A 5kg tank top? The Sydney designer hitting his stride in Paris
Australian designer Christopher Esber’s latest show at Paris Fashion Week is a shimmering message to Hollywood stylists and stars that he is ready for his Oscars red carpet moment alongside Dior, Chanel and Ralph Lauren.
A beaded top worn by Australian runway stalwart Mali Koopman above pants with an insouciant Sydney silhouette could easily be seen on Emma Stone. The pairing seems increasingly possible given the top is one stitch of separation from the Oscar-winning actress.
Esber enlisted Swiss-born couturier Cecile Feilchenfeldt to attach five kilograms of beads and resin chips to the tricked-up tank top, following her work on the custom Louis Vuitton dress Stone wore to the Oscars.
Mali Koopman in a 5kg tank top and models at the Christopher Esber show, autumn 2025, Paris Fashion Week.Credit: Luca Tombolini
“We were looking at antiquity, ideas from the past and detailing used in flamenco,” Esber says from Paris. “From there, we created this really dense, beaded knitted top, which uses plenty of hard surfaces like tortoiseshell that you would have seen in the 1920s.”
For a designer whose Redfern studio is 16,960 kilometres from the Champs-Elysees, gaining access to leading couturiers takes more effort than sliding into someone’s Instagram direct messages. Esber’s entrée is a result of winning the ANDAM prize in June, which has helped propel the careers of Jeremy Scott, Ludovic de Saint Sernin and Saint Laurent designer Anthony Vaccarello.
Along with financial support of €300,000 ($511,000), the award connects winners with the top echelon of artisans.
“This is the first time we are working with French ateliers that have been introduced via the ANDAM team, so it’s been exciting working with amazing, talented craftspeople on bringing the collection to reality,” Esber says.
“We’ve been able to work with a balled chain that has been knitted together, taken from 1920s military tags. We’ve also done incredible work with a French mill creating high pile velvet, which is very rare these days, developing a beautiful devoré technique.
“There are also quite everyday and humble clothes that we found ways to elevate. Using a fine rouleau technique, strips of silk have been cut, stitched and turned inside out, then stacked and hand-stitched together, creating an elevated version of corduroy.”
Since launching his label in 2010, Esber has gained attention dressing Zendaya and Dua Lipa. Dramatic cut-outs and flesh-skimming, swooping hems were a signature.
This collection demonstrates significant maturity without losing youthful appeal by focusing on what has been included, with textile development and classic silhouettes.
It’s part of a single-minded mission for growth from the only Australian label to join Zimmermann on the official Paris schedule this season. Esber just launched a bridal collection and has menswear on his mind.
“I feel the energy and excitement in Paris,” Esber says. “It has always been the centre of fashion, now more than ever.
“We’re always thinking big and planning the dream. It’s the way you have to move forward.”
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