As Australian Fashion Week begins in Sydney, followed closely by Australian Made Week, I find myself thinking less about what fashion looks like on the runway, and more about what women want hanging in their wardrobes right now.
Because somewhere along the way, women were told that shopping “better” meant either spending less or buying more trend consciously. But I don’t think that’s what most women are searching for.
What I’m seeing, both within our own customer base and more broadly through conversations happening across fashion, is that women are becoming far more intentional with what enters their wardrobes. Not less interested in fashion, just more considered about it. They are pausing longer before they purchase. Thinking about versatility, longevity and practicality in a way I haven’t seen this strongly before.
And honestly, I think that shift has been driven by exhaustion as much as economics.
Women are overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by constant trend cycles, by social media telling them they need a completely different version of themselves every season, by wardrobes full of pieces that looked exciting in the moment but never really became part of their actual lives. The fantasy of fashion has become very loud, but the reality of getting dressed every morning still comes down to the same question: does this make me feel good, and does it work for my life?
Because most women are not dressing for a runway, a campaign shoot or a curated Instagram post. They are dressing for work, school pickup, dinners, travel, weekends away and the hundreds of ordinary moments that make up real life. They want pieces that feel special, but also reliable. Clothing that earns its place in the wardrobe instead of demanding constant replacement.
That is where I think the conversation around value has become really confused.
Locally made clothing is often labelled “expensive,” but I think women are beginning to look beyond the initial price tag and ask better questions around cost per wear, quality and longevity. The sentence I hear most often now is: “I’m trying to buy less, but better.” That mindset tells me women are recalibrating their relationship with fashion entirely.
At the same time though, we continue to celebrate the spectacle side of fashion while quietly allowing the industry underneath it to disappear.
Right now, only around three per cent of clothing sold in Australia is actually made here. When I first heard that statistic through the Australian Fashion Council’s manufacturing strategy discussions earlier this year, it genuinely stopped me for a moment. Australians are fiercely proud of Australian wine, Australian produce and Australian sport, yet very few people stop to think about where their clothing is being made, or what happens if we lose the ability to make it altogether.
And perhaps that is why Australian Made Week feels more important than ever.
Not as a marketing exercise or a flag waving campaign, but as an opportunity to educate consumers on what sits behind locally made fashion. The people. The skills. The craftsmanship. The accountability. The fact that when something is made locally, there is still a human connection between the designer, the maker and the woman eventually wearing it.
Because the reality is that we are losing those skills.
Australia’s manufacturing workforce is ageing rapidly, and many of these roles are held by women who have spent decades mastering their craft. In our own business, our production family is overwhelmingly female, and many have worked in the industry longer than some fashion brands have existed. These are highly skilled careers requiring precision, technical knowledge and experience, yet manufacturing is rarely presented as aspirational work anymore.
And that worries me deeply, because once those skills disappear, rebuilding them is not simple.
Fashion Week often celebrates what is next, but I think there also needs to be more conversation around what is sustainable, wearable and worth preserving within Australian fashion itself. Not just the showpieces, but the everyday wardrobe pieces women rely on repeatedly. The garments that fit properly, travel and wash well and quietly become part of someone’s life over many years.
I think consumers are craving connection again. Not just with products, but with process. They want transparency. Accountability. Alignment with their values. That doesn’t mean every woman will only buy Australian made clothing, nor should she feel pressured to. But I do think there is growing appreciation for understanding what sits behind a garment when something is made locally and thoughtfully.
Fashion spent years chasing faster, louder and more disposable. Yet the women I speak to most often are looking for calmer wardrobes. More confidence. More ease. Less waste. Less regret. Less pressure to constantly reinvent themselves.
And perhaps that is the real shift happening here. Women are no longer shopping purely for dopamine. They are shopping for alignment. Alignment with their lifestyle, their finances, their values and the version of themselves they truly want to be.
To me, that feels far more powerful than a trend cycle ever could.