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    Australian fashion

    This Month

    Designer Anna Hoang

    Why Fashion Week is still important

    Its star power dimmed, the week that used to be about celebrating Australian fashion is now a carefully calibrated exercise about return on investment.

    • Lauren Sams
    Rebecca Vallance in her new store at the Strand Arcade in Sydney.

    ‘New York polish, Ballarat work ethic’: the designer creating an empire

    Other Australian brands are struggling. So what’s Rebecca Vallance doing right?

    • Lauren Sams
    Margie Woods

    The 20-year-old brand making its fashion week debut

    The woman behind Melbourne born-and-bred cool girl label Viktoria & Woods says it’s finally time to reach a wider audience.

    • Lauren Sams

    March

    How Blundstone quietly conquered Britain

    A decade ago only Aussies in London wore Blunnies. Now they’re ubiquitous, and are a lifestyle choice as much as a work boot. Appealing to women was key to success.

    • Hans van Leeuwen
    Aje has gained a cult following for its hyper-feminine, colourful dresses.

    Cult label Aje cuts 20 staff after massive stock clearance

    The fashion label has let a number of senior staff go, but its co-founder says the move is simply a restructure and that the business is trading as usual.

    • Lauren Sams and Sarah Thompson
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    Tigerlily has fallen into administration for the second time.

    Private equity-backed swimwear group Tigerlily collapses

    For the second time in four years, the company founded by Jodhi Meares has gone under. Its owner, Crescent Capital, tried to sell the retailer last year.

    • Updated
    • Carrie LaFrenz

    January

    RM Williams CEO Paul Grosmann, and chief commercial officer Steven Woolley outside the company’s shop in Soho, London.

    What R.M. Williams plans to do next

    NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg wears them, British Security Minister Tom Tugendhat is a fan, and so is House of Lords member Mark Sedwill. It’s no surprise the next stop for the Andrew Forrest-owned bootmaker is Europe.

    • Updated
    • Hans van Leeuwen

    How to wear it – the total wardrobe edit

    Your one-stop personal shopper is here in the form of our top-rating fashion advice columns of the past year.

    • Lauren Sams and Lucy Dean

    December 2023

    Uber cool and ready for a hard day’s work: Cargo Crew has certainly elevated the hospitality uniform.

    Why fashionable wait-staff help restaurants win customers

    Once an afterthought, uniforms are now a unique selling point for hospitality businesses – so much so that customers are walking out the door with them.

    • Lauren Sams
    Matteau’s founders, Ilona Hamer and Peta Heinsen.

    The Australian womenswear brand that’s making waves everywhere

    Founded by sisters and based in Noosa, where its “secret store” is used as a testing ground, Matteau is the ultimate quiet achiever. 

    • Lauren Sams

    November 2023

    Matt and Lara Fells of St Agni at heir Byron Bay store.

    How ‘less is more’ became a winning strategy for this Byron Bay label

    St. Agni’s version of pared-back perfection is garnering fans on a global scale.

    • Eugenie Kelly
    Andrew Forrest and former wife Nicola have acquired Akubra for an undisclosed sum.

    Andrew and Nicola Forrest buy Akubra

    The Forrests have taken on the Australian hat brand, their third fashion deal in four years, saying they’ll make it “more fashion-forward”.

    • Lauren Sams

    What Australia’s most fashionable will be wearing this summer

    The ’90s are back, and so are strapless dresses, sheer fabrics and oversize shirts (for men).

    • Lauren Sams

    October 2023

    James Bartle of Outland Denim: “I realised we could let someone else buy it and have another competitor, or we could buy it and dominate the market.”

    Double denim in style as Outland buys ailing Nobody Denim

    The Gold Coast-based social enterprise has announced its acquisition of Melbourne veteran Nobody Denim.

    • Lauren Sams

    September 2023

    The Age Sport/News. Fashion on the Field winner Bernadette May and Best Suited winner Sherlon Garbo. 2022 Oaks Day at Flemington Racecourse on November 3, 2022.Photo: Eddie Jim.

    It’s time to suit yourself in the spring-racing fashion stakes

    Trackside is the time to express yourself, with the style experts saying that anything goes. All the same, these guidelines will ensure you look your most fabulous.

    • Hannah Tattersall
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    August 2023

    The Aussie ‘fabric nerd’ who’s become Gen Z’s go-to designer worldwide

    Christopher Esber’s clothes are worn by some of the world’s biggest style influencers. It all began with a trip to Bunnings.

    • Lauren Sams
    Ugg Boots have been going strong since 1978.

    Does Australia make the world’s best boots?

    Three of the most well-known boot companies were founded by Australians. What’s the secret to putting our best foot forward?

    • Lauren Sams
    An oversized suit is a good investment, and needn’t break the bank.

    I want a new wardrobe. Do I have to spend thousands?

    Australia’s mid-tier labels are ticking a lot of boxes at the moment. Here’s how to look a million bucks without outlaying it.

    • Lauren Sams

    July 2023

    Fashion designer Lee Mathews photographed in her Leichhardt, NSW studio.

    The Australian designer who found success by defying fashion

    Lee Mathews has been making beautiful clothes for almost 25 years – no mean feat in an industry she describes as “the most ridiculous on the planet”.

    • Lauren Sams
    The look of quiet luxury, from Australian brand Friends with Frank.

    How to wear ‘quiet luxury’ without paying a fortune

    Do you want to look like you’re on hit TV show “Succession” but lack the inheritance? We have answers.

    • Lauren Sams