Cyber coquette meets sport fetish: Introducing Melbourne knitwear label, Agati
image via @ag4ti/instagram
as told to daisy henry
“My practice has always been about trying to bring my fantasies to life.”
Melbourne-based designer Sam Agati can take 40 hours to make one dress. That’s the equivalent of working a five-day work week. It’s a lot to pour into one piece of clothing but for Sam, the time-intensive nature of knitwear is well worth it. As the website for their eponymous label, Agati, reads, “I’ve found, and keep finding my language through knitting.”
Having learnt to machine knit while studying fashion design at RMIT, Sam started making knitwear exclusively in 2023. “I already knew I was obsessed with knitwear, so I just kept making and pushing it further,” they tell me.
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It’s since evolved into a label, though not in the traditional sense. “[I work] in small runs of individual pieces that come together almost like mini collections.”
Because every item is made by Sam, nothing is ever identical, which forms part of the appeal. “I’m not really interested in repeating the same garment over and over,” they explain. “I like the idea that each piece exists as its own.”
Agati’s aesthetic is similarly unique. Blending feminine silhouettes with athletic details, it’s the result of a designer who’s confident enough to know when to leave pieces a little undone. Body-hugging and deliberately confrontational, select items feature phrases like ‘KMS’ (that’s ‘Know Your Strengths’), ‘Fresh Meat’ and ‘how much r u gonna lose… until u win’.
Using wool sourced from a local mill in Bendigo adds another layer of personality to Sam’s work. “I love working with wool. I’m drawn to its natural properties, especially its elasticity and the way you can stretch it and it will always return to the body,” they explain.
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Fashion Journal: Hey Sam! Tell us a little about your work.
I make one-off pieces and custom work, and everything is produced entirely by me. Because of that, each piece ends up feeling really individual and personal. My process is very hands-on and a bit obsessive, and I’m constantly experimenting so nothing ever feels repeated.
How did Agati begin and what were the early challenges of launching a label?
Agati started pretty naturally after I graduated from RMIT in 2023. I already knew I was obsessed with knitwear, so I just kept making and pushing it further. At the beginning, it wasn’t really a brand, more a personal practice that slowly grew into something more defined over time. My process has always been very hands-on and one-off. I don’t really work in traditional releases, more in small runs of individual pieces that come together almost like mini collections.
One of the biggest challenges early on was developing my technique. I spent a lot of time practising and refining my skills to be able to create work that felt high-quality and conceptual. Knitwear is also incredibly time-intensive, especially when doing everything myself, so understanding how long each piece takes naturally led me to working in smaller, more considered outputs.
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What are you hoping to communicate through Agati?
I kind of hope to communicate a piece of my mind, and dive into the things I love and what makes up my personality. My work is basically a visual representation of the things and experiences that spike emotional intensity in me, and all of the aesthetics and inspirations that I’m drawn to so deeply.
My practice has always been about trying to bring my fantasies to life and replicate a feeling through a physical piece of work. I just want to communicate all of that, all the aesthetics, ideas, and emotions that excite me and drive me to keep making.
How would you describe the brand’s aesthetic to someone discovering it for the first time?
It’s like cyber coquette meets deconstructed sport fetish. I pull a lot of visual inspiration from old video game avatars and early internet aesthetics, and channel this into intimate, body-hugging knitwear.
I would say my work blends feminine silhouettes with sporty elements, creating something that feels soft but also slightly confrontational, especially through the use of text. I experiment with texture and subtle deconstruction so the pieces feel a bit undone, slightly erotic and intimate.
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What inspires you most when you’re designing?
Most of my inspiration comes from a feeling that I keep coming back to, usually relating to early internet culture and the emotional intensity of emo and scene subcultures – less in a visual way and more in the feeling. I’m often inspired by people in my life, as well as online, who carry that same energy.
I also use myself and my own emotions as a reference point. A lot of the text and phrases I embed into my work are pulled straight from how I’m feeling at a certain time, usually around emotions relating to tension, desire, struggle and vanity.
Many of your pieces are one-of-one. What led to that decision?
A lot of it comes from how I work and how I think about making. Knitwear is so time-intensive, and because I’m doing everything myself, each piece naturally becomes quite personal. I’m not really interested in repeating the same garment over and over; I like the idea that each piece exists as its own.
Making everything one-of-one keeps the process exciting for me and allows me to push ideas further without having to turn them into something repeatable. It also makes each piece feel more special, both for me and for the person wearing it.
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What kinds of materials do you most love working with and why?
I love working with wool. I’m drawn to its natural properties, especially its elasticity and the way you can stretch it and it will always return to the body, which works really well for the kind of close-fitting pieces I make.
I source all of my yarn from a local mill in Bendigo. Knowing where the material comes from adds another layer to my work, which is something I really value.
What are you most proud of so far?
I think I’m most proud of how much my skills have developed since I started machine knitting three years ago. A lot of that has just come from putting in the time and being really dedicated to it. I’m also really proud of being able to turn something I genuinely love into something that could become a career. That’s always been the goal, so seeing it start to take shape feels really rewarding.
And honestly, being recognised by Fashion Journal is a big one. I’ve been a fan for a long time, so it feels pretty surreal to be doing this.
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Where are your hopes for the label over the next five years?
I want to keep building Agati in a way that feels true to how I work. I want to keep developing my skills and pushing the work further, while letting the brand grow into something more established.
I’d like to expand but still keep that one-of-one, personal feeling. Staying hands-on is really important to me, so it’s about growing without losing that. A lot of my audience is based overseas, so I’d love to create more in-person experiences through international pop-ups, as well as doing more locally, too. I’d also really love to explore doing a runway at some point; it’s always been a dream of mine.
Where can people buy your pieces?
You can shop my work via my website or get in touch via Instagram to enquire about commissioning a custom piece.
Keep up with Agati here.
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