This Tassie fashion brand is bringing Aussie products to NYC

From Salamanca to Soho, local fashion label Smitten Merino is bringing its timeless Tasmanian-made designs to the Big Apple.

Nicola Mason and daughter Holly Bowden of Smitten Merino. Tasmanian owned, designed and made clothing label has launched in New York and is now stocked there. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

FROM Salamanca to Soho, the fashion world is smitten with this sustainable Tasmanian label.

Hobart-based Smitten Merino has been crafting luxury wool products in Tasmania for the last 15 years and is now bringing its timeless Australian designs to New York City.

The family owned business designs and manufactures all of its clothing items in Tasmania, using superfine merino wool sourced from the state’s premier wool growing regions

The Tasmanian-made products are now available in one of the world’s most fashionable cities – New York – at Soho boutique Flying Solo, which stocks a range of international fashion brands.

Smitten founder and designer Nicola Mason said it was exciting but “a little daunting” to launch her label in New York.

“The fact that Tassie can have a fashion presence in New York is really exciting,” Ms Mason said,

“We’ve got Mona, they’ve got MOMA – there are similarities.”

Holly Bowden in Times Square New York. Picture: Holly Bowden/Instagram

Ms Mason said while her wool products are being stocked on the other side of the world, they will always have Tasmanian roots.

“The sheep are here and we’d seen them up and down the Midlands and I was like, we need to use the wool here because it was all going offshore. We wanted it to be made here and to bring jobs back here,” she said.

Her daughter Holly Bowden agreed there was a real desire for timeless and quality fashion.

“People love Australia and I think people do appreciate that we do things well. It’s pretty impressive that the brand is manufactured here, designed here, we use all of the local products which, even in Australia, is quite an incredible feat, but that is being noticed internationally,” Ms Bowden said.

“People care, and I think that’s why Flying Solo reached out to Mum … you want to buy something you can pull out in a few years that has a great story and is well made.”

Originally published as This Tassie fashion brand is bringing Aussie products to NYC