Lucianne Tonti

The vast bulk of Australian wool exports are unprocessed, but Tasmania’s restored Waverley Mills points to a future for high-quality, sustainable domestic manufacturing.

Australians are the world’s biggest consumers of fast fashion, a trend that’s not only harming the planet but that could also prove catastrophic for the domestic fashion industry.

Inspired by her grandmother’s craft circles and underground feminist punk, designer Ruby Pedder’s creations are soft but with a jagged edge.

The natural world and the creation of life inspire the inventive work of Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, whose works have travelled from Paris for a new show at Brisbane’s Gallery of Modern Art.

Australian designer Margie Woods is as committed to locally produced – and exquisitely cut – clothes as she was 20 years ago when she launched Viktoria & Woods.

Susan Dimasi’s designs reflect her philosophy that fashion for professional women should be beautiful, functional and good for mental health.

Jordan Gogos has parlayed a career in furniture design into becoming one of Australia’s most creative and talented new fashion designers in decades.

After 30 years, Akira Isogawa is sorting through a body of work that changed Australian fashion, placing hundreds of pieces with major museums.

Liandra Swim’s latest collection of swimwear and resort wear, River Run, is a tribute to the vistas of designer Liandra Gaykamangu’s home in East Arnhem Land.

Allbirds claims to be producing the world’s first zero-carbon shoe. But to really get a toehold in the market, the challenge lies in turning sustainability into profitability.

Simone Rocha is often cited as a successor to Rei Kawakubo. Her London Fashion Week show confirms she is one of the most creative designers of her generation.

The meticulous artisanal designs of pattern-maker and tailor Max Thomas Sanderson have taken him from the rural outskirts of Hobart to an atelier in Paris.

Paris Fashion Week has just had its first glimpse of Nigerian designer Adeju Thompson, whose gender-fluid designs blend traditional adire, Eurocentric styles and the anti-fashion avant-garde.

Alix Higgins has harnessed a strong sense of community and a love of words in his new collection for Australian Fashion Week, which flaunts his skill in textile design.

R. M. Williams’ iconic boot has become the marketing centrepiece of a multi-strategy campaign to boost the retailer’s environmental credibility.

The Australian fashion industry is finally trying to curb overproduction, which is a big contributor to the 227,000 tonnes of clothing – much of it never worn – that winds up in landfill each year.

Two friends from primary school went on to create an internationally successful fashion label that draws on rebellion as well as discipline.

Change is the only constant in the fashion industry, as Lee Mathews knows from decades of experience in adapting her materials, manufacturing and mindset.

Curator Katie Somerville sees the personal touches of Alexander McQueen’s genius among the pieces that are part of the NGV’s next blockbuster exhibition.

Making shirts, pants and jackets tailored to real bodies is Emily Nolan’s calling.

In a new installation at the National Gallery of Victoria, Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao asks us to consider the labour of care.

A push at the government’s recent jobs and skills summit to increase women’s workforce participation has highlighted the need to financially support apprenticeship programs in the fashion industry.

Holly Ryan’s new collection of jewellery is a sweet homecoming, fashioned from recycled materials and inspired by her lifelong fascination with the ocean.

The fashion industry is on the cusp of a sustainable revolution, provided that more cotton farmers turn to regenerative and water-efficient strategies.

Combining prose, art and music with plush fabrics and exquisite detail, Amber Symond lends a layer of storytelling to her latest Common Hours collection.

Australian Fashion Week showcased wearable clothes in fresh silhouettes alongside body- and gender-diverse clothing, as well as some derivative and unimaginative offerings.

Edward Cuming’s Autumn/Winter collection is a reimagining of garments he bought as a teenager in second-hand shops, realised in luxury materials and exaggerated proportions.

Gabriella Pereira’s Beare Park, launched just last year, seeks to balance fashion with style, creating locally produced, high-end clothing made from natural fibres.

Entrepreneur and mentor Rhys Ripper is curating the First Nations runway show at Melbourne Fashion Festival and is determined to make Indigenous fashion mainstream.

A Melbourne streetwear brand is taking excess and damaged stock from other labels and remaking it. Each Reborn piece – from the social enterprise HoMie – is unique and the profits fund initiatives for homeless youth.

Jordan Dalah’s new line features giant sleeves and puffy bows, face-covering designs and foam rings. It’s spectacular, technically skilled and surprisingly wearable.

Christopher Esber used the enforced isolation of lockdown to embrace the idea of a Mediterranean escape inspired by Homer’s ‘The Odyssey’ and Neoclassical art.

With the launch of Worn’s latest collection, the duo behind the label intend to make their mark on the fashion world – while leaving a minimal trace on the environment.

The designer behind resortwear label Commas has attracted local awards and international interest for his relaxed beach aesthetic paired with high-end materials.

With the launch of her latest collection, Esse Studios founder Charlotte Hicks reiterates her commitment to creating feminine styles that are reliable and comfortable, and that focus on how a woman feels within herself.

Toni Maticevski’s Pre-Fall 21 collection acknowledges Australia’s sense of imbalance and anxiety in lockdown – meeting it with strong sculpted forms and the occasional surprise.

As relations with China remain strained, Australian wool exporters used the pandemic to shore up a market that takes 90 per cent of their product.

Australia’s biggest retailer has committed to supporting local fashion designers, as part of a reboot prompted by the global pandemic. But at the retail level, their actions are not matching their ideals.