brand in 2017. 

With 10 years as a fabric wholesaler in both Australia and New Zealand, if there’s one thing the designer is known for, it is high quality, beautiful fabrics. It was this background that was the impetus for the launch of the brand as the designer began stashing and storing the materials she came across. 

Alongside her love for fabric, Healy was also committed to creating clothing that support and promoted local and ethical clothing production, as she writes on her website. The brand’s mission statement clearly shows the designer’s focus: “Trans-seasonal pieces. Released slowly. Made in-house in our Melbourne studio.”

“Each garment is carefully considered and constructed locally from high-quality fabrics, all made to stand the test of time,” states the website.

Elegant, seasonless, ageless

The Dominique Healy aesthetic is a mix of classic shapes like wide-leg pants, pencil skirts, and blouses with textured fabrics and more fashion-forward proportions. She does a spectacular poet-style sleeve. 

It’s also interesting that the designer uses an older fit model front and center in her shoots and lookbooks, clearly welcoming the dollar of the more mature buyer. Equally interesting is that the exact same pieces are shown on both the older, and younger models; again showing a more inclusive attitude. 

While the natural tones of the fabrics – think white, cream, black – give off a somewhat Scandianivan furniture vibe, the slightly bulky fabrics create a rounded, soft texture to the brand’s pieces. 

Healy’s most recent collection was all about matching sets that have the comfortable feel of a sweatsuit but the elegance of a traditional suit due to the use of thick cotton fabrics and classic cuts. 

Ethical and Sustainable Production

The majority of the Dominique Healy garments are made in her Melbourne studio, while the rest is produced at an Melbourne factory that is ethically accredited. 

Healy strongly believes that production needs to be kept local in order to not only support the Australian fashion industry, but she also feels that otherwise, “a part of the magic of the fashion industry could be lost altogether”.

An added benefit of keeping production local is the ability to produce short runs per style, reducing waste, and to also move to a ‘made to order’ model after the initial garments are sold, again ensure there is little to no wasted stock.

The garment patterns are also designed in such a way as to reduce fabric wastage. The brand’s popular Bella Blouse uses 95% of the fabric allowance to make, and Healy continues to work on ways to decrease fabric wastage with all her patterns.

Another way the designer works to be more sustainable, is to use a majority of deadstock fabrics sourced from Japan, Hong Kong, France, Italy, Australia and New Zealand, where her previous life as a fabric wholesales comes in handy.

Linen used for the brand’s classics range is produced by mills that are OEKO-TEX certified, meaning they meet a set of international regulations for the responsible use of chemicals. 

While Healy has obviously created a fashion business that already follows a number of ethical and sustainable processes, the designer states that she will continue to incorporate “more sustainable and earth friendly materials into her collections”.

You can buy Dominique Healy online at dominiquehealy.com, and follow the brand on Instagram at @dominique_healy.

Ankoa, the Australian slow fashion brand ‘celebrating life and all it has to offer’

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As the world continues to feel less and less safe, there has been an increase in searches for, and sales of, fashion items that bring a sense of comfort. Nostalgia for the times ‘before’, the golden ages of previous centuries when anything seemed possible, is popping up all over the place. 

Whether it was the 1910s, or the 1970s, the desire for a light, pretty dress made of fine fabrics with lace and floral details is a trend that has come full circle in 2020. Concepts like #cottagecore, handcrafts, handmade, natural materials, floral prints, delicate detailing and classical, forgiving silhouettes can be seen in many designers’ work. 

The Strawberry Midi Dress by Lirika Matoshi is perhaps the most famous dress of the year; so famous that popular social media influencers are making their own. The search for ‘prairie dress’ gets you 55,200,000 results on Google. 

What’s really interesting is that the bulk of these results are not for major fashion brands, but from small independent designers, or even home sewists, who are looking to create clothes that are not only pretty, but comforting and designed for real women to wear. Clothing that is a bulwark against the stresses of a world pandemic and all that it brings. 

All of this means that designers who have always created seasonless, trendless, slow fashion clothing are coming into their own. One of these is Australian designer Lucy Blair with her brand Ankoa. 

Based in rural Australia, Lucy studied fashion at RMIT TAFE and worked in the commercial side of the fashion industry for a number of years, learning what she needed to know about how the market and industry operates in Australia. She also ran her own small, independent brand at the same time “making plenty of mistakes in what was a very different landscape, online shopping was only just starting out at that point”. 

Lucy admits that while she loved what she was doing, she also started to see the cracks in the industry’s walls. “This was a time where I was very much captivated by the glamour of the industry and at this point ethical fashion wasn’t something that was really spoken about and was not something that was ever part of my curriculum studying,” explains Lucy.

Eventually she moved back to the country, drawn to a slower pace of life and a more considered way of producing fashion. 

“Ankoa was something that I gradually started, around six years ago working part time and then once I had children found a whole new drive and passion to create,” says Lucy. 

“The initial concept for Ankoa came from a love for hand blocked Indian cotton fabric. The fabric is created by carving wooden blocks and then dipping them in dye to create a unique print by hand.”

“I fell in love with the beauty of this ancient art and wanted to find a way to support and celebrate it. Initially I was going to make men’s shirts but ended up crossing over to women’s wear as that was my real passion. 

“Once that happened it became about ‘celebrating life and all it has to offer’, making pieces that pull you further into moments so in terms of slow I guess that was always an underlying component but has developed further, as has the aesthetic.”

Lucy’s style is a mix of romanticism, traditional femininity, and a sense of womanhood. Motherhood made a major impact not only on Lucy’s thoughts about creating slower, more sustainable fashion, but also on her designs. Many of her dresses and tops are designed to make breastfeeding easier, for example. 

Rich colours and delicate prints on cotton mix with soft fabrics like velvet in her Winter collection; shapes are flattering with added volume for easy movement. These are very pretty clothes, with details like ruffles and lace that hark back to either the 70s hippie dresses or the floaty shirtwaists of the Edwardian era. 

Each garment is a little bit different due to the use of hand printing using blocks in the traditional Indian style. The production runs are also small ensuring there is little to no waste, creating garments that are meant to last, and be handed down like heirlooms.

The battle for Sustainability

These days words like ‘sustainability’, ‘ethical consumerism’, ‘slow fashion’ etc are thrown around with abandon, and in many cases with little understanding. ‘Everyone knows’ that the fashion industry has to become more ‘sustainable’, but few brands understand what this actually means, let alone know how to implement the required changes. 

For a small, independent brand like Ankoa, the issue of sustainability is multilayered; a battle to continuously improve. 

“In terms of sustainability, so much has changed in the last six years and it is something to celebrate but has also been a battle,” explains Lucy.  “When I say battle, I grew up believing that we could do anything, be anything but suddenly what I wanted to do seemed so damaging and for a long time I felt really lost and unsure of what to do. 

“So yes, [sustainability] has always been a focus because I made the decision to do it, but do it in a way that I felt comfortable, so that the people who I work with are paid properly, making very small quantities of pieces with a focus on quality and natural fibres, and hoping that the Ankoa woman chooses one dress over 20 cheap throw away dresses to last. 

“The focus on sustainability is something that continues to change, I am not perfect and there are still so many improvements to be made but it is something that I feel strongly about as the brand grows.”

While admitting that being a sustainable and ethical fashion brand is always a work in progress, Lucy does feel positive about the future of the industry. 

“Given that even ten/fifteen years ago, sustainability was not really something that was much of a consideration, I am excited and hopeful for the future. I think that there have been lots of positive changes in the last five years in particular, so I can only imagine how many great things might happen in the next five to come,” says Lucy.

“I also hope that people’s thinking is slowly changing and people want to know what the story is behind the clothes and also making conscious choices opting for pieces to wear for years rather than once or twice and throw away. I am also really excited about the future of recycled fashion/fabric and feel this is an area that has huge potential for growth.”

Positivity in the Pandemic

It has to be said that the retail industry, particularly the fashion retail space, has been massively impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. While a few items like sweatpants and masks might be doing huge sales online, for creative fashion brands things have been less rosy. After all, who needs a ballgown right now? 

However, smaller, more nimble brands like Ankoa have been able to react quickly to market changes, and have also seen customers’ behaviour change as well. 

“I believe the pandemic has highlighted a few different things. It has caused many of us to slow down and focus on what’s important and how little we need, I hope this also fuels the desire to choose quality over quantity,” says Lucy. 

“I would also love to see some more manufacturing options here in Australia, I love supporting and working with my team in India who I hope to continue to work with but I would also very much love to do some more work here too.”

Ankoa was naturally impacted by the arrival of Covid19, says Lucy: “When things first started I went from being consistent to absolute crickets.” However she also saw a slow return to sales with fluctuations based on newly released items. She says that she remains nervous – Lucy had thought she might have to close the brand earlier on – but now hopes that things will continue to get better.

Onwards and upwards … 

While Lucy remains passionate about continuing Ankoa, particularly in relation to supporting her current team and continuing her love of traditional Indian hand block printing, she would also like to be able to produce her garments in Australia too.

“… Before children I was making a lot myself but for now it is near impossible having little people around. Once my littlies are off to school then I hope I am able to get back to making in some way and to potentially find a way to produce within my local community, in a way that has a positive impact,” says Lucy.

“I would like to keep the brand relatively small, it’s a business of heart and not something that I want to become huge and unmanageable, I would like to find a way to just live a relatively quiet life with family and enjoy creating in a way that is helpful and sustainable.”

You can buy Ankoa online at www.ankoa.com.au and follow the brand on Instagram at @ankoaau

Handcrafted, sustainable artisan knitwear from Amano by Lorena Laing

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Lorena Laing is a Melbourne ‘fashion artist’ who launched Amano by Lorena Laing as a way to share her handcrafted artisan-style knitwear with the public. The brand is all about ethical and sustainable knitwear, and works with one of the last knitting mills still operating in Australia. 

Every product is handcrafted in Australia, and the whole company is dedicated to working with local producers, artisans, craftspeople and artists. The brand also locally sources its materials, manufacturing and packaging locally, stating it feels a “responsibility to preserve and pass on [ageing artisanal skills] to future generations”. 

Due to its artisanal nature, Amano creates clothing items that are more like bespoke, one-off artworks. The design concept is based around the individuality of handmade production, and the core concept is that no two pieces are exactly the same. The overall style will be the same, but the colours, details and specifics will be different. 

Traditional production techniques like loom weaving, crochet and needle knitting are combined with the small run manufacturing of the traditional knitting mill to create the various garments. Natural materials like alpaca and high quality wool are used to ensure that the pieces last. 

“The Alpaca fibre I work with is local and ethically sourced from Peru. The skilled artisans who weave and knit my designs are locals and it is important to me to focus on keeping my collections local and one hundred percent natural,” writes Laing.

Amano is very much about ‘slow fashion’. The brand wants the garments to be used, worn, and handed down, ideally to become family heirlooms.

“Amano takes great pride in hand-crafting its pieces with locally sourced materials, have zero waste and are crafted and packaged locally. We are aware of our carbon footprint, of our struggling manufacturing industry and our aging artisanal skills. We feel a responsibility to preserve these and ensure they exist for future generations.” 

To help with controlling waste, for the brand’s ready-to-wear capsule collection Laing uses CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software to map out the garments in minute detail to reduce wastage. 

While there is definitely a handmade ‘craftiness’ to the Amano aesthetic, you also see the influence of Japanese knitwear designers like Yuko Shimizu and Reiko Kuwamura in the voluminous shapes, as well as early Rick Owens open-work knits, and even the delicacy of the work by textile artists like Chris Motley and Gjertrud Hals.

The use of muted colours – neutrals, blacks, greys and warm browns – ensures that these garments are not trend focused. The oversized shapes also mean that Amano knitwear suits all body types and sizes. 

Amano by Lorena Laing garments are not cheap, they are handmade after all, but they are not as expensive as you would imagine. One of these knits will last you for years, so the cost per wear is definitely worth the investment. 

You can shop Amano by Lorena Laing online at lorenalaing.com, and once the coronavirus restrictions are over you can visit the atelier located at 631 Rathdowne Street Carlton North, Victoria, Australia. The designer also holds one-on-one styling sessions where you get a personal introduction to the garments from Laing, and you can also commission bespoke garments.

Jonathan Liang: Adaptable, provocative, combatively feminine fashion

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Designer Jonathan Liang launched his eponymous label in 2014 with the goal of creating clothes for women that were “adaptable, provocative yet combatively feminine”, he wished to juxtapose his “world of dreams” with clothes that women could actually wear in their daily lives. 

Although he launched his Paris-based label long before the current disruption to the fashion industry that is 2020, Liang didn’t have it easy. For decades there has been too much fashion circulating the globe. With new brands popping up on social media almost daily, being able to stand out, with a distinct creative voice, and actually making enough money to stay in business is not easy.

Originally from Malaysia, Liang has worked for a number of major fashion brands, including Givenchy and Surface to Air, and presumably this background enabled him to have a better understanding of the vagaries of setting up an independent fashion label. 

Still, to have survived for over six years is not bad in an industry as rife with fashion failures as it is with successes. 

While you can describe the brand as international, it is its connections to Australia and Asia which has assisted Liang in growing a following outside of the traditional European and American markets. Which is doubly helpful now that the rest of the world is slowly eating itself alive due to the economic and social impact of the Coronavirus, Covid19. 

On top of this most unexpected of disasters, the entire fashion world has been slowly awakening to the issues of sustainability, ethical production, waste and customers’ desires to buy less and practice conscious consumerism more broadly. 

Sustainability and Covid19

So how does a relatively young, contemporary womenswear label navigate these additional issues while hard up against global competitors? Liang says the impact of Covid19 has changed the way he designs, and even touched some of the concepts of the brand’s aesthetic while keeping its underlying values intact. 

“In terms of design, we’ve moved to prioritise comfort above all else. Ever since the pandemic, we believe people are looking for something more comforting not only physically but mentally as well,” explains Liang.

“It hasn’t changed the way we create, it was a lot of asking ourselves, does this feel good on our skin but in [the] context of the new world we [are moving into]? The business of fashion has definitely changed as a whole, and we’re constantly adapting whilst maintaining our core design principles.”

As for the growing movement towards more sustainable and ethical clothing production, Liang says he has always taken this into consideration when designing and producing the brand. 

“We are always thinking about sustainability, not just [for] the environment but sustainability in the business as a whole alongside governance too,” says Liang.

“We do what we can to ensure as small an [environmental] impact as possible, like controlling production quantity, types of fabric, and designs that require very low, to almost no wastage.”

Liang also says that the company has always practiced ethical employment but ensuring that its makers and staff had a “strong standard of living from day one”.

A Wild Garden

Liang’s latest collections have all been influenced by nature, with the concept of a “romantically carefree landscape filled with dramatic creatures” visible throughout. 

Flowers feature heavily, not as garish patterns and prints, but more as an aesthetic backdrop to the clothes which are soft, voluminous and romantic. Lace details combined with girlish/boyish cuts create a modern Edwardian vibe. 

While pretty and rather #cottagecore in concept, Liang’s current collection includes pieces perfect for the workplace; should we ever return. Clever use of more masculine fabrics cut into shirt-dress shapes with asymmetric detailing neatly blends the boy-girl aesthetic. 

Liang’s original inspiration for Fall Winter 2020 – “floral installations on the streets of New York and JeanLuc Godard’s 1966 Masculin Féminin” – can clearly be seen in the various pieces from the collection with silk joggers worn under slips and topped with manish blazers. 

The brand’s fabrics are a glorious explosion of all things delicate and beautiful – organza, tulle, lace, silk, silk-jersey, and Broderie Anglaise. Peachy pinks, white, soft lilacs and greys are offset with black and white in the current season’s colour palette for Spring Summer 2020. Quality detailing and manufacturing ensure the clothes are beautifully made with a sense of timeless handcraft about them.

The SS20 collection was inspired by the work of artist Jim Hodges who is known for his mix of hard and soft in conceptual works. This inspiration “becomes obvious in the Slinger jacket series, tailored jackets with detachable Broderie Anglaise aprons”, says Liang. More multi-functional mixes can be seen in the Stiker dress, it comes as five separate pieces that can be worn alone, or together for a range of looks and occasions. 

Liang also highlights the delicate printed sheer garments that were inspired by Hodges’ 1997 ‘With the Wind’, suggesting they be worn over t-shirts to “perfectly embody the spirit of the everyday Jonathan Liang woman”.

Fashion’s Future 

The pretty, wearable clothes of the Jonathan Liang label manifest a nostalgic wish for the time before Covid19, when having picnics – or brunch at a hip cafe – was an everyday occasion. 

Where will we be wearing these delicate, feminine pieces in the future? Will we be willing to spend our dwindling cash on them? I’m guessing that yes, women with a sense of romance, softness, and wishful thinking will gladly take Liang’s offerings to heart, if only for the nostalgic comfort they bring. 

As for the brand, Liang agrees that the fashion industry has undergone somewhat of an upheaval, but is unsure yet where the future will land. 

“… It is very much dependent on each brand’s customer mindset and where they’re at too … thus we’re prioritising slower fashion that stands the test of time.”

You can shop Jonathan Liang online at society-a.com/brand/jonathan-liang/, or go to www.jonathan-liang.com/stockists.

Sexy, boho, feminine glamour from Sydney brand Leo & Lin

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Sydney-based luxury womenswear brand Leo & Lin has a very sexy-boho-feminine aesthetic with an emphasis on creating original prints. Founder and creative director, Leo Lin, makes the most of his love for his new home, Australia, by delving into a variety of artistic and cultural concepts.

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Lin describes his brand as “Modernistic Nostalgia” explaining that it is a style that “perfectly resonates through time, mixing modern and the past era design elements”. What this means exactly is unclear, but it is interpreted via a combination of tailoring, leisurewear shapes, and bits of floof – ruffles and draping, handkerchief skirts and a touch of Victoriana in the use of lace details. 

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The Leo & Lin look can kind of be described as something a boho princess would wear. Fabrics range from silk-linen mixes, lace, linens, and spandex, and the pricing is firmly in the contemporary range with dresses costing from around AU$400 up to AU$700 or more depending on the materials used. 

What is most interesting about the pieces is the use of original prints. Lin creates a series of new prints for each seasonal collection, based on his source of inspiration. For the Spring Summer 2020 collection entitled Rebellious, Lin was inspired by a nighttime stroll. 

“Creative Director Leo Lin looked up and saw wondrous stars blinking ‘I’ve always been mesmerised by the beauty of Australian night sky, it is just pure magic and serenity’. It is this Aussie magic that led him to the world of tarot cards, and the creation of the Spring Summer 20 REBELLIOUS collection,” states the collection description on the brand’s website. 

This concept was further translated as creating “a unique world that fills the wearer with this sensational, celestial space”, as well as the addition of another theme, that of the “conflicting concepts of Astronomy and Christianity”. 

That’s a lot of ideas going on in one collection. What it translated to in the prints was placing a star chart print on top of an image of cathedral glass to create the central print, called The Baroque. Additional prints like The World features a lion’s head; The Lover is a mix of snakes, a woman, and a cross; Starry Night is a print that mixes all the others up with a celestial map. 

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The colours range from monochrome black and white, to dark browns, and a pale yellow, and they are all printed on silk, linen and cotton. An additional pattern and texture is added via the use of a checked shiny vinyl fabric – described as adding a sense of juxtaposition. 

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Does it all work? Yes, for the most part. The Leo & Lin brand could be described as being an acquired taste for some, it is more nostalgic than neutral, more maximalist than minimalist, and very definitely shows some links to the rising Victorian aesthetics showing up on social media thanks to movements like #cottagecore. 

Is this a sustainable fashion brand? Hmmm … hard to say. There is not a lot of information available about where the products are made, or by whom. Nor is there any information about sustainable practices in-house or packaging or delivery. It could perhaps be described as being ‘slow fashion’, but again, this is unknown since it is not clear on how many products are produced per collection. 

Still, Leo & Lin is an interesting outlier in the Australian fashion market. Less organic and girly, more sexy and womanly; dare I say even glamorous.

You can shop Leo & Lin online at www.leoandlin.com/collections/shop-all.

 

Goth in the Sun: Australian designer Gail Sorronda

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In my recent Instagram browsing I have been coming across a lot of interesting fashion brands, some I know of, and others that are new to me. 

One of these is Gail Sorronda, a Brisbane-based designer whose eponymous brand has been worn by a bunch of famous people like Winona Ryder and Lorde. Sorronda was also apparently described by no less than Karl Lagerfeld as “one to watch”. 

All this information was gleaned from various Australian media reports as unfortunately Sorronda was unavailable for an interview, as she is “just really selective with interviews” according to her husband and business partner Atlas Harwood, who is also famous for playing bass for post-punk brood band, Gazar Strips.

Still, despite the lack of access, and the dearth of information on the brand’s website, I’m still excited enough about Sorronda’s work to spend time writing up this article.  

Sorronda launched her label in 2005 at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney, with an aesthetic that is “ethereal, dark, romantic” according to the designer in an interview published earlier this year. Her collections are named for her obsessions – Holy Water, Oh My Goth! and Angel at My Table (her graduate collection) – and obviously swing towards the gothic. Which, of course, is why I was so attracted to the brand in the first place. 

After launching in Australia, the designer worked in Paris from 2008, where her work was chosen to be featured by Dolce & Gabbana to feature in its Milan boutique, before returning to Brisbane – the capital of Australia’s sunshine state, Queensland – and establishing an independent boutique and atelier. Sorrondo’s penchant for the theatrical has also seen her work with Queensland Ballet and Expressions Dance Company designing costumes. 

While there isn’t an obvious sustainable or ethical focus in her production, Sorrondo does fit neatly into the Slow Fashion Movement.

“I prefer for pieces to be timeless. That is how I value good design. I think major trends can echo what is happening in society at the time just like music and other modes of the arts can. I just have a problem with fashion’s ceaseless cycle of replacement operating on planned obsolescence, artificially inducing trends, in a unsustainable and economically insatiable way,” Sorronda said in a recent interview.   

The brand’s garments are manufactured in Australia for the most part, from a range of luxury, internationally sourced fabrics. The designer is also in favour of supporting local artisans, as she stated in that same interview that supporting ‘local’ meant “thoughtfully buying locally designed and made products”.

As for the garments themselves, there is a definite hint of Japanese cult Lolita styling in the most recent collection – black and white, bonnets, capes of lace and voluminous sleeves all echo the mid-Victorian era stylings of the genre. 

There is, however, a delicacy to Sorronda’s pieces due to the quality of the construction and lightness of the fabrics, particularly when combined with a sense of transparency that is visible in the garments that bare more skin. 

Yes, this is another brand that would fit quite neatly into the #cottagecore aesthetic, but I prefer to think of it as a softer, more romantic version of Victorian Goth; plus the garments in white and at shorter lengths make it more appropriate for warmer climates.  

You can buy Gail Sarronda online at www.gailsorronda.com. 

 

Erik Yvon: Colourful, ethical, sustainable

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BLOG Australia fashion label Erik Yvon MAIN

Ethical and sustainable fashion, like all trends and styles, has begun to settle into a series of expected norms; organic cotton, neutral and natural shades, prairie dresses, cable knits and a somewhat ‘earth mother’ vibe. 

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But it doesn’t have to be that way. The work of Melbourne-based designer Erik Yvon is a fabulous example of design overcoming the expected norms. Yvon uses bright colours, strong prints and unique textures inspired by his Mauritian origins, to create clothes that are joyful, inspired by art and culture, and dedicated to sustainable and ethical production.

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“As an independent label we firmly believe in making a change and strengthening our local industry by keeping our production, onshore, transparent and ethical,” writes Yvon. “We are mindful of the footprint we have on our surroundings and try to have a positive impact on the community within our supply chain.”

The brand stocks limited runs of different pieces, and produced made-to-order so as to reduce waste. Yvon also produces all of his products in Melbourne, supporting local industry businesses and working with various communities.

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“We pride ourselves on being made in Melbourne and work closely with local suppliers,” writes Yvon on the brand’s website, listing the local businesses they work with.

The Erik Yvon look is an interesting mix of streetwear comfort, and over the top avant garde use of colour, texture and pattern. There is a strong gender neutral thread running through the brand, particularly in its use of separates – tops and pants that can be worn by guys, girls, anyone. The style is also relatively size inclusive, with generous cuts and the use of volume creating flattering shapes for most body types.

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There is a touch of the 90s in the brand’s designs too – particularly the use of legging type trousers, tights and black and white geometric patterns. Strong colours like neon yellow and hot pink are softened by the use of more natural shades, but the feel is one of sunny days and parties on the beach. 

To shop Erik Yvon, go to erikyvon.com

6 sustainable Australian swimwear brands to discover

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Yes. Australia is the home of budgie smugglers, togs and swimmers. Just about everyone, no matter their age or size, has a pair of bathers in the cupboard. Some of us have entire swimwear wardrobes of up to hundreds of pairs. 

But, swimwear – particularly the fabrics they’re made from – are not particularly environmentally friendly. Most swimmers are basically made of plastic. 

With most of us now becoming aware of the issues surrounding sustainable clothing production, the need for sustainable swimwear has become a bit of a hot topic. 

There are a number of smaller Australian brands that have focused on creating swimwear in a more sustainable, or eco-friendly way – they use recycled nylon, or nylon made from recycled sea plastic, or reuse fabric waste. In their different ways, with their different styles, these brands are filling a gap in the market.

Camp Cove Swim

If you love colours and prints, Camp Cove Swim is a brand you’ll get excited about. The cuts are forgiving with high-waist bottoms and supportive tops in pretty graphic patterns and a range of colours from muted neutrals to bright primary shades. 

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The lining of the swimsuits are made of Econyl – a regenerated nylon made from fishing nets and landfill waste – and the prints are done using the sublimation printing process that uses no water at all to dye fabric. 

The brand also manufactures all their garments in a small town on the coast of New South Wales, and uses in-house scraps for their samples, and they on-sell their excess fabrics to local fabric stores. 

Check out the brand at www.campcoveswim.com

Salt Gypsy

This is a swimwear brand that’s all about surfing. The style and designs are functional – think rash tops, surf leggings, high-waisted bottoms, supportive tops and waterproof pouches – they also produce surfboards. 

The garments are made from Econyl, they use biodegradable packaging and produce the pieces in Australia using responsible manufacturing practices. 

Salt Gypsy started out in 2012 with the aim to develop the surf leggings for women surfing; and continues to be focused on creating a closed loop production system using ‘repolymerised’ waste materials and supporting the slow fashion movement.

Check out the brand at www.saltgypsy.com

Shade Swim

If you’re as scared of the harmful rays of the sun as I am, you need to check out Shadeswim. The brand was created by a young mother who suffered from skin cancer, and who wanted to create swimwear for adult women that is more covered up, and with a high level of sun protection. 

In Australia it is basically a law that children now have to wear full-coverage swimwear ie. rash tops etc, and full-coverage hats with neck protection at schools and public swimming events.

Shade Swim’s designs are not trendy, but they are comfortable and flattering for women of all ages and body types, they protect your skin and are made from a type of sustainable Lycra that is UPF 50+.

Check out the brand at www.shadeswim.com.au

Re-Swim Club

Yes, you can upcycle and reuse swimwear fabric according to Re-Swim Club, a swimwear brand that creates its garments out of what would otherwise be considered waste fabric. 

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The brand sources designer surplus, recycled materials, remnants and off-cuts to create limited run swimwear. All the pieces are hand cut and hand sewn to make the most of every little scrap of fabric. 

The swimsuit cuts come in classic styles like tank two-pieces and simple one-piece malliots, and since the fabrics change all the time, there are limited numbers of each piece. Interestingly the brand categorises its products by size – so you shop your size first and then see what is available. This makes sense considering the irregular amounts of each particular fabric. 

Check out the brand at www.reswimclub.com.au

Le Buns

Yes, this swimwear is designed to make your bum look good. If you’re looking for something a little sexy and love solid colour swimwear, check out Le Buns. 

These swimwear designs are a bit more on trend than some of the others, but there is a classic feel that makes sure you will have longevity from your swimsuit. The cuts of the bottoms are also a bit more revealing than more covered-up brands, for those who want to show off a bit more. 

The brand pays attention to its supply chain, using suppliers with sustainability and transparency credentials for ethical production. Le Buns also uses biodegradable packaging or home compost grade mailer bags for its online shipping, and even gives you a free wash bag so you take care of your swimwear in the washing machine so it lasts longer and you don’t need to replace it. 

Check out the brand at lebuns.com.au

Shapes in the Sand

This eco conscious swimwear brand is all about Australian nature, from the prints to the styles. Using sustainable and recycled fabrics, Shapes in the Sand produces limited runs – two or so prints per season – in a range of cuts that have been designed to suit all ages and body types. 

Like many Australian swimwear brands, every collection comes with a rash top – the cover-up of the Aussie beach – and different styles of bottoms depending on how much, or how little you want to show. The prints are based on the natural environment, and the brand’s models are more natural than fake. 

All manufacturing is done in Australia, with the aim of supporting a circular economy; the fabrications come from bio-based (plant) materials and recycled nylon from fishing nets and even carpet fluff! All their packaging is plastic free, and Shapes in the Sand also collaborates with a variety of non-profit environmental and cultural organisations.

Check out the brand at www.shapesinthesand.com.au

If you’re interested in supporting Australian fashion, follow @fashion_revival_runway to discover more cool, independent Aussie brands.

 

Avant garde Australiana: 3 interesting Australian fashion brands to discover

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For a long time Australian fashion has been known only for its swimwear, beach wear, resort wear, flip flops, shorts, jeans, casual tees and Ugg boots. Now, with the world made smaller via the internet, some Australian designers are beginning to branch out into areas that are more fashion, than retail. In fact, some of the more interesting Australian brands have been around for decades … You just didn’t know about them. 

Here are three of my current favourite Australian fashion brands …

Et Al

Et Al is a Melbourne brand that has been around since 1987 when it was founded by Christine and Les Doughty, who still own and run it. This is one of my personal favourite Australian independent labels; it’s very Japanese-art-gallery-worker crossed with 90s goth and bits of Vivienne Westwood.

This is a brand that is strongly influenced by the Japanese designers of the 80s – think relaxed tailoring, lots of black, few patterns, multi-use garments and gender neutral designs. The current brand designer is Anthony Capon who won Project Runway Australia season two. 

Et Al is known for its quality of fabrics and finishings; there is a type of timelessness to the designs that make the pieces trans-seasonal. Et Al also supports other young and emerging Australian designers via its accessories stocks that feature artistic jewellery, as well as shoes and hats. The brand offers womenswear and menswear, but many of the styles are unisex. The use of muted colours and some prints adds depth to its more basic black core collection.

The brand produces limited runs of only 8 to 24 pieces of each style, and 70% of their garments are made in Australia. It is also size inclusive running from Australian size 8 to 18. Et Al is even age inclusive, featuring models of all ages in its social media and campaigns.

Follow the brand at @etalaustralia and shop the brand at etal-australia.com.

Alpha60

Another one of my favourite Australian fashion brands, Alpha60 is Melbourne born and bred, founded in 2005 by brother and sister duo Alex and Georgie Cleary. The brand’s name comes from the sci-fi classic movie Alphaville by Jean-Luc Godard. 

Alpha60 is another brand where you can clearly see the influence of the Japanese designers of the 1980s.

While there is not so much black, there are lots of cocoon shapes, volume, asymmetric cuts, simple patterns, little glitter or gloss, natural fabrics and size inclusivity ie. nothing’s too tight or too structured. 

Alpha60 is a brand that sticks to small production runs, using local sewers, and although it has around 10 boutiques in Australia and New Zealand, is still affordably priced in the lower contemporary range. I’ve bought a fair few pieces.

Follow the brand at @alpha60thelabel and shop online at www.alpha60.com.au.

Chris Ran Lin

This menswear brand is an interesting mix of JW Anderson menswear with touches of Off White and Korean brand Junn J. Based in Melbourne, this brand is probably the most experimental of the local menswear brands. Lin is inspired by “architecture, structure, and texture” which can be seen in the cuts, volume and use of wool fabrics. 

interesting australian fashion brands CHRIS RAN LIN 7

Lin is also known for his quality, but still interesting, knitwear. The use of various techniques to create lacey sweaters or bodycon tops, gives the brand the JW Anderson feel. Recent collections have shown a brighter and sharper use of colour, particularly the Uniform collection; note the ‘logo’ and use of red. It rather reminds one of something, does it not?

Although primarily a menswear brand, Lin has recently branched out to create a few womenswear pieces, and items that are distinctly non-gendered as well.

These appear to be more like luxe basics with a more elevated feel, rather than Lin’s more artistic runway garments. The newer items look to be more wearable for a wider range of body types as well. A good move in these uncertain times.

Follow Chris Ran Lin at @chrisranlin. Currently the brand is only available via the atelier, but there is an online shop coming soon. 

For more on Australian fashion, read Thoughtful, wearable clothes for every body by Jude Ng, and Small but mighty: 6 emerging sustainable Australian fashion brands

Small but mighty: 6 emerging sustainable Australian fashion brands

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For a long, long time Australia was seen as a fashion desert, with its lack of ‘major’ brands, its odd seasons – compared to the rest of the fashion world – and the country’s laidback lifestyle. Even its most cultured of cities – Melbourne – tended towards the basics of shorts and tees in summer and tracky daks and uggs in winter. 

Somewhere in the 80s, however, there seemed to suddenly appear a nascent Australian fashion scene. Ksubi sent rats down the runway, magazines proliferated and the average Aussie girl started wearing cute little dresses and Sass & Bide lowrise jeans. Yes! Australia had fashion. 

By the beginning of the 21 century, unfortunately this burgeoning fashion industry started to collapse with the influx of high street brands from around the world; the introduction of online shopping seemed the final nail in the coffin of a small, off-season regional fashion industry. 

But all is not lost. In the last five or so years there has been a rise in small production, locally manufactured, sustainable fashion brands sprouting in Australia. These brands are focused on circular production systems, waste reduction, ‘slow fashion’, limited production runs, using sustainable fabrics and dyes, and generally not wanting to be ‘huge’ or international brands. 

As the coronavirus hits the global economy, many fashion brands are finding their supply and distribution chains at risk. In conjunction with these issues, more customers are thinking about the idea of #shoplocal, of supporting their local economy and small businesses. This situation therefore may become a great opportunity for small, local, sustainable fashion businesses. 

Here are six small, sustainable Australian fashion brands to check out. Remember, just because they are small, doesn’t mean they don’t sell online, and ship globally (in biodegradable packaging).

A.BCH

Founded in 2017 by Courtney Holm, A.BCH is a womenswear and menswear brand with many garments fitting into the non-gendered definition and in fact shot and sold on both men and women. The core of this brand is its circular production cycle, or circular economy standard.

sustainable small Australian fashion brands ABCH 3

The brand’s line of elevated basics are all made in Melbourne from organic, recycled and renewable materials; buttons are made from seeds of fallen corozo fruit and their factory is family owned and operated in Melbourne. 

sustainable small Australian fashion brands ABCH 4

A.BCH’s design is a mix of practical basics – sweaters, tees, shirts, pants, skirts etc – in muted neutral shades and simple patterns. There’s an earthy, relaxed and comfortable vibe about the brand, it’s almost anti-fashion.

Although the focus of the design is on reducing waste, the odd thoughtful detail on a basic garment helps elevate the brand to something a little bit more interesting.

Follow A.BCH on @abch.world and shop online at abch.world.

Nobody Denim

This Melbourne denim brand is all about sustainability and ethical production. Everyone knows that denim is one of the worst fabrics when it comes to pollution, water use and waste, which is why the team behind the brand is focused on making ‘clean’ denim garments.

All the garments are made in Melbourne with guaranteed fair working conditions employing over 80 staff; Nobody Denim is also accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA).

The brand is also very careful in where it sources its materials – which means working with suppliers who meet IS014001 standards, use natural enzymes in their laundry, have reduced their water use for certain processes by 50% and support Australian hardware suppliers like YKK zips to reduce their carbon footprint.

Nobody Denim doesn’t just do jeans, the brand also offers womenswear tops, skirts and even dresses in fabrics like organic cotton and silk. But it’s best pieces are the denim, particularly their season collection items like coloured denim, wide-leg jeans and slim cut denim jackets.

Follow Nobody Denim on @nobodydenim, and shop online at nobodydenim.com.

Kuwaii

Made in Melbourne brand Kuwaii was founded in 2008 by designer Kristy Barber and is all about the slow fashion movement and local production. The womenswear brand focuses on creating anti-fast fashion pieces that are less trend driven, more about personal style, comfort and longevity.

All garments are made within a 15klm distance from the design studio, and even its footwear is made by one of the last surviving Australian footwear factories, where each pair of shoes takes up to a day to make by hand. 

Kuwaii is also focused on transparency with its environmental goals posted on its website; it aims to be carbon neutral by June 2020. It’s packaging is either biodegradable, compostable, recyclable or reusable; even for online shopping the brand uses compostable bags and a biodegradable sticky tape. Fabrics are as environmentally sustainable as possible, the brand also uses surplus fabrics in their collections thereby repurposing waste from larger brands.

Kuwaii’s aesthetic is a combination of comfortable shapes, natural materials and colourful prints. The brand collaborates with local artists to create unique print runs on limited pieces, mixing these with muted solid colours and neutrals. It’s a casual brand creating comfortable clothes for women of all body types and ages.

Follow Kuwaii at @kuwaii, and shop online at kuwaii.com.au.

Joslin

Launched in 2018, Joslin is a womenswear brand based in Melbourne founded by designer Elinor Joslin. The brand is a slow fashion label with an emphasis on limited lines in sustainable fabrics. 

Joslin is a softly feminine brand and is best known for its signature linen dresses adorned with ruffles, pintucks, smoking and button detailing. More recently the brand is being noticed for its stylish and flattering range of knits, which also have a quietly feminine touch. The brand features a lot of traditional fabrications and techniques.

On the sustainability front Joslin uses 100% compostable bags and packaging for its online shipping, including 100% recycled tissue paper, and its international orders are carbon offset using DHL’s GoGreen Climate Neutral service.

The brand uses natural fabrics, and only uses synthetics if there is totally no other alternative; its signature linen and ramie fabrics, silks, organic cottons and merino wool fabrics are used in conjunction with recycled cotton and nylon. For 2020 the brand’s design team is working with natural dead-stock fabrics and working on discovering alternatives to synthetic fusings and plastic zips and buttons.

Follow Joslin on @joslin_studio and shop online at joslinstudio.com.

Devoi

Another Melbourne based brand, Devoi is all about slow fashion and ethical consumerism. Known for its original prints, the overall vibe is fun, colourful, wearable and comfortable. From its launch, the team behind Devoi decided to focus on ensuring ethical manufacturing practices and sustainability.

This womenswear brand’s design is less about trends and more about longevity – like most of the brands in this list. Devoi does not use synthetic fibres, instead using silk, viscose and linen – mainly because all these fabrics can be dyed and cleaned in cold water with natural detergents. The custom prints are digitally printed since it uses less water and produces less toxic waste. The dyes used for the printed fabrics are AZO free dyes and natural plant dyes.

The brand’s manufacturing is done overseas, however it works with factories that are connected to NGO organisations, supplying mattresses made from scrap fabrics for those in poverty. That same factory reuses cardboard boxes for delivery to Devoi. Devoi’s textile dyeing mill has a treatment plant that uses evaporation and separation technology to clean the water used in the dying process, and then reuses the recycled product.

In line with much of the slow fashion movement, Devoi produces limited runs so there is no wasted fabric or stock wastage, and the brand uses the print fabric offcuts to create accessories like belts, headbands, pouches etc.

Follow Devoi at @devoiclothing, and shop online at www.devoishop.com.

SHHORN

This brand is less a fashion label and more an art project led by Sean Tran. While SHHORN does produce clothes, it is also focused on creating handcrafted fabrics and other objects in search of the “inherent traits of natural materials through design and construction activity”. 

Tran is a self-taught tailor who used to be an architect and jeweller, and spends his time between an atelier in Sydney and a handcrafting fabric studio in the Blue Mountains. The resulting garments are hand stitched from fabric that has been crafted from raw fibres also by hand. 

There is something very Japanese about SHHORN in the way the process of the making is as important as the final garment; the pieces – both menswear and womenswear – have an old fashioned feel to them with a kind of artistic Amish vibe.

There is also an element of non gendered design, with pieces being shot on both male and female models. There are menswear pieces that echo womenswear cuts, and also a touch more of the Japanese artist’s aesthetic with short-cropped trousers and voluminous cocoon shapes for both genders. 

The cuts have a timeless quality about them with generic shapes being made important and interesting due to the way they are produced, rather than any strong creative urge. Accessories include kangaroo leather pouches and belts, all very authentic and hardwearing, again the design is about functionality and longevity. 

Follow SHHORN at @ateliershhorn, and shop online at www.shhorn.com.

For more on Australian fashion, read Thoughtful, wearable clothes for every body by Jude Ng.