The Australian Fashion Laureate winners have been announced

Meet the designers and creatives at the forefront of Australian fashion right now.

This year's winners: Andie Halas, Lesleigh Jermanus, Natalie Xentia, Laura May, Hannah Stenmark & Gabriella Pereira. Picture: Supplied

Established back in 2008 by IMG and the New South Wales Government, the Australian Fashion Laureate sits today as one of Australia’s highest accolades in the local world of fashion. 2024, however, will mark the last time the awards are presented in this format.

Earlier this month, it was announced that IMG would be exiting from both the Australian Fashion Laureate, and Australian Fashion Week, sending shockwaves throughout the industry.

Held at the Sydney Opera House this morning, the 2024 awards celebrated the designers and industry figures helping drive the Australian fashion industry forward.

Awarded Designer of the Year was Lesleigh Jermanus of Alèmais who, since opening last year’s Australian Fashion Week in what Wish style editor Annie Brown described as “a kaleidoscope of colour,” has gone from strength to strength with the brand. Today, Alèmais can be found at a host of domestic, and globally-renowned fashion retailers.

Gabriella Pereira of Beare Park won Emerging Designer of the Year, another much-deserved award, coming only a few years after the label’s debut at the Opera House, and months after the show at the newly renovated wing of the Art Gallery Of New South Wales during 2024 Australian Fashion Week.

Designer of the Year was awarded to Lesleigh Jermanus of Alèmais. Pictures: Supplied

Gabriella Pereira of Beare Park wins Emerging Designer of the Year.

“The Australian luxury customer is out there, she values ethically and Australian made quality, and we’re so honoured to make pieces for her,” Pereira said in her acceptance speech to the room filled with industry insiders.

Further awards celebrated included Grace Lillian Lee, who wasn’t able to attend but won the title of Indigenous Designer of the Year. It was she who was hand-picked by Jean Paul Gaultier earlier this year to interpret his inimitable designs for an Australian audience. Laura May and Hannah Gibbs of Nagnata, won Sustainable Designer of the Year, in recognition of their continual championing of sustainable design with their label since its inception.

Lastly, Andie Halas of Thread Together won the Carla Zampatti Award for Excellence in Leadership, and Stephen Bennett was recognised with the Australian Fashion Laureate for Lifetime Achievement.

Andie Halas of Thread Together won the Carla Zampatti Award for Excellence in Leadership.

Laura May and Hannah Gibbs of Nagnata win Sustainable Designer of the Year.

On Monday, Australian designers, including past recipients of awards under the Australian Fashion Laureate, joined Vogue Australia, and members of the wider Australian Fashion Council in a show of solidarity for what the future of Fashion Week in Australia can look like for a photocall on the Sydney Opera House forecourt.