A round-up of Australian and New Zealand labels offering knitwear
IMAGE VIA @_frisson_knits_/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY MAGGIE ZHOU
Look good, feel better.
Nothing beats the feeling of pulling on your favourite sweater after a hot shower or feeling the soft texture of a lightweight cotton knit against your skin.
Discover more up-and-coming local designers in our Fashion section.
This selection of ethically-sound knitwear brands from here in Australia has been chosen for the use of radical transparency, ethically sourced materials or fair labour practices. Feel free to play rain sounds and clasp a mug of hot tea while reading this for the full effect.
Jillian Boustred
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Australian-made fashion label Jillian Boustred prioritises quality and comfort through the use of natural fibres and sustainable practices. Its knitwear pieces – including skirts, dresses, pants and ultra-soft T-shirts – are classic, luxurious and versatile. Offering circular solutions, Jillian Boustred’s repair services also allow for each piece to be mended, upcycled or responsibly disposed of.
Friend of Audrey
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Founded in Sydney, Friend of Audrey is a consciously produced womenswear label inspired by the late fashion icon Audrey Hepburn. The brand’s pieces are designed to stand the test of time, perfect for those wanting to build up their capsule wardrobe. Its range of simple and sophisticated garments is ethically manufactured with a strong focus on high-quality materials.
Anna Quan
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Merging luxury with minimalism, Anna Quan offers a selection of high-quality knitwear pieces to take you from season to season. Made from lightweight cotton, the brand’s knitwear is designed to contour the body and flatter in all the right places. And if you’re looking for a break from neutrals, Anna Quan’s colour palette extends to bright sherberts and soft pastel hues.
Hey Zoë May
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Naarm-based label Hey Zoë May creates small-batch knitwear collections with a focus on organic textures, saturated colour and simple silhouettes. While more on the lightweight side, Hey Zoë May pieces have the ideal layering potential for cooler seasons. All pieces are made from merino wool, which means they’ll hold their shape and have better insulation, with less of scrunching and itching.
Caves Collect
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Caves Collect’s knitwear collection, while limited, offers two refined shapes. Both are made from 100 per cent mid-weight merino, with the pieces manufactured here in Australia. The Rufus Knit is slim-fitting with a crew neck, making it a great addition over a button-down shirt with a peekaboo collar. The Margot Knit is slightly more cropped with a classic turtleneck, made to be worn with high-waisted denim or tailored cigarette pants.
Amélie Knits
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Soft, fuzzy and just the right amount of oversized, New Zealand-made Amélie Knits jumpers are like being enveloped by a woollen cloud. The handmade pieces include vests, cardigans, balaclavas and bonnets, with the signature Amélie style being this fluffy roll-neck, bishop-sleeve jumper.
A.bch World
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Circular fashion label A.bch World produces its pieces in Melbourne using renewable, organic and recycled materials. The brand offers high-quality knitwear basics in materials like cushy grey marle, softly-structured rib and lightweight cotton.
Frisson Knits
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Softness you can feel through your screen. Frisson Knits hand makes sweaters from New Zealand kid mohair and it’s known for chunky knits and billowing sleeves in soft tones. Fibres are all ethically sourced; think native New Zealand Angora goats all farmed in small flocks. When we say handknitted, we really mean it – the brand uses needles and organic yarn to bring its creations to life.
Loris
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Loris creates one-of-a-kind colourful explosions of knitwear. Lisa Kerr, the brains behind the business, knits every single piece from her lounge room, often with a cup of tea and a British crime show buzzing in the background. Her unique designs aim to invoke a sense of being loved and therefore instil confidence in the wearer. You can read more about her here, in a profile written by her daughter.
Kowtow
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Kowtow follows the mantra that one should own a good thing and make it last. Its knitwear line is made from 100 per cent fair trade organic cotton, and all pieces are individually knitted to eliminate yarn waste. The colourways are simple – the brand is all about primary colours like bright green and blue, or a subdued camel cream.
The Knitter
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Nicole Leybourne is both ‘a knitter’ and The Knitter. The New Zealand-based creative has expanded her team of hand-knitted wares from New Zealand all the way to Peru, where the staff knit in their homes by hand. They use mohair yarn from New Zealand and alpaca and sheep wool from the Peruvian Highlands to create magically woolly knits.
Maggie Marilyn
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Featured in our editors’ list of best sustainable labels of 2020, Maggie Marilyn is a brand to behold. Its range of flirty and playful knitwear also comes with a note on who supplied the fibre, and where the piece was made. Its recent collection features traceable, capsule items starting at $72. My wallet is ready.
Woolerina
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This family-run business has been handpicking each batch of wool for over 10 years now. Woolerina holds an Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation, meaning its Australian supply chains are legally compliant and workers are being paid appropriately. Its organic fibre is a unique material that reacts to changes in the body’s temperature, meaning it keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter. Ingenious.
Dorothy
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Founded by mother and daughter duo Anne and Lucy Aitchison, Dorothy makes über-cool, hand-knitted jumpers. Its one-off designs are made from locally sourced materials and knitted with New Zealand mohair or wool sourced from small businesses. Think cosy, oversized knitwear with a slight ’80s sensibility and you’ve got the picture.
Marle
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After noticing a gap in the New Zealand knitwear market, Marle founder Juliet Souter used her experience in the fashion industry to create her own label. Marle’s knitwear collection features a range of natural fibres and neutral tones – built to complement a wardrobe, not overwhelm it. Juliet’s upcoming collection, My Mind She Runs, offers a new selection of cardigans and jumpers.
Lil’ Knits
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Local label Lil’ Knits was created in 2016 by Lilly Morgan, a self-taught knitter from Melbourne. Crafting all her pieces from Peruvian Highland wool, Lilly’s designs come in a variety of punchy block colours. Lil’ Knits garments are made to order in an effort to reduce waste, so allow up to six weeks for your design to arrive (winter also officially begins in three weeks… so get ordering).
Elk
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Winners of the 2019 Australian Fashion Laureate Award for Sustainable Innovation, Elk is a Melbourne-based brand built on a strong foundation of transparency and conscious design. The brand’s merino wool is sourced from Australia, its alpaca wool is sourced from the Peruvian highlands and its organic cotton is grown in Turkey. Elk’s consciously-made pieces are timeless, built to carry you through the seasons.
McIntyre Merino
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After living on a working farm for a year, McIntyre Merino founders Ned and Raquel became inspired by the beauty of Australian wool. With its source located between the coastline of Warrnambool and the Grampian mountains, McIntyre wool is Australian-made, incredibly soft and gentle on sensitive skin. The brand’s pieces come in a selection of bold colours and designs, ensuring all wearers will stand out from the crowd.
Arnsdorf
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Arnsdorf is a Melbourne-based, slow-fashion womenswear brand with a focus on transparency and ethical manufacturing at its heart. Each Arnsdorf piece includes a breakdown of production costs, promoting honesty between the brand and its customers. The entire Arnsdrof design process takes place at the brand’s in-house Melbourne atelier.
Standard Issue
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Founded in the ’80s in New Zealand, Standard Issue ensures each piece is created with functionality, longevity, environmental impact, and aesthetic front-of-mind throughout the design and production processes. Their offering spans merino, cotton, alpaca, possum merino, cashmere and cotton cashmere in a range of designs.
Hej Hej
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Originating as a linen-focused brand, Hej Hej has branched into knits with a selection of colourful and cosy cashmere, cotton and silk designs. Playful and full of personality, Hej Hej’s knitwear comes in various delicious hues that will brighten your winter wardrobe.
Suku Home
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Melbourne-Indonesian brand Suku Home has it all, from homewares and bedding to clothing. Their wearable offering includes a selection of knitwear including jumpers, cardigans and dresses in Suku’s signature style of tie-dye and geometric prints.
Wixii
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Based in New Zealand, Wixii is a family-run business specialising in simple designs made from natural fibres. Their knitwear collection comprises minimalist cotton, cashmere and merino pieces in subtle pops of colour and monochrome tones.
For more ethical knitwear suggestions, head here.
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