Best Australian Fashion Brands for Women

Assembly Label

I’ve been buying Assembly Label for years, and I keep going back because the style is timeless. Their long-sleeve shirt and their jeans are the pieces I reach for when I want to look put together without thinking about it.

Damien Horan and Daniel Oliver started the brand in 2011 around the idea of a capsule wardrobe, with versatile essentials designed to last rather than chase trends. If you like to know where your clothes are made, Assembly Label publishes profiles of its main suppliers on its website.

Aje

Aje is my favourite for special occasions. I wore one of their pieces from the Studio line on my wedding day.

Best friends Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest started Aje in 2008 as a local label in Noosa, and the name stands for “Adrian joins Edwina”. It’s grown into one of Australia’s best-known labels and is now sold overseas too.

Decjuba

Decjuba was the Australian brand mums recommended most. One said it’s her favourite for jeans, and another had just bought a pair she loved.

Tania Austin relaunched Decjuba in 2008, and it’s still female-owned and led. It’s a B Corp certified brand, and 1% of every sale goes to the DECJUBA Foundation.

Sportscraft

One mum recommended Sportscraft, Ghanda and Gorman for high-waisted jeans that go over a mum tum, with wide-leg styles that aren’t comically wide.

Sportscraft is one of Australia’s oldest fashion brands. It began in Melbourne in 1914, when tailor Wolf Bardas arrived from London with a pleating machine, and it’s still Australian owned and designed. It has also made uniforms for the Australian Olympic team.

Ghanda

The same mum recommended Ghanda for its high-waisted, wide-leg jeans.

Ghanda started as a surf and streetwear store in Torquay, on Victoria’s Surf Coast. Most of its range is hand-printed by its own team in its Surf Coast warehouse, and it prints to order, so it doesn’t overproduce styles that won’t sell.

Gorman

Gorman was her third pick for high-waisted jeans with a wide leg.

Lisa Gorman launched the label in Melbourne in 1999, and it became known for its colourful prints and collaborations with artists.

Nobody Denim

Another mum said Nobody Denim was good too.

Nobody Denim began in 1999 in a small, family-built denim laundry in Melbourne, started by the Condilis family. It still cuts, sews, washes and finishes most of its garments in its own Melbourne factory and laundry, so if you want jeans made in Australia, start here.

New Zealand label

AS Colour

AS Colour is my pick for the perfect heavy cotton tee. Lawrence Railton started the brand in 2005 from a garage in Auckland, selling blank tees for printers and artists, and it still puts fit, fabric and finish first. The tees are made in Bangladesh and China.

If you’ve never ordered from them, the website can feel a bit confusing at first. They started out selling blank tees in bulk for custom printing, so the site still shows information meant for trade buyers. You can ignore that and shop as normal. Each tee lists its fabric weight in gsm, which is the quickest way to find a heavier one. Fit changes from style to style, even between tees that look alike, so check the measurements on the product page before you order, or try them on if there’s a store near you.

New Zealand label

Marle

I have a couple of Marle tops, and the quality is so nice.

Juliet Souter founded Marle in 2014 in Mount Maunganui, starting with just 10 jumpers because she couldn’t find a modern knitwear label in New Zealand. It has since grown into a womenswear label built on natural fibres and timeless pieces.