This Sydney-based label deals in primary colours, deadstock fabrics and matching sets
image via @firstcolours/INSTAGRAM
as told to daisy henry
“There’s something to be said for taking your time but continuing the momentum is so important.”
Emily Savage rarely buys clothing for herself, despite being the director and founder of a fashion label. Instead, she channels her love for fashion into her designs. It’s like that rule when creatives have a strict uniform for their day-to-day, so they can pour their imagination into their work. For Emily, that looks like a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, or a sample from her label, First Colours.
Emily first started designing a line of graphic T-shirts back in 2021, but it wasn’t until the following year that she decided to take the plunge and officially launch her own brand. “It was very much just a creative outlet but they did reasonably well, and I was getting frustrated with the lack of sustainable options out there,” she reflects.
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Fabric sourcing is one of her favourite parts of the design process. For the label’s deadstock range, Emily sources materials from Australia and Europe. For natural fabrics, she sends sketches and references to her supplier in China, who will send her back samples. Looking ahead, she’s planning to repurpose First Colours’ old stock into new designs, keeping with her goal of a circular supply chain.
For now, the label has defined itself with primary colours, halter necks, asymmetrical hemlines, matching sets and loud prints, inspired by “the best friend in any 2000s rom-com”.
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Fashion Journal: Hi Emily! Tell us about your fashion background.
Emily: I’m based in Sydney and have worked in fashion for the past six or so years. I’ve mainly worked on the marketing and digital side of things, firstly in-house for an Australian designer and then at an agency, where I still work now.
Tell me a little bit about the process and the challenges of building First Colours.
We’ve been up and running officially since the end of 2022. I started with a line of graphic T-shirts in 2021 and at that stage, it was very much just a creative outlet but they did reasonably well, and I was getting frustrated with the lack of sustainable options out there, so I thought I would give it a go designing a proper collection.
The two biggest challenges I’ve faced are cash flow – this has almost brought the business to an end several times and is very much not my skillset. The other thing is consistency. I find it hard to be creative all the time and continually put out new pieces that I’m happy with, especially balancing the business with my other job. There’s something to be said for taking your time but continuing the momentum is so important.
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What is the significance of the label’s name?
First Colours is actually a term used in croquet. At the time I was playing a lot of tennis and wanted something somewhat related to that, which is funny to me now, but it’s also become a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy because I feel like it 100 per cent represents the aesthetic of the brand in its current state.
How has First Colours evolved and what are you trying to achieve now?
I created First Colours to bring more diversity into the sustainability conversations that were starting to happen at the time. I wanted to create sustainable options that were affordable, size-inclusive and also just fun.
I thought, a bit naively, that I could solve all of the challenges of the industry overnight. While we’re taking strides towards those things, we have a really long way to go, especially from a size inclusivity perspective which definitely bothers me. The vision hasn’t changed at all but the way I’m both carrying it out and communicating it has.
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Can you tell me a bit about how you source your materials?
Fabric sourcing is one of my favourite parts of the design process! For our deadstock range, these fabrics are sourced from designers in both Australia and Europe. Sometimes I source from the designer directly but mostly through suppliers who buy the fabric from the designer and sell back to us.
For our natural fabrics, I provide sketches and references from vintage pieces, interiors and colour palettes to my supplier in China, and they come back to me with options. The feel of the fabric and the way it drapes is really important to my design process, so having swatches on hand is a must for me. I’m also working on a project at the moment where we repurpose some of our old stock into new pieces.
How would you describe First Colours to someone who’s never seen it before?
Imagine the best friend in any 2000’s rom-com – chaotic but extremely loveable in both her style and personality. In 2025, she would be wearing First Colours.
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What are you most proud of in your work so far?
Project-wise, our Oatly collaboration that we did in September last year. I worked on it with my friend, Dillon, for months and it was one of the first times that I was really happy with the outcome of a collection. It also showed the strength of the community we were starting to build, which was really surreal to me.
Aside from that, holding true the brand’s vision, even when trends like the quiet luxury movement tried to whisper otherwise.
What do you wish you’d known when you first started?
How much money it was going to cost to continue to run a brand and the breadth of output required. I’m still personally funding the business to this day and without another job, it would be completely impossible to keep creating.
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Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?
Mode Mischief. Mia, the founder, is an incredible creative and has an amazing vision. Also Reunion! It has the most beautiful curation of secondhand treasures.
What about the local fashion industry needs to change?
For more buyers, creators, press and customers to take bigger risks on emerging labels. That said, the support and encouragement we’ve received from other brands has been amazing. There’s an incredible community of people willing to share their insights and time, for which I’m endlessly grateful.
Who are your dream collaborators?
The Australian Open, Doom Juice and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
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Who is in your wardrobe right now?
It’s probably a bit boring but I hardly ever shop for clothes! I find it overwhelming, so most days I’m just wearing my jeans and a First Colours tee or new samples.
I do have a few amazing pieces from Ganni and Paris Georgia, and about a million pairs of Poppy Lissiman sunglasses that I’ve collected over the years and still love.
How can we buy one of your pieces?
Via our website.
Find more from First Colours here.
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