Menswear Labels You Probably Had No Idea Were Australian

Assembly Label started in 2011 as a marriage between wardrobe staples and exclusive fabrics that don’t usually feature in the realm of menswear basics. Their collections never stray far from the wardrobe essentials – tees, shorts, and shirts – that guys will be wearing year after year despite the sartorial fluctuations of high-street design.

They’ve also got premium gear in silk-linen blends that promise an easy transition from the everyday hustle to the bar stool. Their best-sellers are simple, monochrome items like a staple white shirt, tee, or thin crewneck. Stuff that every guy needs, but doesn’t necessarily get in a quality fabric that offers several seasons of good wear.

Assembly has stores in the trendy hot spots across Melbourne, Sydney, and Queensland; their most recent standalone opened in the hipster mecca of Fitzroy in Melbourne’s northern city fringe. Assembly has the everyday gentleman in mind on the monetary side, so they’re a solid option for affordable basics when the wardrobe needs some quality fresh threads.

Beachside boutique Commas is Sydney based and run by creative director Richard Jarman. Founded in 2016 this luxury label focuses on swimwear but encompasses everything from board shorts to t-shirts to lightweight button-down shirts to hooded anoraks.

The brand is making a name for itself with a clean aesthetic, contemporary designs and muted tones for a modern, masculine sensibility. Not to mention: its creations are built with high-quality materials from Europe (such as breathable super-fine Merino wool). Your next summer favourite awaits.

Another fraternal partnership between a couple of mates with a promising idea and lots of ticker, Venroy started off modestly as a wholesale business in suburban Sydney in the late 00’s. Promising world-class swim shorts for the Australian coastal ‘leisure life’, Venroy have been heralded as the next Billabong by the Sydney Morning Herald (a big call, but we’re on board).

They’ve been applauded (and blamed) for the growing acceptability of above-the-knee boardies and seem poised to capture a bigger slice of the oceanside apparel market as the years roll on, by introducing shirts and knits to their collection. Uniquely, they don’t offer seasonal collections and stock a full house all the time – ensuring blokes across the globe have the right kit for their climate.

These guys aren’t shy retailers. Their Bondi flagship is right in the middle of the action and they can also be found in Paddington for those of you who only get to the beach on weekends. For shoppers outside Sydney, David Jones or their slick online store is your ticket to summer style.

Founded in 2006 by Declan Wise and Jono Salfield in the small coastal town of Byron Bay, is Australian streetwear brand, Afends. Inspired by the culture of surfing and skateboarding, Afends is constantly evolving from range to range, adapting and inspiring future trends but never loses sight of their ethos and style which was forged in 2006.

Afends strives to create and deliver durable, eco-friendly, and timeless apparel that’ll last you a lifetime, and you’ll find cool t-shirts, shirts, jackets, hoodies, jeans, shorts, and swimwear in soft organic and premium fabrics in muted pastel colours and coastal-vibe prints.

SIR is a contemporary fashion label, founded in 2014, that delivers a collection of minimal and simplistic wardrobe essentials. Launched in response to a gap in the market for minimal wardrobe staples that truly captured the spirit of the Australian lifestyle, SIR draws inspiration from musings past and present to create fashions that reflect the now but are forever wearable.

You’ll find nothing but elevated basics when shopping with SIR. Tees, shirts, sweaters, hoodies, shorts, pants; all of SIR’s clothing is extremely simple in style but oozes elegance thanks to premium fabrics and neutral colour palettes.

M.J. Bale is an Australian-owned gentlemen’s clothier making garments of integrity for men of character. Founded in 2009, the brand prides itself on tailoring expertise with natural fibres, particularly Australian merino wool.

With both formal and casual wear on offer, M.J. Bale has everything you need to build a sophisticated wardrobe. From expertly tailored suits and tuxedos, to t-shirts and chinos, M.J. Bale has a versatile range of men’s clothing but the thing that ties them all together is the unwavering craftsmanship and use of premium fabrics.

Putting a fun and fresh twist on the cult classic Hawaiian shirt, Double Rainbouu was launched to provide men with cool shirts that feature vivid tropical prints inspired by the Australian seaside culture.

Founders Mikey Nolan & Toby Jones believe that “the beach in Australia is such a huge aspect of everyone’s lives” and therefore aims to reflect all types of Aussie beaches (the city beach, the small-town beach, deserted beaches, and crappy suburban beaches) in Double Rainbouu’s clothing.

The result is colourful and bold tees, shirts, pants, shorts, and outerwear that’ll turn heads wherever you go.

One of Australia’s biggest men’s fashion exports is cult label Song For The Mute. Helmed by friends Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty, the brand touted by Nick Wooster as “unique, not only to anything I’ve seen in Australia, but quite frankly, anything I’ve seen in the world”, proudly represents Australia on the runway and in major retailers around the world.

The young label’s uncompromising approach to design – a huge focus on finding just the right fabric and showcasing its texture – in dark and moody colour palettes – is why SFTM is a must-have in your wardrobe. Especially the outerwear.

Originally established in 2004 as a cashmere knitwear label, Jac + Jack offers simple menswear for the contemporary wardrobe. The ethos of Jac + Jack is ‘slow-fashion’, meaning the decade-old apparel house prioritises authenticity: paying attention to detail, manufacturing, and design.

Its founders, Jacqueline ‘Jac’ Hunt and Lisa ‘Jack’ Dempsey, work with actual textile mills and spinners to source their cashmere, merino wool, fine cotton, linen, and silks too. The defining style of their clothing is modern and basic, perfect for adding some classic essentials back into your daily routine. Come here for all your cashmere and knitwear needs, as well as their modern sweats collection.

The People Vs. is a Sydney brand born from a desire to make high quality, vintage-inspired, fashion fundamentals for the people. With a collective passion for art, music, surf, and the streets, there’s a certain ‘I don’t give a damn’ sense of cool about the label, which doesn’t hinder their search for quality.

But quirky they are. With terms like ‘moth-eaten’, The People Vs. embodies boutique laundering to create rips, holes, and abrasions, in places you don’t mind having a gaping hole. Check out their solo store on the sunny shores of Bondi Beach or online.

Calibre has always been a brand ahead of its time. Launched in 1989 by Gary Zecevis, the brand pioneered the contemporary Australian slim cut as we know and understand it today, which for the time was an unique approach to the Australian male wardrobe.

Calibre offers both casual and formalwear, but both collections are linked by their tailored silhouette. You’ll find smart trousers that a cool older gent might wear, alongside a bold floral-printed shirt that was designed for end of year parties. Look out this winter for their rollnecks, sports jackets, and tailoring with a hint of 1970’s sartorialism (their leather jackets are showstoppers too).

Launched in 2008 by a couple of pals on the East Coast, Zanerobe produces collections, released seasonally, that revolve around a combination of street style basics – tees, pants, and workwear-inspired jackets (they do summer-friendly kits too).

Their elastic cuff pants are a big hit for their utilitarian, military-inspired aesthetic and comprise one of the primary legs of their collections. Project A – Zanerobe’s limited edition apparel – combines their characteristic street style aesthetic with premium international fabric selections from France, Japan, and beyond.

Zanerobe has a strong presence in Australian retail. While they’re yet to open a standalone down under, they’re a regular presence in department stores and large menswear retailers. Plus, they have a tidy online retail experience for anything you can’t find in the bricks and mortar.

NON-TYPE is the latest creation in the long history of design and fashion for its two founding members Gareth Moody and George Gorrow. The line is a morphing of genres, a modernist non-seasonal, non-trend focused ready to wear men’s collection.

This no fixed genre and a non-type rating approach is an open door with a license to roam across all aspects and fields of apparel, not limited to fashion and lifestyle but equally comfortable, touching on the premium surf world.

Remember Claude Maus? It was one of the best denim brands to ever be created in Australia until it was put to the sword by those guys at Project X. Well, the good news is Rob Maniscalco is back with a new brand called Templa Projects.

Templa is a luxury outdoor performance brand, specialising in alpine and urban outerwear that fuses a contemporary aesthetic with technical innovation for the fashion conscious outdoor adventurer.

Think puffer jackets and vests made from the most luxurious fabrics for the most extreme conditions. Get around it.

F*ck yeah, knitwear! Chris Ran Lin is the menswear designer that Australia needs. His designs have been showcased at MAFW much to the praise of the industry. In 2013, Chris Ran Lin launched his menswear label based in Melbourne. He believes in the unlimited potential of the knitted garment and combines old-school tailoring techniques with traditional craftsmanship.

Chris Ran Lin is the type of designer you would expect to see at London Fashion Week. Bold, innovative, and not afraid to show Australian men how it’s done.

Fashion label Kloke is the brainchild of married couple Amy and Adam Coombes. Together they launched the Melbourne-based brand in 2011, to serve their progressive designs to the style-loving masses.

Their garments are technical yet tailored, easy to wear but conceptually rich, classic but kooky. The Kloke goal is to create clothing that will become their wearers’ favourite pieces, and if their success so far is anything to go by, they seem to be doing exactly that.

Sustainable and luxurious, Bassike is a casual but smart menswear label that was founded in 2006. Launched by Deborah Sams and Mary-Lou Ryan, Bassike’s philosophy is about all structure with style.

Their collections are known for an effortless approach to basics, offering plain tees, shirts, trousers, and shorts in organic, soft cotton. A more tailored look has crept in of late, with a selection of blazers and cuffed low-crotch trousers. The label’s sunglasses range is worth a look-in, while their denim is Japanese sourced, light, and washed – riding well for summer.