Australian Fashion Brands: An Editor’s Guide to 18 Labels

Australian fashion brands are known for clothes made for heat, light and a life spent partly outdoors: printed resort dresses, linen and cotton separates, sculptural evening gowns and sharp tailoring. Labels such as Zimmermann, Aje, Scanlan Theodore, Camilla and Marc, Alex Perry and Posse sit at the luxury end, and many now sell worldwide. This editor’s guide groups the Australian labels Coveti stocks by what each one does well, with a comparison table to help you choose.

The groupings below are an editor’s picks, not a ranking. Each label appears where its clothes are strongest: resort and summer dressing, occasion and evening, tailoring and modern minimalism, knits and sets, art led maximalism and accessories. Where a fact about a label’s history is included, it is a widely documented one, such as the founders and the city where the label began.

Australian fashion brands at a glance

What are some popular Australian fashion brands?

The Australian fashion brands with the widest international profile include Zimmermann, Aje, Camilla and Marc, Alex Perry and Christopher Esber, alongside a newer generation such as Alémais, SIR the Label and Posse. What ties them together is a climate driven wardrobe: dresses and separates in breathable fabrics, cut for warm days and long evenings outdoors.

Australia’s seasons run opposite to the northern hemisphere’s, which is worth remembering when you read collection names: an Australian summer piece can arrive while Europe and North America head into winter, which suits anyone packing for a warm weather holiday.

Resort and summer dressing

Resort dressing is clothing made for warm weather travel: light dresses, swimwear, cover ups and separates that pack small and work from beach to dinner. This is the category Australian labels are most famous for.

Zimmermann

Zimmermann was founded in Sydney in the 1990s by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann. Its signature is the romantic printed dress, often with lace inserts, ruffles and a nipped waist, plus swimwear. Buy one printed midi dress and you have a holiday outfit sorted.

Alémais

Alémais was founded in Sydney in the 2020s by Lesleigh Jermanus. The look is colourful and print led, with artisanal beading and embroidery on dresses and separates. For styling ideas, see how to style Alémais.

SIR the Label

SIR the Label was founded in the 2010s by Nikki Campbell and Sophie Coote, and its flagship store is in Bondi. The name stands for separates, intimates and ready to wear, and the strengths are silk dresses, swimwear and relaxed tailoring in a pared back palette. Read more in who is SIR the Label.

Posse: matching sets and nostalgic details

Posse is an Australian womenswear brand founded in 2016 by Danielle Mulham. It is a family run, privately owned business, and it opened its first flagship store in New York City in 2026. Posse says its inspiration comes from people and places, old books and films, forgotten objects and antiques, and it chooses fabrics for how they feel, wear and last. The label sells through more than 80 stockists worldwide, including Net-a-Porter, MyTheresa and Selfridges.

Posse’s defining habit is designing in sets: tops, skirts, shorts and trousers cut from the same fabric and sold separately, so you can wear a full set and then break it apart. A few pieces from the newest drop on Coveti show how that works:

• The Veda Sundress in Vintage White, a cotton midi with a square neckline, short puff sleeves and crochet lace at the neckline and hem, lined in cotton voile. The Veda family also includes a tunic, a top and shorts.
• The Darya Kaftan in Cream, a mini length kaftan in cotton and silk with a deep V neckline, wide three quarter sleeves and vintage inspired embroidery, which has a matching Darya Skirt in Cream.
• The Micah Dress in Red Gingham, a mini length A line dress in a structured knit with scalloped edges, part of a red gingham family that also includes a halter top, a cardigan, a skirt, shorts and trousers.
• The Teo Strapless Top in Ivory and Teo Short in Ivory, a knitted set in high twist cotton.

Posse sizes run in letters from XXS to XXL, and the brand describes most styles as fitting true to size. For the full dress edit, see the best Posse dresses, and for labels with a similar feel, brands like Posse.

Occasion and evening wear

Australian eveningwear has a reputation for structure: internal corsetry, sculpted bodices and heavy embellishment, made for red carpets, weddings and gala nights. These are the labels to look at when the dress code says formal. For a deeper look, read our guide to Australian evening wear designers.

• Alex Perry: founded in Sydney in the 1990s by Alex Perry. Red carpet glamour, precise corsetry and sculptural gowns.
• Rachel Gilbert: founded in Sydney in the 2000s. Hand embellishment and internal corsetry that shapes the bust and waist, for evening and bridal.
• Maticevski: the Melbourne label of designer Toni Maticevski, founded in the 1990s. Sculptural eveningwear with dramatic volume.
• Rebecca Vallance: a Sydney label founded in the 2010s by Rebecca Vallance. Polished occasion dresses and tailoring for weddings and events.
• Bronx and Banco: founded in Sydney in the 2000s by Natalie De’Banco. Embellished party and occasion dresses.
• Shona Joy: founded in Sydney in the 2000s by Shona Joy Thatcher. Feminine occasion and bridal party dressing in a soft, neutral palette, with bias cut slips at its core.
• Leo Lin: launched in the 2010s by designer Leo Lin, with a design studio in Sydney. Romantic, feminine dresses.
• Aje: founded in Sydney in the 2000s by Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest. Sculptural shapes, bold prints and statement dresses that move between day events and evening.

Tailoring and modern minimalism

Not every Australian label leans romantic. A strong group makes clean, precise clothes for work and city life, with tailoring that holds its shape in heat.

• Scanlan Theodore: founded in Melbourne in the 1980s by Fiona Scanlan and Gary Theodore. Tailoring and workwear, including knit dressing that travels well.
• Camilla and Marc: founded in Sydney in the 2000s by siblings Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman. Clean tailoring and modern, minimal dresses.
• Christopher Esber: founded in Sydney in the 2010s by Christopher Esber. Precise, sculptural minimalism, with twists, knots and cut outs that make simple shapes feel new.
• Acler: structured day dresses and polished separates with a modern edge, a good middle ground between workwear and weekend.

Knits and sets

A knit set is a top and bottom in the same knitted yarn, worn together as one outfit and separately with the rest of your wardrobe. The lighter versions, in cotton and merino, suit a mild climate.

Posse is a strong source here. The Maisie Top in Soft Pink is a merino wool knitted tee with scalloped edges and a slight blouson above a ribbed hem, and it sits in a family with a matching tank, short and cardigan. The Teo pieces do the same in high twist cotton. For layering ideas, see how to style a cardigan. Scanlan Theodore’s knit dressing is the tailored alternative, cut for the office.

Art led maximalism

Romance Was Born is the Sydney label for anyone who wants clothes that look like art: maximalist prints, heavy embellishment and costume level detail, founded in the 2000s. It also runs a made to order service from its Sydney studio. Aje sits close by with its bold prints, and Alémais brings the same love of colour to a more relaxed holiday wardrobe.

Accessories

Oroton is an Australian heritage accessories house, founded in Sydney in the 1930s by Boyd Lane and known for its mesh evening bags and leather bags. It has also designed ready to wear since 2019. On the clothing side, Posse adds small accessories to its sets, such as the Odette Purse in Cream, a drawstring purse with floral embroidery and ladder trims that matches the Odette dresses and separates.

How to choose an Australian label

1. Start with the occasion. Holiday wardrobe: Zimmermann, Alémais, SIR, Posse. Wedding guest and black tie: Alex Perry, Rachel Gilbert, Rebecca Vallance, Maticevski. Office: Scanlan Theodore, Camilla and Marc.
2. Check the fabric. Many Australian summer pieces are in cotton, linen and silk, which breathe well and crease. Read the composition on each product page.
3. Check the season. Because the seasons are reversed, an Australian spring collection can land in the northern autumn. Look at the collection name.
4. Check the sizing. Size systems vary by label. Posse uses letter sizes XXS to XXL; other labels use numbered sizes. Each product page on Coveti lists the sizes for that piece.

What clothes are still made in Australia?

Where clothes are made varies by label and often by piece. Some labels make in Australia, many produce overseas, and several do both. The reliable way to know is to check the product details for each item, since the same label can make knits in one country and dresses in another.

See every Australian brand on Coveti through the brand pages linked above, and if you are shopping for a holiday, our guide on how to wear a kaftan dress pairs well with the resort labels.

Frequently asked questions

What are some popular Australian fashion brands?

Zimmermann, Aje, Camilla and Marc, Alex Perry, Christopher Esber and Scanlan Theodore are widely known internationally, alongside newer labels such as Alémais, SIR the Label and Posse.

Which Australian brands are best for resort wear?

As an editor’s pick, Zimmermann, Alémais, SIR the Label and Posse are strong for holiday dressing, with printed dresses, swimwear, cover ups and light separates.

Which Australian designers make evening wear?

Alex Perry, Rachel Gilbert, Maticevski, Rebecca Vallance and Bronx and Banco all focus on occasion and evening dressing, from embellished cocktail dresses to sculptural gowns.

Is Posse an Australian brand?

Yes. Posse is an Australian womenswear brand founded in 2016 by Danielle Mulham, and it opened its first flagship store in New York City in 2026.

Where was Zimmermann founded?

Zimmermann was founded in Sydney by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann.

What clothes are still made in Australia?

It varies by label and by piece. Check the product details on each item for where it was made.