Australian fashion has a storied history in the US. These are its next stars

If you adopt a grim view of Trump’s America, now would be a terrible time for Australian fashion brands to launch into the US. As well as the president-elect’s promise to raise tariffs on imported goods, especially those made in China, there is a general sense of unease ahead of his inauguration on January 20.

But Kelly Atkinson, a fashion brand consultant and strategist, is a glass half-full person.

Atkinson and her business partner and husband, Richard Poulson, have partnered with Australia Post to send 12 Australian fashion brands to New York for a week-long residency on the sidelines of the city’s fashion week in February.

Four of the 12 designers bound for New York (from left): Mariam Seddiq, Christian Kimber, Viktoria & Woods and Acler.Credit: Getty Images

But this is no ordinary pop-up: the space will feature Ti trees and red earth – for an immersive Australian experience – and consumers will be able to shop directly from the brands, which encompass some of Australia’s best emerging, established and sustainable fashion talent. The 12 brands are Viktoria & Woods, Acler, Bond-Eye, Jac & Jack, Wah-Wah Australia, Van Der Kooij, Christian Kimber, Re/lax Remade, Mariam Seddiq, R.M. Williams, Morrison and Ngali.

Atkinson says many of them would not be able to fund a similar mission without financial support. “Initiatives like this show a united front is stronger,” she says.

Celebrities, including Kelly Rowland and Iggy Azalea, have worn Seddiq’s structural evening dresses. This will be her first trip to the US, where she hopes also to pick up wholesale accounts and meet celebrity stylists.

Despite her success domestically, she is taking a cautious approach to the US. “I don’t ever want to go crazy big – I am traumatised by [seeing] the Aussie designers who got too big … and lost everything,” she says. “I am still an artist at heart, but obviously, we need to pay the bills.”

Christian and Ren Kimber, who recently opened a Melbourne flagship store for their menswear brand Christian Kimber, agree. “To grow thoughtfully and enter the US in the right way, you have to take the foot off the pedal [locally] almost ... this will give us everything we need to inform some big decisions,” says Ren.

The pair have some experience in the US, having supplied department stores Bloomingdales and the now-defunct Barney’s, as well as independent boutiques. They acknowledge making some rookie errors in their earlier forays into America.

We Wear Australian co-founder Kelly Atkinson (left) with designer Mariam Seddiq.Credit: Shan Stewart

“That wholesale approach ... it’s problematic for brands, especially smaller ones,” Ren says. “You lose control of the training of staff, merchandising, discounting; you lose a ton of margin.”

Christian adds: “We weren’t ready for it [taking on the US] then like we are now.”

Gaining exposure to overseas markets is critical for many Australian brands to thrive, especially considering that the population of California is roughly the same as the whole of Australia. Even with Sunday’s announcement that Australian Fashion Week will go ahead next year with new backers following US-based IMG’s divestment of the event last month, brands are looking for new avenues to get in front of international buyers, media and influencers.

On Monday, the Australian Fashion Foundation, co-founded by expat public relations executive Malcolm Carfrae, will award scholarships to two graduate designers to further their training in the US “so that they could develop globally relevant fashion experience and enhance the Australian fashion industry both locally and abroad”, he says.

And last week, a new trade show, Splash Paris, was announced for May 2025 in Sydney.

Atkinson hopes the We Wear Australian residency in New York, if successful, can be replicated in other cities, too. “This is an opportunity for [brands] to dip their toe in [to the US] without getting burnt,” she says.

Of course, cautionary tales are abundant. Dion Lee went into liquidation this year after its key backer, the Cue group, withdrew financial support. And Alice McCall closed last year, citing various issues, including a failed venture to license the brand in China.

Ren and Christian Kimber will strategically target US stockists.Credit: Arsineh Houspian

Melbourne-based public relations executive Kate Keane, who last week announced the expansion of her agency into the US, says brands need to understand that the ingredients for success in the US differ from the domestic Australian market.

“The perception of our quality is high, particularly across apparel and skin care,” she says. “But the distance can make it harder to get a grasp of your target market.”

Christian Kimber hopes the New York pop-up will help convert some of the romanticism US consumers have about the Australian lifestyle – and our sense of style – into dollars and loyal customers.

“More than ever, American consumers are looking at Australian brands. With the help of Zimmermann and others such as Aesop, Australian fashion is more than swim shorts,” he says. “There’s opportunity to push our aesthetic and lifestyle. The challenge is always geography – we’re still so far away from the rest of the world.”

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