An Australian summer collection is designed for January and lands in the northern hemisphere in June. A Sydney label solving for heat, glare and a long outdoor season is solving the problem a European buyer has six months later, which is the practical reason resort, swim and the event dress are what Australia sends out.
Coveti carries 19 Australian houses, among them Zimmermann, Aje, Alémais, Maticevski, Carla Zampatti, sass & bide, Bassike, Shona Joy and Oroton, and most of them sit on that trade. Zimmermann, founded in 1991 by Nicky and Simone Zimmermann, built the export template out of swim and print. CAMILLA works in printed kaftans, Aje in cotton and volume, SIR the Label and Posse in linen and slip dressing, Alémais and Leo Lin in print. The occasion houses run alongside: Alex Perry, Rachel Gilbert, Rebecca Vallance and Bronx and Banco all build the gown, and Camilla and Marc, run by the siblings Camilla Freeman-Topper and Marc Freeman, sits between that and everyday tailoring.
The lineage is short enough that most of these houses can still name their founder. Oroton opened in 1938 and built its name on leather goods and metal mesh evening bags. Carla Zampatti began her Sydney label in 1965. sass & bide started in 1999 as a Portobello Road market stall run by two Australians, Sarah-Jane Clarke and Heidi Middleton, who took it home to Sydney the same year and sold jeans. Melbourne is the other pole, and it works on different ground: Toni Maticevski drapes and sculpts closer to an atelier than a coastline, and Viktoria & Woods holds to knitwear and tailoring.
18 Australian Houses
Frequently asked questions
Which Australian designers does Coveti carry?
Coveti carries 19 Australian houses: Zimmermann, Aje, Alémais, Alex Perry, Bassike, Bronx and Banco, Camilla and Marc, CAMILLA, Carla Zampatti, Leo Lin, Maticevski, Oroton, Posse, Rachel Gilbert, Rebecca Vallance, sass & bide, Shona Joy, SIR the Label and Viktoria & Woods. Sydney resort and swim is the largest part of it, with Melbourne tailoring, occasion dressing and leather accessories behind.
Do Australian sizes convert to UK sizes?
They match, which makes Australian labels the easiest conversion on the site. An Australian 10 is a UK 10 and an 8 is an 8, straight across, and Coveti lists them on the UK ladder anyway. US sizing is the one to watch, since it runs four numbers below: an Australian 10 is a US 6. Where a house cuts small or large, the fit note on the product page says so.
What is Australian fashion known for?
Resort and occasion wear built for heat and daylight: swim, print, linen and the event dress. Zimmermann built its name on swim and print out of Sydney, CAMILLA on printed kaftans, and Alex Perry and Rachel Gilbert on gowns. Melbourne works on different ground, with Maticevski’s draping and Viktoria & Woods’ knitwear and tailoring. The seasonal offset does the rest: a collection cut for a Sydney January arrives into a European June.
Which is the oldest Australian fashion house at Coveti?
Oroton, founded in 1938. It built its name on leather goods and its signature metal mesh evening bags, and now runs full ready to wear alongside accessories. Carla Zampatti began her Sydney label in 1965, Zimmermann followed in 1991 and sass & bide in 1999. The Australian industry is young by European standards, which is part of why its houses read as commercial rather than archival.
What is the difference between Sydney and Melbourne labels?
Sydney is the resort and occasion centre. Zimmermann, Aje, CAMILLA, Alémais, Leo Lin, Alex Perry and Rachel Gilbert are Sydney labels working in swim, print and event dressing. Melbourne is more construction led: Toni Maticevski is known for draping and sculpted gowns, and Viktoria & Woods for knitwear and tailoring. Both design to a southern summer, which is why the clothes arrive into a northern one.