Australian fashion people style an outfit they’ve made themselves
IMAGE VIA Ashiya Omundsen
Words by Maggie Zhou
Made with love.
There are a few tiers of smugness that accompany the answer to the question, “Where did you get that from?”. Whether the asker is enquiring about a dress, jacket or pants, you might proudly share that the find was secondhand or borrowed from a loved one. But some talented people get to share that they’ve actually constructed the garments they’re wearing themselves.
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In these instances, the fabric, construction and fit have been specifically chosen by them, for them. It doesn’t get more bespoke as that. Here, we asked 11 Australian women to show us an outfit they’ve made for themselves. A mix of crochet, hand-knitted, upcycled and hand-sewn garments were slung our way, for occasions ranging from a wedding to a music festival. Read on to admire their creations.
Ruby Farley-Steere, she/her, Founder and Creative Director of Kateri the Label
I made this outfit in my Melbourne studio, modifying the design in multiple different ways until I found the perfect fit. A Kateri ruffle blouse and corduroy three-quarter shorts, paired with Loq Donna boots, [is] my go-to autumn outfit… The perfect balance of classic tailoring and vintage ruffles.
The creative process was considered and thoughtful, with each stage of the designing, drafting, cutting and sewing completed in my studio and with my own hands. I wanted the ruffle blouse to have enough movement in the gathered neckline yet be strong enough to serve as a striking feature. The material was really the most intricate part of this process, as it needed [to be] flowing yet structured.
Ellie Vallely, she/her, Founder and Designer of Squint Clothing
This outfit is a true representation of my design journey! My sweater is from my grad collection at uni all the way back in 2016. It’s a lovely soft, thick cotton jersey and was inspired by skateboarding streetwear. It never made it into my final collection but it has become a staple of mine.
My kilt is one of my newest designs. As a Scot I’ve always loved kilts so I’m really enjoying their moment in the spotlight. I wanted to create a summer kilt so I used this beautiful lilac linen/Tencel with leather buckles I made from discarded offcuts. The fabric was a little tricky to work with because of its drape but to combat that I stitched the line of the pleats which helped a lot.
I made it in a haze of new design excitement so it came together pretty quickly. Working out the maths for the pleats was a bit of a challenge though, as I was working with leather for the first time. I’m really happy with the way it came out and I love that it feels true to a classic kilt but I don’t have to give it up in the Aussie weather!
Jimin Park, she/her, content creator and owner of Oneul Co
This dress is my first ‘real’ sewing project. [It was] born from both my frustration with never being able to find a perfectly-fitting dress and my childhood dream of designing and making my own clothes. I was determined to make myself the perfect dress for any time, place and occasion.
To do this I chose a classic silhouette with colours that feature time and time again in my everyday wardrobe, in a gorgeous gingham seersucker and a lyocell linen. The mixed material panelling is inspired by the gorgeous designs by Katharina Lou. With some help from a fellow crafty friend to get started, I finished the dress in about 20 hours over two days.
Petah Mallios, she/her, student and Founder of Plato the Label
Being raised in the 2000s, I have grown up in a hyper-consumable society in which 84 per cent of clothing ends up in landfills. It wasn’t until social media’s rapid trend-cycling during the COVID-19 lockdowns which I started to think about the [manufacturing] process behind my clothes and what would happen to them after their use. I was shocked to see how the brands I was supporting and the materials I was purchasing were negatively impacting thousands of communities and the environment.
This led me to create my own small crochet business, Plato the Label, from my home in Sydney. By keeping sustainability at the core of my business, I hoped to create a local platform for like-minded individuals to support. I firstly wanted to minimise microplastic production, thus opting for locally-sourced 100 per cent cotton fibres. Further, this cotton yarn can biodegrade in around five months, compared to the 200 years of acrylic fibres.
When starting my brand, my aim was to create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces that could not be replicated by machines or fast fashion companies. This led to the development of my core collection, which aimed to mimic a capsule wardrobe by focusing on rewearing and restyling these classic pieces. This Olympia dress took just over eight hours to create, using a large bundle of cotton yarn and a small crochet hook (mostly while binge-watching Netflix).
This set was largely influenced by my Greek culture. I love the sharp angles and asymmetry of ancient Grecian fashion and architecture and wanted to blend that with the modern minimalism of a capsule wardrobe. This has been such a staple in my wardrobe without costing the planet.
Ashiya Omundsen, she/her, Founder of Par Moi
This look is a houndstooth vest and matching mini skirt with tights and thrifted shoes. The set is made from a deadstock wool blend, with deadstock gold metal buttons on the vest. These are pieces I make to order as a part of my brand Par Moi. This set takes about five hours to make, that’s for the cutting and sewing – the design, pattern drafting and toiling took a fair bit longer.
Jackie Galleghan Kiprovski, she/her, Founder of Madre Natura
The suit is crafted from a hemp, silk, cotton and Duchesse blend. The fabric took a while to source as I knew I wanted something sustainable for my [wedding] dress as well as my getaway look. The fabric is soft and durable, you can hand wash as well as hand iron. I love working with fabrications that are easy and durable and have longevity.
It took a few weeks to make, I had to make a toile first, then the real blazer as I wanted a power suit for the wedding. The pants only took a few hours as it is already a style from my collection. I wear both pieces all the time, [at] events, lunches and dinners.
Lily Connolly, she/her, Co-founder and Designer of Mabel the Label
The pieces I’m wearing here are handmade (by my mum and myself) from locally-sourced secondhand materials. When designing the jumper, we wanted to create a chunky [and] boxy fit and play with some bright colours. The longest part of the process was sourcing the right materials – all of the fabrics needed to be a similar weight to achieve the right style [and] fit.
Since this was the first jumper we’ve designed, it also took some time to get the pattern right. I’d say all up, it took around one full working day from start to finish. The skirt was made from some three-quarter pants! When sourcing, we looked for pieces with existing pockets, draw cords [and] toggles. This piece was simpler and took a couple of hours to complete.
Meg Hillier, she/her, Designer and Founder of Siren
I made this outfit for myself to wear to day one of Falls Festival in Fremantle at the start of this year. I was inspired by my love of all things girly, like the colour pink, ribbons, big bows and balletcore. I wanted to create a very cute [and] delicate outfit that would make me feel as if I was on my way to take a ballet class. My favourite colour has always been pink and as a child, I used to love dressing up in little pink leotards, wrap skirts and ballet shoes. It was nice to tap into my inner child while making the outfit.
The whole set is hand-knitted by me using a mixture of my fine gauge knitting machine and hand-sewing. For the skirt and top, I used baby pink two-ply yarn and pink ribbon. For the leg warmers, I used a number of different colours and textures of yarn. All of the materials I used for these were sourced secondhand. All up it probably took me around six hours to make.
Veronica Tucker, she/her, Founder and Designer of Veronica Tucker the Label
[I was inspired by the] Renaissance and Regency eras, romantic cottagecore aesthetic and [wanted] as much volume as possible. I made it using my Freya sewing pattern! I actually cut up an old dress I’d made and didn’t wear anymore. The fabric was originally purchased from a designer fabric store called The Remnant Warehouse and it’s a beautiful textured check fabric. This took about 45 minutes to make, so very quick!
Rachel Burke, she/her, artist and designer
A few years ago I found a glorious wedding dress at an op shop for $30, and of course, it had to be mine! I loved the shape of it and knew that with a bit of tweaking it could be something special. Fast forward a few years and I really wanted to try some fabric paint medium I had sourced, and this dress popped into my head as the perfect canvas.
I wanted to paint the dress in the same pattern I had made on one of my favourite scribbly flower artworks at the time. I started by customising the shape with scissors, shortening the sleeves, lowering the neckline and removing the appliqué which had discoloured a little bit.
From there I set about adding the fabric medium to my paint colours and then painting the dress. This was the most time-consuming part, but it really turned out a treat. After letting it dry, I used some pink tulle to create some ruffles and then added it to the sleeves. The final step was replacing the white ribbon at the black with a blue one and then ta-da! A new dress was born!
Bonnie Watts, she/her, Founder and Creative Director of Bonniee
This outfit is a dress that I personally designed and sewed by hand. The outer material is 100 per cent silk, while the lining is made from chiffon fabric that I purchased from a secondhand shop. I instantly fell in love with the fabric’s vibrant pattern and decided to keep the design simple to let it stand out. I used a pattern I bought from a fabric store years ago to create this dress. It [took] me around three hours to construct it.
For tips on making your own clothes, head here.
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