5 Melbourne Designers Embracing Slow Fashion

If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it's how to slow down. Meet five Melbourne independent designers who are championing slow fashion in the face of COVID-19.  

Oats The Label  

Picture a modern-day Jane Birkin living in Collingwood and she’ll probably be wearing Oats The Label  as she rushes off to a late lunch at Alimentari. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a brand more wholesome  than Oats The Label, created by mother-daughter duo Julie and Bridie Davey. Launched out of Melbourne in 2017, the label’s collections are an effortless ode to the 1970s reimagined in a fresh and uniquely off-kilter way. Each piece is handmade to order and designed with quality fabrics to last you a lifetime.  

Learn more at oats-the-label.com

Maroske Peech  

Maroske Peech was essentially born before its parents had even realised. Creative directors Elisa  Keeler and Jordan Conder began their collaboration journey as fashion students at the Royal  Melbourne Institute of Technology, where their mutual attraction to ballet attire and found objects  actualised. Though still in its infancy, Maroske Peech has now made a name for itself as a cult  favourite through the angelic visual imagery woven into their one-of-a-kind fabric pairings. Working out  of their Brunswick studio, the pair have fast established themselves on a global scale with multiple  stockists across Europe and the United States.  

Learn more at maroskepeech.com 

Permanent Vacation  

Melbourne’s quintessential label Permanent Vacation is looking beyond time and place to escape from  the formulaic life cycle of modern fast fashion. Its lo-fi approach to dressing embraces the global  appeal of exclusive projects rather than subscribing to a traditional seasonal calendar, exploring  design as an expression of sentiment. Produced only to meet demand, all Permanent Vacation pieces  are locally designed and made within a 15 kilometre radius of their Collingwood studio.  

Learn more at permanentvacation.com.au

Krystal Deans  

Unlike most Melbourne brands, self-proclaimed slow fashion label Krystal Deans is based out of a  small Victorian coastal town on the Great Ocean Road. Marrying timeless, archetypal garments with  perfectly tailored fits, each piece is designed with the consideration of its end use and ability to be well  cared for. Krystal Deans designs are curated with the intention of making up the core of the eclectic  modern woman’s wardrobe. The label has, at its core, a strong commitment to activism over the profit  that comes with rapid growth and instead embraces codes of minimalism.  

Learn more at krystaldeans.com

Karlaidlaw 

One of few designers to successfully emerge from the toils of 2020, the talent of burgeoning designer  Karla Laidlaw has no doubt generated a buzz across Melbourne. Amidst the stop-start production of  the COVID-19 manufacturing landscape, Laidlaw released her first collection at the end of last year  featuring handmade specialty garments. Karlaidlaw’s logo features the sun motif in allusion to the light  and warmth at the end of Melbourne’s winter-long battle with the virus and its numerous lockdowns.  

Learn more at karlaidlaw.com

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