The SSENSE Guide to Australian Fashion Brands

From ANNA QUAN to COMMAS, discover 14 of the best designers from down under.

Despite its reputation as a hard-partying, beach-bumming, flat white aficionado haven, Australia has always been a source of unparalleled creative talent. No, we’re not talking Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi, or even the ever-iconic Kylie Minogue; we’re talking about fashion—a sector where Australia has informed trends eagerly adopted around the world (albeit, a year or two later).

In recent years, Australian designers, stylists, and fashionistas have seemed to outgrow Oceania, arriving stateside en masse to take the American fashion market by tropical storm. And they moved fast. Dion Lee is one of the most sought-after New York Fashion Week tickets in town. Ksubi is a street-style staple beloved by counter-culture cool kids. BEC + BRIDGE, once known exclusively for ethereal occasionwear, even announced their own line of accessories (yes, Dua Lipa is already on board).It’s testament to the fact that the Australian aesthetic itself is ever-shifting—and region-specific. Sydney’s love of elevated corporate-core—from ANNA QUAN’s elevated silhouettes to Christopher Esber’s feminine-forward design—reflects the city’s industriousness, while cultural counterpart Melbourne takes an experimental approach, exemplified by Raga Malak. That’s, of course, not to mention the First Nation designers that annually descend on Darwin or the affinity for thrifting in the Western capital of Perth. Australia may be down under, but its capacity—both geographically and creatively—should not be understated.While the country’s size makes it difficult to distill its designers’s output into absolutes, Australia has defined itself within one particular category: swimwear. Boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Australia is as synonymous with swimsuits as Italy is with leather goods or Japan with luxury eyewear. Since the rise of surfer-chic propelled by Roxy and Billabong through to the Triangl takeover of the mid-2010s and beyond, Australia has been innovating swimwear with an approach that is almost avant-garde. Now, an “Australia-based” declarative carries instant cache, with many brands bridging both swimwear and apparel. Above all, Australian designers’ commitment to quality and originality is raising the bar for fashion brands worldwide—and your own wardrobe rotation.

: 2013 : Sydney : @annaquanlabel For the past decade, ANNA QUAN has become one of the foremost Australian designers to watch and wear. After a series of false starts with other namesake labels, the Sydney-based designer got back to basics by reimagining the classic white shirt—a piece that would serve as an entry point for trans-seasonal core essentials.

Now, ANNA QUAN is a favorite among the in-the-know fashion set, beloved for her modern, minimalist-friendly designs characterized by clean lines and precise tailoring. A celebrity favorite, she’s frequently worn by the likes of Margot Robbie (whose fans even pit the actress’s ANNA QUAN looks against those of Chanel—the former always comes out on top).

: 2003 : Sydney : @becandbridge There are few designers that have mastered the transition from day to night quite like BEC + BRIDGE. Fashion school friends Bec Cooper and Bridget Yorston’s mission to redefine contemporary elegance has seen them become leaders in the occasionwear category—making the eponymous label the must-wear of every wedding party (they even dressed Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid for their turn as bridesmaids).

With a design ethos rooted in accentuating the female form, their sleek silhouettes have inspired numerous copycats and earned them a loyal following of fashionistas worldwide. Instead of recycling their most-loved styles each season, the brand is plowing forward with expressive minimalism. The result is a sartorial escape into a world where the sun doesn’t set until 10pm, and there’s no such thing as “overdressed.”

: 2003 : Sydney : @camillaandmarc Launching at Australian Fashion Week in 2003, CAMILLA AND MARC’s international presence has never overshadowed its Australian roots. Renowned for their expertly tailored suiting (corporate-core anyone?) and quality textiles, the brand has become synonymous with wearable luxury—a north star that has guided them to a successful expansion into accessories and even footwear.

Even 20 years on, the sibling design duo continues to capture the zeitgeist with every collection. Marrying feminine structures with masculine elements and vice versa, CAMILLA AND MARC celebrates the duality of strength and softness in both elevated basics and show-stopping styles.

: 2010 : Sydney : @christopher_esber If you haven’t already been bewitched by Sydney designer Christopher Esber, it’s only a matter of time. A favorite among Australian stylistas, Esber has been redefining maximal-minimalism (yes, that’s a thing) with a distinct sensuality since 2010. Harmoniously blending structured silhouettes with fluid drapery and obscure—even implausible—design elements, Esber has become the instant fascination of ‘it’ girls everywhere. Fans of Esber’s design innovation include Hailey Bieber, Emily Ratajkowski, Greta Lee, and Kristen Stewart to name a few, but let the record show that the designer himself maintains he is firmly “anti-celebrity.”

: 2017 : Sydney : @commas Establishing yourself as a coveted name in contemporary fashion is no easy feat, but COMMAS has made fast work of it. Creative Director Richard Jarman has elevated the label to a household name in the beachwear category since its inception in 2017, capturing Australian beach culture through a high fashion lens.

From impeccably tailored trunks to luxurious cashmere sweaters, COMMAS is now the established authority on the swim-to-apparel pipeline. Striking a delicate balance between versatility and refinement, it caters to luxury obsessives seeking comfort without compromising on style. While it is not declaratively unisex, COMMAS offers no gender distinction. The brand itself articulates its mission as cultivating an entire universe anchored in a “solar aesthetic”—to which we say, that’s a universe we want to live in.

_Founded: 2009 _City: Sydney : @dionlee Incepting his self-titled brand at just 23 years old, Dion Lee has been on an upward trajectory since the jump. In 2013 alone, he participated in London Fashion Week as a finalist in the International Woolmark Prize and presented at New York Fashion Week. He’s become a beacon of innovative design with a brutish take on femininity, and is now one of the foremost faces of Australian high fashion.

Lee’s runway, specifically, has become the ultimate see-and-be-seen event. Stylists will often pull full show looks for A-list editorials, while the style mavens remain obsessed with wearing Lee’s latest season. There’s no telling what we might expect next from Lee, but you can bet it will only further solidify his status as a pioneer in the industry.

: 2019 : Madrid : @edward.cuming Edward Cuming is here to upend all your expectations of menswear. Taking a radically poetic approach to the category that he describes as “atypical,” the Australian-born, Madrid-based designer presents an exploration of the sensorial with every collection. Specializing in menswear at Central Saint Martin’s (succeeding an IED Barcelona x Westminster University BA program), Edward Cuming launched his namesake brand in 2019 to immediate fanfare from the fashion-forward.

With fearless androgynous experimentation, Cuming brings daring silhouettes to life with bold hues and surprising textures. Expect to provoke conversation in even the most “basic” of Cuming pieces, with his avant-garde innovation extending to wardrobe building blocks like suiting and denim. Some of the most spectacular contemporary garments we will ever see—or wear—it feels reductive to categorize Cuming’s output as menswear.

1999 Sydney : @ksubi The impact of Australian-born fashion powerhouse Ksubi cannot be overstated. Dan Single and George Gorrow’s streetwear brand has deservedly earned a cult following. Think: an indie sleaze-esque nod to subversive youth culture (hi, Tumblr!) that bridges both dark academia and “I’m with the band” irreverence.

Despite its bootstrapping debut as a rebellious force in the industry in 1999, Ksubi has emerged as one of the most enduring Australian fashion labels—finding fans in numerous stylistas, from A$AP Rocky to Kylie Jenner.

2014 Melbourne : @maap.cc If you’d told us five years ago that cycling apparel would become the epitome of cool, we might have told you to get on your bike. Then came MAAP. In 2014, Oliver Cousins and Jarrad Smith hoped to marry performance-driven design with cutting-edge aesthetics. They became a trailblazer in the industry in the process.

From sleek jerseys to statement-making bib shorts, each MAAP piece embodies a modern, street-style aesthetic while withstanding the rigors of the road.

2015 Sydney/Los Angeles : @matteau Designed to last a lifetime, Matteau epitomizes understated glamor in swim and resort wear. The brand was founded in 2015 by sisters Ilona Hamer and Peta Heinsen, who set out with a mission to transcend seasons by emphasizing quality, fit, and timeless design.

Each Matteau piece is manufactured locally in Australia with militant precision and exists in its own little ecosystem of corresponding styles. Fans can build a capsule wardrobe—scarves! shirts! shorts!—around one swimsuit or invest in Matteau’s refined day-to-day essentials. Believing that true luxury lies in simplicity, Matteau was doing “old money” long before Sofia Richie and will be around long after the fashion sentiment shifts.

2000 Melbourne : @perksandmini It doesn’t get cuter than Perks and Mini—also known as P.A.M. The brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Misha Hollenbach and Shauna Toohey, P.A.M. weaves a kaleidoscope of influences into a vibrant tapestry of bold graphics, unexpected textures, and boundary-pushing silhouettes.

Given their dominance in elevated streetwear, it should come as no surprise Hollenbach and Shauna Toohey met on the Melbourne streets as graffiti artists—combining their tags “Perks” and “Mini” to create the brand in 2000. Now based in Paris, the brand has earned the title of “one of the strongest fashion designers in the world” by the director of London’s Tate Modern. Whether it’s oversized hoodies adorned with abstract prints or futuristic accessories that defy definition, P.A.M,’s whimsical subversion of fashion norms puts its pieces on everyone’s wishlist.

2019 Melbourne : @raga_malak Originating in Lebanon, Raga Malak explores the inherent push-pull for children of immigrants straddling both Eastern and Western cultures. Gadir Rajab and Raquelle Saba relocated to Australia due to political unrest, but maintain a fully Middle Eastern team to pay homage to their heritage.

The product has a distinctly global aesthetic that is exuberantly utilitarian in both design and texture. Let’s put it like this: come for the Raga Malak sports jerseys, stay for bondage-inspired studded leather.

2014 Sydney : @sir__ Setting out to create a feeling of sisterhood, Nikki Campbell and Sophie Coote have grown SIR. into one of the most popular contemporary womenswear brands in the world. Over the past 10 years, SIR. has become synonymous with easy-to-wear wardrobe staples—celebrating the female form by honing in on the beauty of simplicity.

Though above all, it’s SIR.’s commitment to quality craftsmanship, premium fabrics, and timeless design that has made the brand a must-have for the modern woman. By capturing the essence of relaxed, yet refined, Australian fashion, SIR. will continue to be a closet staple for years to come.

2010 Sydney : @songforthemute Even if you don’t know it by name, you’ve certainly seen Song for the Mute. Early on the Paris-based brand, founded by Lyna Ty and Melvin Tanaya, captured the imagination of tastemaker press and A-list talent alike with experimental designs, a discerning eye for detail, and sheer originality.

Since then, they’ve had a memorable adidas collaboration that only expanded their reach among the street-style set (as well as the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal and Jacob Elordi). Come to Song for the Mute for deconstructed silhouettes and raw textures, as well as structured tailoring juxtaposed fluid drapery and intricate details. Exhibiting a kind of artistic integrity that is rarely seen in the digital age, Song for the Mute will never go out of style.