Who Would Have Thought! I knew there was a reason I have always wanted to go there!

Australian fashion reflects a vibrant, creative nation, rich in colour and fresh, exuberant style. The three main settings of Australian life—the bush, the cities and the beaches—and the country’s principally hot and dry climate have influenced who Australians are and therefore what they wear. Australian fashion labels are now sought after around the world.

Australia’s fashion industry has grown around the relaxed, casual demeanour of the people it designs for, as well as their love of outdoors living. But it also reflects the sophisticated, cosmopolitan and multicultural nature of Australian society. Most Australians are comfortable in T-shirts and foot thongs (flip-flops) one minute and appreciative of innovative high fashion the next. The bold colours of sunny Australian beaches and the starkly contrasting hues of the country’s central desert landscapes are captured in Australia’s fashion palette. And the rigours of the elements in which Australians live have often determined the choice of cloth used by designers. Colour and fabric have contributed greatly to an Australian sense of fashion, in cut and garment types.
Beachwear

Australia has a long history of world-renowned swimwear manufacture. In 1928, Speedo swimwear was launched by Alexander MacRae in Sydney and the brand became world famous after Australians wore it in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. Australia now boasts top-of-the-line swim- and surf-wear brands such as Roxy, Billabong, Rip Curl and Seafolly.
In the bush

One-third of Australia’s population live in the country—known as ‘the outback’ and ‘the bush’—in farming and rural communities. Australian companies, such as Driza-Bone, Blundstone, RM Williams, Akubra, Di CROCO and Genuine Australian Bushwear, have developed high-quality fashion to suit this lifestyle and to withstand the harshness of the bush environment.

The Driza-Bone (‘dry as a bone’) coat is to Australians what the Burberry trench coat is to the English: a symbol of heritage, values and culture. The coat is the traditional Australian stockman’s oilskin riding coat. The Akubra hat, too, is an Australian icon, famous for its quality and style developed over 100 years of production.

Such is the iconic status of both the oilskin riding coat and bush hats that the Sydney Olympics 2000 opening ceremony included 120 stock horse riders in this attire, and the ceremony’s 2000-piece marching band also wore the Driza-Bone and Akubra uniform. The Driza-Bone was made the official outfit for the 2007 Asia–Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting in Sydney and visiting heads of government were also given an Akubra hat.
Urban wear and high fashion

The urban streetwear and haute couture components of Australia’s fashion industry are also thriving. A new generation of streetwear designers takes its inspiration from Australia’s surf culture, graffiti and art and has created its own unique style.

Dynamic new labels include Ksubi, based near Sydney’s Bondi Beach; Sass & Bide, which has a cult following among the younger Hollywood set; and Willow, a lingerie line.

Inspired by an extraordinary range of Australian fashion textiles and cultural influences, many Australian designers have received international attention in recent years. Australian fashion creations, such as those by Wayne Cooper, Carla Zampatti, Easton Pearson, Nicola Finetti, Bettina Liano, Martin Grant, Michelle Jank and Lisa Ho, are in worldwide demand.

Internationally acclaimed Sydney designer Akira Isogawa, whose work is known for its impressive cross-cultural fusion, was honoured with the inaugural Australian Fashion Laureate award in 2007, the industry’s newest and highest honour. The award pays homage to outstanding creative or intellectual achievement in the Australian fashion industry.

Collette Dinnigan was the first Australian to mount a full-scale ready-to-wear parade in Paris (in 1995), at the invitation of France’s Chambre Syndicale du prêt-à-porter des couturiers et créateurs de mode. Dinnigan, a regular on the international circuit since the 1990s, and with high-profile fans including Naomi Watts, Sarah O’Hare, Helena Christensen and Charlize Theron, received the Most Beautiful Exports Award in 2000, 2001 and 2004. She was chosen as Australian ‘Designer of the Year’ in 1996. In March 2005 she was voted ‘Best Australian Designer’ by the readers of In Style magazine. Both Isogawa and Dinnigan regularly show their bold and playful collections at Paris Fashion Week.
Indigenous influence

In the 1980s, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander textiles emerged as a key influence on non-Indigenous designers. Darwin’s Tiwi Centre, an arts centre dedicated to the preservation of Indigenous Tiwi arts and crafts, has played a significant role in the commercial application of Indigenous textile designs to Australian high fashion. For the first Tiwi Designs exhibition in Sydney in 1983, six major fashion designers, including Jenny Kee, Linda Jackson, Katie Pye and Robert Burton, selected fabric for the Tiwi people to print, and used the results in their garments. Since then designers such as Collette Dinnigan, Peter Morrissey and Perth’s Rebecca Paterson have made extensive use of Indigenous design in their work. Morrissey, for example, used a design by Aboriginal artist Jacinta Numina Waugh on garments commissioned for the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games.
Hot on the calendar

Melbourne lays claim to being Australia’s fashion capital, hosting the L’Oréal Fashion Festival every March. The festival offers fashion lovers a choice of catwalk shows, parties, product launches, exhibitions and industry events that capture the glamour and creativity of Australian fashion.

Australia also hosts the biannual Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. Previously staged in Melbourne, the event was moved to Sydney’s Circular Quay in 2007. It showcases more than 150 designers’ spring/summer collections in May and their autumn/winter collections in October.

Rosemount Australian Fashion Week is an exclusive, industry-only event, made accessible to registered buyers, agents, media, stylists and other industry representatives. It features ready-to-wear, street wear, swimwear, men’s and women’s apparel, intimate apparel, footwear and children’s wear. A selection of Australia’s and the Asia–Pacific’s best designers present their collections to some of the world’s most significant buyers, media and industry influencers.
An international success story

Australian designers are now influencing what others around the world will wear. Major fashion capitals, such as London, are actively seeking out creative Australian designs. The success of Australia’s innovative fashion is continuing to translate into a higher demand from international audiences. Australian designs are exported to many countries, with the most popular international markets being France, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Dubai and Kuwait.

As fashion has become such a successful export market for Australia, commensurate growth has occurred in employment opportunities in the fashion manufacturing industry and other fashion-oriented careers such as fashion journalism, fashion styling, make-up and hair styling, fashion photography and modelling. Tertiary education institutions have developed high quality fashion and textile courses to ensure the industry is serviced with well-trained staff.

Australia has developed an international reputation for producing some of the emerging stars of the fashion world, from designers to models. Supermodels such as Elle McPherson (now with her own high-end lingerie line), Miranda Kerr, Gemma Ward and Megan Gale have reinforced Australia’s image as a modern, fun and fresh culture.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, all dollar amounts are in Australian dollars.
Key facts

* More than 2000 companies export fashion from Australia.
* Australia’s top designers are inspired by an extraordinary range of Australian fashion textiles and cultural influences.
* One of the strongest influences has come from Indigenous art and textiles.
* Australian designers who have received international acclaim include Akira Isogawa, Collette Dinnigan, Sass & Bide and Jenny Kee.
* Fashion in Australia is a $14 billion industry.

This content is provided by About Australia