4 Australian And New Zealand Brands Changing The Way We Dress Now

Australian and New Zealand fashion have long occupied a curious space on the global stage: part laid-back ease, part quiet innovation. But a new generation of designers is shifting that narrative, trading in sun-soaked stereotypes for something sharper, more distilled, and infinitely more interesting.

There’s a mood emerging—less about geography, more about attitude. What unites this cohort is not a single aesthetic, but a shared sense of purpose. Clothes are treated as language: to challenge, to comfort, to be read and re-read. Across fabric, form, and function, they’re setting their own pace, and the world is starting to catch up.

Ahead, we speak to four designers whose work offers a glimpse into the future of fashion that is undeniably theirs.

Related article: An Appetite For Style: The Foodification Of Luxury Fashion

Joseph & James

Designer: Juanita Page

Based in: Naarm (Melbourne), Australia

At Joseph & James, restraint is not the absence of style; rather, it is the expression of it. Founder Juanita Page has created a brand that speaks softly but confidently, crafting garments that feel rooted in care, intention, and personal meaning. The label’s name alone is a quiet tribute to the men supporting her, underscoring the deeply personal foundations of the brand. “The label is named after the middle names of my dad and my husband, which felt like a quiet way to honour the steady men in my life,” she explains.

“Clean, intentional, and quietly expressive” is how Page describes the aesthetic, which draws just as much from the codes of classic tailoring as it does from contemporary streetwear. There’s a balance here—boxy shirts with soft collars, structured silhouettes with emotional ease—that feels distinctly modern without chasing the noise of trends. “Streetwear, at its core, has always been about community and self-expression—those values are timeless,” she says. It’s precisely that sense of integrity that makes Joseph & James resonate so universally.

Visit Joseph & James’ website for more information, and to shop the collection. Joseph & James is also available at David Jones.

Related article: All The Fashion News You Need To Know Right Now

Wynn Hamlyn

Designer: Wynn Crawshaw

Based in: Auckland, New Zealand

To wear the brand Wynn Hamlyn is to live at the intersection of technicality and tenderness. Known for his structural ingenuity and hand-finished details, the New Zealand-born designer Wynn Crawshaw infuses high-concept craft with undeniable comfort. “We think carefully about how each piece moves with the wearer,” Hamlyn explains. “It has to look good in real life and work hard for the wearer, without losing the integrity of the design.”

Its aesthetic feels borderless: clean, modern, and rich with tactile contrast. What might start with a sharp shoulder or a precise hem often ends with an unexpected softness that speaks to its wearable duality. For Crawshaw, sustainability is not just about low-impact materials, but about making clothing that endures in both form and feeling. “Each piece tells a story of innovation and tradition coming together,” he says. And that story is only gaining momentum.

Visit Wynn Hamlyn’s Instagram for more information, or shop the brand at SSENSE, Incu or Mode Sportif.

Related article: 5 Things You Can Expect From Pierpaolo Piccioli At Balenciaga

Alix Higgins

Designer: Alix Higgins

Based in: Sydney, Australia

If fashion is a language, Alix Higgins is writing a love letter in code: dreamy, digital, and emotionally charged. A designer whose work feels both deeply personal and unmistakably of-the-moment, Higgins blends poetry with print, draping his garments in fragments of text, symbols, and sentiment. “I grew up on the internet,” he says. “So for me, text, fashion image, the body, music... all blur into one.”

His latest collection, The Needle, is all about the idea of childhood fantasies and the magic of make-believe. Inspired by fairy tales, early photography, and Florence Welch, it channels a kind of bohemian futurism—equal parts performer and poet. Pieces like his digitally collaged tees, ruffled sheer blouses and pixelated coats seem to hint at a genderless vision of beauty, while sheer dresses charged with lashings of raw-edged ribbons lends a sensual yet confident feeling that will appeal to the young, modern fashion consumer of today. Higgins isn’t here to make clothes for everyone; he’s making them for anyone who still believes in emotional dressing.

Visit Alix Higgins’ website for more information, and to shop the collection. Alix Higgins is also available at Error 404 and Mane By Stable.

Related article: Chanel Is Bringing Its Cruise 2025/2026 Show To Singapore

Karla Špetić

Designer: Karla Špetić

Based in: Melbourne, Australia

Karla Špetić designs from a place most people forget to look: inward. Her collections aren’t just dreamlike in tone—they originate in memory, intuition, and quiet nostalgia. Born in Dubrovnik and raised in Australia, Špetić channels a unique blend of European elegance and Antipodean ease into pieces that whisper rather than shout. “I try not to absorb too much from what’s around me so I can stay true to what’s within,” she explains.

Her garments, often laced with sensuality, are grounded by thoughtful craftsmanship and a reverence for how women move through the world. Sensuality, to her, is grounded in confidence, intention, and a beautiful cut. Her work resists noise in favour of nuance, creating space for individuality and emotion. “They’re not loud, but they carry presence,” she says. “I want them to feel like they’re wearing something considered, well-made, and unique. Something that’s theirs to make their own.” And in today’s fashion landscape, that presence is power.

Visit Karla Špetić’s website for more information, and to shop the collection. Karla Špetić is also available at Yoox and The Harmonic.