Melbourne designer Anna Cordell creates romantic, androgynous pieces with a rock and roll edge
PHOTOGRAPHY BY Lilli Waters
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“I’ve always been a big mood dresser, flipping between androgyny and femininity… I think this is really reflected in my garments.”
Worn by the likes of Missy Higgins, Sharon Van Halen, Angel Olsen, Ruel and Amy Taylor, Melbourne-based label Anna Cordell merges the worlds of fashion and music. It makes sense, given Anna’s background as a musician.
Her eponymous label is now known for made-to-measure suiting, and Anna designed her first (in olive-green corduroy, naturally) to appear onstage. “I didn’t have set plans at all but it seemed to take on a life of its own,” she says. Androgynous, dreamy and ’70s-esque, Anna’s collection is a combination of custom-made suiting and garments made in small, seasonless runs.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
Each piece is slowly designed and made in Anna’s Northcote store/studio, championing traditional tailoring techniques and fabrics like lace, velvet, silk and linen. Below, Anna tells the story of her label so far.
Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?
View this post on Instagram
I always loved fashion, but never officially studied it. I did an arts degree majoring in philosophy and then started a music degree, but I didn’t complete it because I ended up having my daughter Lucia quite young. Because my original plans were a bit thrown into the air, I was experimenting… started to upcycle things I found at op shops.
I started selling them at markets, a few local stores started picking the pieces up and not long after, I [was] stocked [at] independent boutiques around Australia. I was completely winging it and learning on the job, but now I know that’s how I learn fastest.
View this post on Instagram
I ended up designing upcycled garments for Sportsgirl and General Pants while running my own little store in St Kilda. It all got pretty hectic and I ended up stopping cold turkey to spend more time with my little kids and find time for music again.
How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.
I was focusing my energy on music at the time and wanted to record an album but couldn’t work out how to fund it. I thought maybe I’d try designing a little again under my own name… but instead, fashion got me fully hooked again!
View this post on Instagram
I started with a little five-piece range, available made to order, and it got a lot more interest than I expected – starting from the local music community. The most popular thing was a corduroy suit I had partially designed because I wanted one for myself to wear on stage.
It was vintage-inspired and had a casual feel to it… people started asking if they could order one in a fabric that would work for them – initially all musicians! My musician mates modelled and it was all a bit of fun to start with, I had no idea what my plan was exactly.
What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?
View this post on Instagram
It was really meant to be a little side project at the beginning. I didn’t have set plans at all but it seemed to take on a life of its own, to the point where I really had to choose between focusing my energy on that or music.
Lockdowns helped me make my mind up because I launched the record two weeks before it happened – any plans to tour and do shows were gone, so I decided put all my energy into the clothing.
View this post on Instagram
I’d been measuring people for suits at my house, and then from a little studio which I had to leave to… homeschool my kids. Once we were allowed out again, I was looking for another studio and ended up taking a massive risk and opening my little store in Northcote instead!
How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?
Warm and romantic with a rock and roll edge. I’ve always been a big mood dresser, flipping between androgyny and femininity day to day… I think this is really reflected in my garments.
View this post on Instagram
With a background in vintage clothing and being a musician with ’70s influences, there is always a lot of that flavour in the pieces I design. I like to keep things classic but bold. I like to think that my clothes encourage self-expression and make the wearer feel confident and great in their own skin.
What are you most proud of in your work on your label?
I think that it’s never been trend or season-driven, but inspiration and mood-driven. I still make a lot of one-off pieces, particularly with my head tailor Lucy – we work on things for people to wear on stage or at special events and this keeps the label’s focus on the artistic more than the commercial.
View this post on Instagram
I’m also proud that I have held onto what I used to do for most of my label, using vintage and recycled or one-off designer deadstock fabrics. It makes the pieces extra special for my clients while keeping the brand environmentally sustainable.
I love that many of [my pieces] are… put together in our teeny tiny studio… [and] made by local tailors who I have a personal relationship with. My aunt even comes in and hand-knits some of our winter pieces in-store, it feels so warm and I think our customers love to see exactly where their clothes are coming from.
Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
View this post on Instagram
A couple of my current favourites are smaller local brands in Melbourne – I love Après Studio and Van Der Kooij. I find larger brands Romance Was Born and Song for the Mute and their commitment to creativity really inspiring as well.
What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?
I would love to see more Australian brands being able to survive manufacturing locally, but I really think this would require some kind of government funding to support most small brands in scaling up.
View this post on Instagram
From a consumer angle, it’s exciting to see more demand for locally made [clothing] and people understanding more why things need to cost what they do. [However], it’s still barely viable to make a profit with the cost of local manufacturing.
Dream Australian collaborators?
I’d love to collaborate with Romance Was Born sometime and possibly a denim brand like Levis or Wrangler to make some great denim suits. I love head-to-toe denim!
Who is in your wardrobe right now?
View this post on Instagram
Mostly vintage finds and my own samples! I get around in my ‘work in progress’ pieces a lot of the time. I have a couple of Caves Collect… pants that are my uniform, and a couple of Oats the Label tops, and shoes from Post Sole Studio.
I [also]invested in a beautiful one-off wool coat from Coreprêt a couple of years ago that I wear all the time. I’m really trying to build my wardrobe into nothing but vintage and local designers.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
View this post on Instagram
Head to my website, Instagram or pop into my store at 246 High Street, Northcote.
Browse the Anna Cordell collection here.
Liked this? You’ll love these...
