It’s settled, the latest ‘it’ bag is big enough to hold your groceries

Fashion-loving folk, including former foreign minister Julie Bishop, could soon swap their stylish-yet-impractical clutches for something more sensible and, dare we say, capacious, after the designer behind one of Australia’s most luxurious tote bags scooped one of the industry’s top prizes.

Jeremy Hershan, of Haulier, won the $130,000 National Designer Award from the Melbourne Fashion Festival and David Jones on Wednesday, three-and-a-half years after launching his brand with one item: a canvas tote.

National Designer Award winner Jeremy Hershan (centre) with models wearing Haulier.Credit: Justin McManus

Perfecting one style before branching out into other categories is a proven strategy in fashion. Names including Louis Vuitton (luggage), Hermes (horse saddles) and Levi’s (the 501 jean) paved a path that has been followed by the likes of Australian brand Blanca Studios (oversized shirts), and even the “anti-fashion” Crocs.

Hershan, a former creative director of RM Williams who has also worked for Dunhill and other European brands, draws inspiration from ’60s and ‘70s-era travel, as well as his own mother, Yvonne, who was his date to the awards.

He says the strategy of launching Haulier with an accessory – when many brands do the opposite – was, in hindsight, a way to make the brand accessible to more people from the beginning.

“I wanted to start with a product anyone could use,” he says. “It wasn’t gender-specific, it wasn’t age-specific, it was accessible, it was utilitarian. The idea was if I could make that work, I could build the world around it.”

A model carries a leather version of Haulier’s signature tote at the National Designer Award presentation.Credit: Justin McManus

Still, Hershan’s self-declared obsession with quality and craftsmanship comes at a price: his small totes retail from about $450, though there are now other pieces in the range, including socks, from $50.

From the tote bag, Haulier’s collection has grown to meet Hershan’s vision for a “great Australian lifestyle brand” in the spirit of Country Road, which is celebrating 50 years in the industry. The new collection, which was previewed at the awards ceremony in front of 60 guests including Bishop, features knitwear, denim and leather.

Haulier is exclusively manufactured in Europe, the fabric for the bags made on antique shuttle looms that Hershan says aren’t really found anywhere else. He explored manufacturing in Australia but says it was hard to achieve the luxury grade to which he aspired.

“Over time, those skills and machinery and knowhow have slowly disappeared in Australia,” he says. “Having worked at RM Williams, [I know] there still some great craftsmen in Australia, and I hope in the future it’s something that’s invested in and grows once again.”

Haulier staged one of the breakout shows at last year’s Australian Fashion Week.Credit: Getty

Hershan graduated from Melbourne’s RMIT in 2007 and says even though he has been continuously working in the industry since, the award, which includes a residency at David Jones’ Melbourne flagship store and $20,000 cash, will help build Haulier’s profile domestically, following its early success overseas.

Haulier has already tasted some early domestic success when he staged one of the breakout shows at last year’s Australian Fashion Week. Still, Hershan says he’s sitting out this year’s event to focus on the brand’s Sydney flagship store, which opened in late 2022, and driving domestic sales.

“My ambition is to build the brand in my own backyard, and then take it to the world,” he says.

Haulier’s success at this year’s awards continues the run of lifestyle brands to have won recently including Best Jumpers and P.E Nation. Other past winners include Toni Maticevski, Christian Kimber and Dion Lee.

Melbourne Fashion Festival chief executive and award judge Caroline “Ralph” Ralphsmith praised Hershan for his “clear vision, considered design and sophisticated approach to brand and business”.

This year’s $10,000 sustainability honourable mention was awarded to Jordan Gogos for his label, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos. The people’s choice award was won by Clea, which is designed by Natasha Gordon.

The other finalists for the award, which is in its 28th year and is open to brands that have been in business up to five years, were Alix Higgins, THDR and Ikuntji Artists.

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