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International Women’s Day (IWD) takes place annually on March 8th as a worldwide day of acknowledgement (and celebration) of the plight of women, stemming from the socialist feminist movements of the early 20th century. Not only does IWD pay tribute to how far we’ve come in terms of equality, but it highlights how far we still have to go: in the UK, only one in three entrepreneurs are women, and the statistics are the same for Australia. In the US, it’s more like 1 in 5.
Despite the fact that womenswear is almost entirely bolstered by female consumers and that, in the US alone, women spend more than three times what men do on clothing, we’re still dealing with an industry that is largely dominated by male leaders.
So in honour of IWD, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite fashion labels, from rising stars to trailblazing veterans, that are women-founded and women-led, shining a light on the women breaking the mould in business (and creating ridiculously good pieces in the process).
Sarah Harris Gould and Lauren Tapper met while working together for a global clothing brand in New Zealand. In 2017, the duo were motivated to bring something different to the market: high-quality women’s tailoring at an accessible price point. Six years on, Harris Tapper has progressed from a tight range of impeccable shirting to entire collections due of everything their customer could need—from suave outerwear and coordinating suit sets to glitzy ‘going out’ pieces that can be worn again and again.
Effortlessly blending modern staples with a dash of glitz and fun, Anna Quan is a designer who can genuinely take you from the office to a night out. To be found in every Aussie woman’s wardrobe, the label began with the reimagining of the crisp, white shirt. From there, designer Anna Hoang has built an empire off her approach to design that “sits at the intersection of minimalism and understated luxury,” as per Hoang—to which we have to agree.
When New Zealand native Maggie Hewitt realised that working in the fashion industry didn’t have to involve complicity in its devastating environmental and social impacts, her label, Maggie Marilyn, was born. Since then, the brand has set an example for its sustainability endeavours and commitment to responsible practices—all the while creating exceptionally made clothes that are as fun to look at as they are ethical.
Founded by Julia McCarthy in 2012 out of a belief that the key to a great wardrobe is having good quality staples, Friends With Frank quickly grew to become an essential brand for any fashion enthusiast. Whether you’re after slinky dresses for the evening, outerwear to last a lifetime or snug knits that still ooze refinement without the exorbitant cost, it’s a brand with something for everyone.
Lee Mathews began her eponymous business by hand-making her own clothes and selling them to her circle of friends. Since 2000, Mathews has organically grown her business from a small store in Sydney’s Northern Beaches to one of the country’s greatest fashion exports with her voluminous dresses, elevated prints and effortless silhouettes.
Bringing us the clothes we all crave, Courtney Zheng has quickly grown to become a must-have label in the Australian fashion scene. Focusing on elegant staples, feminine tailoring, and chic partywear options, Zheng’s curated offering speaks to a deep understanding of how women actually want to dress.
One of those quintessential Australian brands that perfectly encapsulate the ease and sophistication of coastal style, Jac + Jack’s founders, Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Hunt and Lisa ‘Jack’ Dempsey, began their label in Sydney two decades ago with the hope of creating the perfect basics for the modern woman. They succeeded (and then some) and still make some of the best wardrobe staples money can buy.
Take one look at its aesthetic, and you’d expect this label to have launched right as cut-outs, asymmetric draping, and Y2K colour combos came back in vogue, AKA, in the past two years. But Emily Watson’s eponymous brand has been doing just that since long before the trend cycle caught up.
Upon graduating from fashion school in 2019, Watson launched with a focus on swimwear and resort wear that hasn’t changed since its beginnings, and that’s since, naturally, become a cult favourite among those who know, beloved by everyone from Bella Hadid to Chinese Kitty. Watson’s world domination is here and now.
British-Indian-Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwalia launched her brand in 2018, then focused solely on menswear after graduating from fashion school. At the time, she told her professors Ahluwalia would be made solely from deadstock and sustainably sourced materials. They told her she was crazy.
Fast-forward to now, and Ahluwalia has won the LVMH prize, been nominated for the BFC Foundation Award at the British Fashion Awards, and became a finalist for the Woolmark Prize this year. Not only that, but the brand has collaborated with Ganni on an upcycled collection and created films for Mulberry and Gucci. Though Ahluwalia’s designs were always quite genderless and often seen on stylish women around London, now it’s expanded to include a specific range for women. Mini skirts, thankfully, included.
As a former corporate girlie, Gabriella Pereira consistently struggled to find pieces to wear to the office that still showcased her personal style. Thus, Beare Park was born. Now offering so much more than elevated office-ready staples, the brand’s high-quality separates and eveningwear are the pinnacle of chic.
British-born brand Supriya Lele is a pandemic success story. During lockdown, the label blew up in a way every designer dreams of: Rihanna, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, Bella Hadid (who messaged Lele personally on Instagram to profess her love for the brand), you name it, they’ve worn it.
Continuing from strength to strength despite the spotlight pressures, Lele, who highlights her Indian heritage in her designs, debuted her latest collection to high acclaim (and a former Spice Girl turned fashion designer sitting front row).
Modern women deserve so much more than teeny bags that can’t fit the essentials, and it was this sentiment that inspired Jessie Wong to fill a gap in the market with her thoughtfully designed handbags that offer all the room you could possibly need without compromising on style.
Thinking about those 501s that look great on everyone except you? Same. Shopping for the perfect pair of jeans can be an almost impossible and frustrating task—tell me a more depressing fitting room situation than when you can’t get the pair of jeans you think will fit baggy on you above your knee.
Thankfully, San Francisco denim brand Unspun, co-founded by Beth Esponnette, has solved this problem while making significant steps towards solving another far greater one: sustainability in the fashion industry. Each pair of jeans is created on-demand and according to a digital scan of the wearer’s body to create a custom pair that is the perfect fit. To do this, Unspun uses a machine that 3-D weaves yarn into a pair of jeans, with no unused scraps of fabric leftover. Sound impossible? It’s so advanced it was featured in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2021.
Founded in 2019 by Lili Chemla, LESET—a play on the French term for “The Set” (Chemla is half-French)—is an LA-based fashion label creating the perfect sets that, as stated in the brand’s Instagram bio, are “comfortable enough to wear at home and nice enough to wear out.” Since its inception, LESET has built a strong celebrity following, including Tracee Ellis Ross, Jennifer Lawrence, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and queen of elevated basics, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, of course.
London-based designer Ashley Williams’ namesake label has been a firm favourite in the city since she presented her debut collection at London Fashion Week as part of Fashion East’s lineup in 2013. Williams later presented her first solo runway show to critical acclaim in 2015, with Alice Dellal and Pixie Geldof taking to the runway. Fast-forward to now, and her designs have been worn by everyone from Rihanna to Olivia Rodrigo, and fanfare over her cult animal-print designs is at an all-time high.
Born in Melbourne, Australia, in 2018 on designer Karla Laidlaw’s bedroom floor, it wasn’t until Covid hit—and the world immediately turned to loungewear for respite—that KARLALAIDLAW blew up in the IYKYK fashion circles. Suddenly, the brand’s velvet tracksuit pants were at the top of the niche It crowd’s wishlist—think Princess of Chinatown—and since then, KARLALAIDLAW has been stocked at some of the most conceptual online stores in the world: the likes of Cafe Forgot, APOC Store and distal phalanx, to name but a few.
