I lived in Sydney for most of my 20s, so Australian fashion holds a special place in my heart and a lot of the prime real estate in my wardrobe. Given my well-documented evolution into a more minimal, low-key style, I understand there may be a little surprise from a casual observer that I’m as invested in Aussie brands as I continue to be.
If you haven’t been paying careful attention, you might have missed that there’s a quieter, moodier side that’s slowly but surely beginning to dominate. Australian fashion’s aesthetic has taken a turn from the typically sunny demeanor with which it once was synonymous that’s rooted in swimwear and colorful resort collections. These buzzy designers are doing all sorts of good things with neutrals (not exclusively but consistently), offering pieces very much at one with the quiet luxury energy that’s dominating style globally. There are more, but here are eight Australian brands you should know. They definitely know how to do effortless basics, and most importantly, you can shop them from the U.S.
I first stumbled across Anna Quan when I shot a story featuring up-and-coming designers at Australian Fashion Week in 2016. Even back then, designer and ex-lawyer Anna Huong described her collection to me as “tailored, minimalist, and discerning,” and her elevated staples have only become more and more essential.
Only a few years old, Beare Park is one of the newer brands on the scene but already very much at home among the world’s best fashion at the likes of Net-a-Porter and Moda Operandi. Creative Director Bella Pereira is another one who turned away from a corporate career to launch her label, and I’m very glad she did.
Brother-and-sister duo Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman have treated Australia to 20 years of forward fashion and particularly great tailoring. Both their current collections and the very chic new Woollahra store are the epitome of minimalist luxe.
If you paid even a smidge of attention to the cutout trend of the past few summers, then you know Christopher Esber. There have been strategic splices of skin ever since he debuted at Australian Fashion Week in 2010. The sheer dress in that collection was truly the sign of many good things to come, from a slew of celebrity fans—including Zendaya and Hailey Bieber—to Carmen Kass starring in his recent resort campaign to the brand’s on-schedule October show in Paris.
Sisters Ilona Hamer and Peta Heinsen of Matteau went from cult-favorite swimwear brand to full-blown fashion label after dabbling in a ready-to-wear capsule for Net-a-Porter back in 2018. Their floral maxi dresses will likely be a moment at every wedding and barbecue in Australia until the end of time, but their effortless tailoring is really where it’s at.
To be clear, SIR probably does cool color and modern summer prints better than anyone. But founders Nikki Campbell and Sophie Coote are seemingly offering increasing doses of elevated neutrals, from suiting to silky dresses, that are far from boring.
Lara and Matt Fells run St. Agni out of the once hippy, now somewhat bougie surf town of Byron Bay. It’s a dreamy place that’s delightfully at odds (at least in my mind) with the chic, moody vibe of their intensely minimal brand. The apparel is impeccable, but the accessories are where they really hit their stride.
Since its inception in the early ’90s, there’s maybe been no Australian brand more synonymous with upbeat summer frills and paisley pastels than Zimmermann, but co-founder sisters Simone and Nicky Zimmermann sure know their way around some tailoring. Their gently retro take on winter classics, from heritage-print overcoats to Fair Isle knits, is a whole different speed to the collections you imagine hanging in their Saint-Tropez store, but they’re very at home this winter in New York.
