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Australian Men's designers

jase12

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i'm sure australian men are very much a minority on this site, but i just thought id show some love to some of the great aussie mens designers! labels such as SABA, Morrissey and Herringbone really put out some interesting and well made clothing for men, and i think it's great to see a growing number of australian males taking an interest in classic fashion.

has anyone had any experience, (bad or good) with australian designers?
 

m_wave

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I think it really depends on what you are looking for

AG
Saba
Marcs
Jack London

Do quite well for themselves even if fashion forward and not so classic
 

Nuff said

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"i'm sure australian men are very much a minority on this site, but i just thought id show some love to some of the great aussie mens designers! labels such as SABA, Morrisey and Herringbone really put out some interesting and well made clothing for men" In my experience Morrisey produces very poorly made clothes and a lot of it is trashy to boot. Anything I have bought there has pretty much fallen apart or faded within months. The fabrics he uses are on a par with Tarocash or YD. I have found the quality of David Lawrence garments to be quite high though.
 

jase12

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yes true. I guess I mean classic in comparison to flip flops, billabong boardies and a chesty bonds singlet!!
 

JTA

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Herringbone = best I found for Australian brands (cut and quality).

Morrisey = sleek but poorly made
Saba = a bit classic with better fabric
Calibre = aggressive cut in a very poor fabric
Marcs = standard and classic in average quality
CEO = used to be quite good but don't know now

Politix = good design with better quality for streetwear (not so good price)

Tarocash, YD, Roger David = bad

Never had experience with Arthur Galan though.
 

aleeboy

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I'm originally from Sydney... and Ag, on Oxford and Bondi Jct. Westfield, is my preferred local brand. Why? For the made in Aussie stuff, the quality is excellent. The fabric used is very nice and holds their shape and colour very well and the cut is modern and will complement average builds better.

I have noticed more and more of his lines are moving manufacturing offshore... this is a bad move as we have seen a deterioration in quality from other iconic labels such as Morrissey and Marcs go through this. Just my 2 cents
 

Matt

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Originally Posted by jase12
a chesty bonds singlet!!
hey! Those are well made
smile.gif
 

laphroaig

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I find SABA to be quite poor in terms of fabric quality with lots of their clothing made of some kind of poly blend. I put it in a similar category to Country Road in terms of quality. ie. overpriced for goods made in China. Country Road at least seems to often use Italian fabrics.

Calibre usually has one or two nice basics, made in Australia too so I think the price can justified even if it is a bit steep.

Arthur Galan seems to have interesting cuts and uses interesting yet very nice materials. I think the materials is what I like most about AG.

I also like Marcs for basics. The clothing keeps its shape through many washes but the colour seems hit and miss. I've ruined a shirt after only the second wash with a nice fade line across the chest from letting it hang dry on a sunny day.

I like the quality of Aquila shoes, it's just a shame they seem only follow the latest trend and don't carry anything else. Last time I had a look I don't remember seeing a single rounded toe shoe on display.

There are several very good younger Australian designers and labels right now with very interesting clothing that's more appropriate Streetwear & Denim than this forum.

I would also like to add to the positive remarks about Herringbone, especially for suits. I don't have one myself but every one I've seen on one of my colleagues looks great. It's as if they don't let anyone leave the store unless the suit fits well. This seems to be the exception in Sydney, where most stores seem to be pushing oversized suits, or at least let their customers leave in badly sized suits. I've also recently learned my employer has been recommending Herringbone to the sales staff for years, so they seem to have a good reputation in Australia.
 

ZengaGent

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Originally Posted by laphroaig
I would also like to add to the positive remarks about Herringbone, especially for suits. I don't have one myself but every one I've seen on one of my colleagues looks great. It's as if they don't let anyone leave the store unless the suit fits well. This seems to be the exception in Sydney, where most stores seem to be pushing oversized suits, or at least let their customers leave in badly sized suits. I've also recently learned my employer has been recommending Herringbone to the sales staff for years, so they seem to have a good reputation in Australia.

+1. Great fabric. Great cut. Reasonably priced. And the new suiting styles (Osaka and Milano) capture the spirit of Neapolitan tailoring, with the emphasis on soft shoulders and slim lines. Good enough to convert me from Zegna Su Misura, and Phat Guido from Armani (see his posts on WAYWRN; they're excellent!).

Much of the credit goes to Ethan Newton, their head tailor; a member of this forum (EthanDesu) and a friend of mine.

Top guy to see if you need a good suit or shirt.

Regards,
Z
 

appolyon

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I have some AG, and heaps of Herringbone (ties and shirts, no suits yet) ... and have had some of the others in the past and while they all have varying degrees of quality one thing I think they all have in common is that they are over priced.
 

Sator

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I agree that most of those labels are bad enough to earn the epiphet of being "designer" trash. The only exception is Herringbone, which, largely thanks to Ethan Newton, successfully extracates itself from the rubbish bin of "designer labels" to deserve being called a "quality maker of fine menswear".
 

Journeyman

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Originally Posted by Sator
I agree that most of those labels are bad enough to earn the epiphet of being "designer" trash. The only exception is Herringbone, which, largely thanks to Ethan Newton, successfully extracates itself from the rubbish bin of "designer labels" to deserve being called a "quality maker of fine menswear".

Sator,
I agree.
Thanks to the range of Japanese suiting that Herringbone have had for the past couple of years, their style and quality have improved immeasurably.
Prior to that, they were selling suits made in Malta and they were absolute, overpriced trash. Ugly, heavy fabric that felt as though it was made from horsehair, and poorly cut to boot.
The new stuff, though, is really very nice indeed.
Ethan simply cannot be allowed to leave Herringbone unless it is to start his own suit label (and I'm only half-joking when I say that)!
smile.gif
 

choowy

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I went to Herringbone in Brisbane a couple of weeks ago to buy a shirt and tie for an upcoming interview. I have to say the shop assistants were the best I've come across in a very long time. The guy in particular was incredibly patient, and actually knew the product he was selling, which seems to be a fairly rare thing.

The shirts I ended up buying are great, and I'll probably pick up some more the next time they have a sale. If I actually had a job, and wasn't a uni student, I would've also picked up an Osaka-cut suit. The fit was fantastic.
 

Sator

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Originally Posted by ZengaGent
Phat Guido from Armani (see his posts on WAYWRN; they're excellent!).

Or to be more precise Vince Maloney on Elizabeth St does a miraculous job of tailoring a mediocre garment into an excellently fitting one. Only tailors trained in making bespoke garments are really capable of so thoroughly tailoring a coat.
 

GuidoWongolini

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Originally Posted by ZengaGent
+1. Great fabric. Great cut. Reasonably priced. And the new suiting styles (Osaka and Milano) capture the spirit of Neapolitan tailoring, with the emphasis on soft shoulders and slim lines. Good enough to convert me from Zegna Su Misura, and Phat Guido from Armani (see his posts on WAYWRN; they're excellent!).

Much of the credit goes to Ethan Newton, their head tailor; a member of this forum (EthanDesu) and a friend of mine.

Top guy to see if you need a good suit or shirt.

Regards,
Z

+1

Originally Posted by Sator
I agree that most of those labels are bad enough to earn the epiphet of being "designer" trash. The only exception is Herringbone, which, largely thanks to Ethan Newton, successfully extracates itself from the rubbish bin of "designer labels" to deserve being called a "quality maker of fine menswear".
+1

Originally Posted by Sator
Or to be more precise Vince Maloney on Elizabeth St does a miraculous job of tailoring a mediocre garment into an excellently fitting one. Only tailors trained in making bespoke garments are really capable of so thoroughly tailoring a coat.
- not sure why I was linked to the above as I have never shopped in VM but have used them for tailoring when Cutler was in limbo.
- can't stand the sharks in VM
FYI - Michael has left VM & started his on tailoring service. I recently had him tailor a BC sports jacket for me.

- As for Herringbone, the move to produce suits in Japan is a masterful move - even the prices are good (for now.. I can't see how they will keep them this low)
- Ethan is also a credit to Herringbone as I don't care for the other sales assistants there. If it wasn't for Ethan I would not have changed my whole professional wardrobe over. To date I have picked up 6 MIJ suits, 12 shirts (I don't care for their cut, but I trust Ethan to make the appropriate adjustments & they have all turned out great), assorted ties & PS.
- I know have a great travelling professional 'capsule' collection which is ideal for me as I will be on an international flight every 2 weeks for the next 8 months!
- Also I must thank Ethan for the learning's on C&J HG (5 pairs to date!)
 

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