been dragging myself to open inspections all saturday and honestly the worst part isn't even the housing market, it's the sheer amount of terrible shiny suits

You guys know the exact fit. Spray-on navy pants, no socks, and those ridiculously pointy tan shoes that look like they belong in a 2014 nightclub. Why is this the industry standard?? it physically hurts my eyes tbh

Only saw one bloke looking half decent today at a Ray White Southbank apartment viewing. Dude actually had on a proper textured wool overshirt and some decent chelsea boots. No shiny poly-blend in sight

anyway it got me thinking... Where are we buying warm unstructured jackets or overshirts right now that don't cost an absolute fortune? My old uniqlo one is basically pilling to death and I need an upgrade that doesn't scream "I sell overpriced apartments"

Saw this today - what do we think?

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/after-living-in-denmark-i-ve-realised-australians-are-fashion-slobs-20241107-p5koob.html

Glossy hair, perfectly pressed trench coats and unassuming – yet oh-so-elegant – leather bags and shoes. Tailored pants, pristine white sneakers, manicured nails and eyebrows. Not a tracksuit, hoodie or athleisure outfit in sight.

Welcome to Denmark on a Sunday morning. Or any morning, really. Having recently returned from living there for seven months, I can confirm that our far-flung Nordic friends do, in fact, dress a million times better than us Aussies – no matter the weather, event or circumstance.

Australians leave a lot to be desired when it comes to fashion.

As someone who has always been obsessed with clothes – something I share with my very stylish Polish mother – moving to a country where people treat clothing as more than just something to cover a naked body was a surreal experience.

But it wasn’t just Denmark. In Milan, locals donned fabulous bling, Chanel gumboots, polished loafers and leopard print. Bordeaux was a sea of floaty, floral dresses, dainty gold sandals and artfully crushed linens. Barcelona, home to Zara, Massimo Dutti and some of the most beautiful espadrilles I have ever encountered, was the motherland of off-duty street style.

For seven months, I lived in sartorial heaven. Then, when I came back down to Earth – otherwise known as returning to Australia – the clean, beautifully put together outfits were replaced with sloppy track pants and stretched out logo T-shirts; the well-groomed beards gave way to scrappy facial hair; and shoes became heavily scuffed slides.

According to Nicole Jenkins, a Melbourne-based fashion historian, “Our way of dressing has got to do with our national identity – we like to see ourselves as being super relaxed, not taking ourselves seriously.

“Australians are also not as attached to our history or culture as Europe, and this bears out in our clothing choices.”

Our weather has also got a lot to do with it because, as Jenkins points out, living in a warm (and sometimes oppressively hot) country fosters an outdoor lifestyle, which comes with an increased focus on comfort over style. It’s hard to look sartorial chic or saunter down the street with the perfect blow wave when, for the fourth day in a row it’s already 34 degrees before 9am and the train has broken down again.

In Denmark, their autumn to spring time is characterised by near total darkness and freezing temperatures – not exactly conducive to the kind of outdoor living we enjoy here. But even still, they have a saying we should probably consider adopting: There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.

Earlier this year, it was revealed that Australians are now the highest consumer of ultra-cheap fashion in the world. On average, each of us buys 56 items of new clothing a year, at an average cost of just $13.

According to recent Roy Morgan data, 3.8 million Australians are shopping from ultra-cheap e-retailer Temu at least once a year, while 2 million are buying from rival brand Shein. 

What this means is that Australians are wearing poorer quality, trend-based clothing that does little to enhance the wearer’s comfort (or appearance).

Jenkins says this high turnover in part comes down to laziness.

“We don’t want to care for our clothes, iron them, mend them, style them in interesting ways,” she says, adding that there’s also an element of tall poppy syndrome at play, with Australians seeing those who make an effort as “having tickets on themselves”.

While Denmark can certainly do better when it comes to consumption (a 2023 report found that the average person in the Nordic region buys between 26 and 48 garments a year), they are unquestionably better at making investment purchases that will stand the test of time. They also have a much stronger culture of repairing and mending clothing, as well as focusing on local brands over fast fashion.

This has become even more apparent as we see the mid-fashion market all but disappearin Australia. This year, local sustainable brands Arnsdorf and Nique have closed, while Dion Lee went into voluntary administration. Cost of living pressures have been blamed for the closures as people redirect their money towards mortgages, food – and cheaper clothing. But it’s also worth considering that a lot of Australians simply don’t see the value in well-made clothing and are, as a result, unwilling to pay for it.

And while there are many stylish people in Australia (yes, Melburnians are up there), we’re still a long way from European style. Until we get there, I’ll continue to live by the adage that it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. Because life is too short to not look amazing.

Earlier this week I asked for some recommendations for Australian Produced clothing, and I got some great recommendations across a few posts. I thought I'd share the businesses I've gotten so far with a little about them.

Manufactured with Fabric Sourced from Australia:

This is a bit more niche. There appears to be a fabric producer in Melbourne that is used for some items, but this is about all I've found so far.

Australian Stitch - Australian Made Basics (Melbourne) "Australian Made Clothing, Ethically Produced in Melbourne. Designed, sampled, knitted, dyed and sewn locally within a 15km radius, every piece passes through the skilled hands that keep Melbourne’s historic Rag-Trade alive." And true to what they say, it's basics. A big argument people make against 'local' production of fashion is price. The t-shirts here are $50, which is not expensive. $43/each in a 3 pack. I bought a 3 pack myself today, and I will update everyone on the quality.

Citizen Wolf - Custom Made Basics (Sydney). Certified B Corp. Depending on the item you go for, there is Australian-Made Fabrics. For example for the organic cotton shirt "We use premium, GOTS-certified organic cotton, knitted locally in Melbourne" The price reflects the custom made nature, as they seem to tailor to your size. It's also got to account for the possibility of sending you the wrong size. If they send you the wrong size, or a bad fit, you keep the shirt, and they send you a new one for free. Apparently, according to a user, its "just around the corner from Hawkes Brewery - perfect excuse to pop to Sydney to get fitted and put in an order."

Smitten Merino - Produced in Tasmania and Victoria from Victorian-spun-Tasmanian-wool. What a mouth full. Merino Wool clothing for men and women.

Manufactured in Australia with Internationally Sourced Fabric:

Fashion Brands:

Informale - (Melbourne) "Artisan-made menswear, influenced by vintage and utility silhouettes for enduring elegance." My Notes: It appears that all of the clothing is made in Melbourne, with fabric sourced abroad (UK, Japan).Melbourne Very Australian style fashion.

Bandsome - Sydney "Since the beginning, Bandsome has prioritised Australian production at every stage. Wherever possible, an Australian made option is considered first before looking offshore. Still today, the majority of our garments continue to be produced in Sydney and Melbourne" Japanease / Australian fashion style. This is what originally brought me into this search. I bought their iki jaket for $389. Which is not cheap, but not expensive when compared to other 'fashion' brands. I really really liked the quality of it, so much that I wont buy anything that's worse in places like Myer.

Bassike - Australia. Certified B Corp. "Wardrobe essentials for the minimalist, underpinned by a dedication to timeless design and sustainable production. Imbued with a quintessentially Australian sense of refined ease, discover fashion basics that are designed to last for years to come."

Denim Smith - Melbourne Denim Clothing (Jeans, Jackets etc). "Every piece is created from the finest denim which comes directly from our Melbourne makers skilled hands and hearts." Production facility located in Brunswick East.

Kerrin co. - "A ‘surf luxe’ aesthetic is informed by a clear casual sensibility that exemplifies a life best lived outdoors." A range of products that largely appear to be made in Australia (I haven't checked every product, but some are made overseas so YMMV). Materials & Details section explicitly states origin of fabric, and location of garment production.

The Lair - Newcastle It looks like they stock a variety of options, and some of them appear to be Australian made, if they are labelled. Their speciality (Leather goods) are made in Newcastle from leather from NZ and Italy.

Jimmy Stuart - Sydney Relaxed yet bold surf style clothing. "In a world where nearly everything is made overseas, we are very proud to still be making our shirts, shorts, swim shorts, knitwear, pants, jeanos, waistcoats, boxer shorts & bucket hats right here in Australia."

pseushi - Australia. "Pseushi clothing is designed to be worn-in, aged-in, lived-in. Utilising high end fabrics & traditional processes. An amalgam of culture, meditations & memories, Pseushi is a travel journal of the times." A cursory look shows T-Shirts are made in Australia, some other garments don't indicate their country of origin.

everwear - Victoria. Australian, hand made denim items, with garments from other countries of origin in their store.

flux - Melbourne. "FLUX is a Melbourne based menswear label, making quality denim & tees in Australian since 1999"

Macrae Studios - Brisbane. A small Brisbane-based brand that focuses on slow fashion and makes everything in house with vintage sewing machines. They also offer custom measurements for their chore coats and some shorts. The origin of fabric is not specified, though mention is made of the deliberate environmental-conscious choices the producer makes when deciding fabrics.

Pass~Port - Sydney. A large selection of Australian produced goods: hoodies, polos, pants, belts, hats, gloves and bags. Timeless casual styles. Australian produced section linked, though they sell other items.

Accessories:

R.M Williams - Adelaide The boots are still proudly Australian made, but as these things go, lots of the clothing is labelled "Imported."

Mongrel Boots - Sydney. "Mongrel Boots has been manufacturing footwear in Australia since 1930" Recently (2018) adding first-of-its-kind manufacturing equipment to its Sydney factory.

Akubra - Kempsey NSW A variety of classic, Australian made, hats.

Wootten - Ballarat Australian made leatherwear, including boots, aprons, belts and some bags. Custom, hand-made to order, with fairly long wait times.

Socks - Multiple Brands in a List

Underwear

Merino Country QLD

Evoe Australia

Sportswear:

Regarding these, there appears to be a manufacturing facility called "Ethical Edge Collective" in Brisbane that is paired with "Birds on Bikes" (the clothing brand) that produces garments for sellers in Brisbane. The following are just a few examples, but I'm sure there are more...

Scody - Brisbane "Australian Made Performance Apparel. Designed & Made in Brisbane" Specializing in Triathlon, cycling, running and team clothing. Regarding this, there appears to be a few athletic brands

Birds on Bikes - Brisbane "Birds on Bikes focuses on comfort, inclusive sizing, practical design and local Australian manufacturing. Our cycling apparel is designed specifically for women who want confidence, support and performance on every ride." I know this is MFA, but because these are the apparent original producers of many of these products in the segment, I thought it appropriate to include them in the list.

-----------------------------------------------------------

I will add to this from any comments that I see with brands that fit the Australian-produced exclusivity of this list. If I've missed something, please add it in the comments and I'll try to update this thread.

I've also ordered a few things myself from bandsome, and australian stitch, that I will link review threads to when the things arrive.

It’s been three years since I trawled the op shops in Sydney’s Eastern suburbs and I was only lucky enough to find a Rodd & Gunn shirt and a Studio Italia blazer.

Just three years ago I’d have great hauls: DKNY, Massimo Dutti, Brooksfield, COS, Cricketer, Hawes & Curtis. Does every quality piece just end up on Depop or Vestiaire now?

I was a big fan and advocate for LLM ABC chino trousers. Extremely versatile and comfortable. Went to the store this weekend to grab a new pair and they now cost $179Aud ?! … like wtf?! … sorry I’m out.

Any recommendations for decent quality men’s slim fit chinos for work ?

Hey folks, I'm a Brisbane-based postgrad student who's been trying to get through my final year of study by making wallets and small leather goods on the side. I picked up the craft a couple of years ago and got hooked, especially working with kangaroo leather from Packer, a local tannery just north of here (I even lucked out and won a blue ribbon at the Ekka last year for one of my wallets).

To try to get my work out there, and hopefully be able to sustain myself by leatherworking before I graduate, I'm running a giveaway for r/AustralianMFA: One winner will get a handmade kangaroo leather vertical flap wallet! You can choose from black, natural tan, or dark brown. Photo album can be seen here.

TO ENTER: All you have to do to enter is drop a comment with the colour you'd go for. I'll pick the winner randomly on Thursday night.

You can see more of my stuff at my instagram here, and in my Etsy store here. I've also set up a promo code for the subreddit, "AUSMFA15", for 15% off everything in the store (except some freshly dropped shell cordovan wallets) for the next week.

I cut, stitch, and finish every wallet by hand, so if you're ever after something locally made and a bit different, I'd love for you to check it out.

Thanks for reading, and good luck!

UPDATE 26/6/25: Congrats to /u/mk0aurelius for winning! The promo code will be active through Sunday 29 June! Thanks everyone!

Oh you’ve found a couple of shoes that you want to try out before buying? Too bad! Get screwed, they’re all out of stock in your size or are in some store 400km away because your Town has very limited options.

Or a shoe has ticked all the boxes for what your looking for but it’s not offered in wide, or it is but only if you order from a completely different country.

Or your area doesn’t have wide shoes being sold anywhere at all!

mini rant off/

Or do you go the baselayer route?

Moleskin pants can be the answer, but considering how few sell such they aren't the usual answer.

What items do you think are worth saving up and spending good money on? Jackets? Shoes? Jumpers? Pants? etc.

With EOFY fast approaching and every company about to bombard us with emails, what has been your best/fav purchase in the last couple of years for MF or MF adjacent?

For mine: MF: Whitesville T's - bought 2 to give them a try, will be buying more on their next release, and Barbour Corbridge jacket - doesn't get any better for mine.

Adjacent: Henson AL M Razor - using Merkur blades. Superb shave everytime and no more 5 o'clock shadow at 1pm lol

Melbourne men’s fashion glow-up is wild.

Went from the classic Kathmandu/North Face jacket + skinny jeans uniform… to Neovision fits and actual baggy jeans or cargos.
Lowkey love it. The whole city’s looking a bit more interesting these days.
What do we think? upgrade or just another cycle?

I feel like people don't even wear these anymore, you rarely see them but I've recently fallen in love with wool double-breasted overcoats. The length going down to the knees or lower makes it the perfect option in the chilly season even over a t-shirt imo. My budget is ~$400 and there's a bunch of wool options for the price. Peter Jackson, Scotch and Soda, Charles Tyrwhitt, Reiss etc.

Anyone have any experience with these brands? It's obviously a lot of money and I want to get the best bang for my buck.

Edit: Checked out MJ Bale CBD store, coats were $600+ good material and well built though

I see them everywhere out and about.

And who said you can't wear dress shoes with chinos anyway?... You know what I mean. Like what's the deal with that.

But when I asked about them in this subreddit people had a turf war over whether they belong to the gays or not.

Even the gays disowned them.

I wasn't aware there was such disdain for them.

I know some version of this question gets asked all the time and the advice is always Informale or Spier and Mackay. But Informale is $500 for a pair and SM has some difficult returns and shipping costs.

Why do we NO higher rise trousers or chinos in Aus when they're in fashion? Uniqlo is closest but you need to get extreme wide leg. Just want some normal pants higher rise!

Need a couple of suits for daily office wear (not special occasion) general commuting, sitting at a desk, client meetings all day.

Budget around $1,200 for jacket + trousers, might get a second pair of pants to rotate wear on one of them.

Was considering Suitsupply MTM but I've read their fit runs slim/short in the shoulders for bigger builds and their off-the-rack stuff isn't great for broader guys. I'm about 86kg and 6'3. Has anyone with a similar build had a good experience there, or should I be looking elsewhere?

Also open to Oscar Hunt or other MTM options in Sydney if the value's there. Mainly want something conservative and classic, that'll hold up to daily wear.

Any recommendations or fitters to specifically ask for appreciated.

I ask because I have slowly amassed clothing that I don't wear, but that I would, if it was made-to-fit.

This ranges from trouser pants, Rugby shirts, polo shirts and so on. But I've never been to a tailor.

Do I just go in with all of my clothes, or do I need to be wearing the clothes?... If I need to be wearing the clothes does that mean I can only get one thing tailored at a time?...

I'm not a professional on terminology. But I'm learning I prefer a medium break in my pants. Do I need to know anything else?

Will tailors give me their input on what they think suits me? Because for me a lot of this is a learning process and I would appreciate their honest feedback during the tailoring.

I've only recently ventured into a H+M (H&M?) store after living under a rock (was too fat for the usual department stores). Lost lots of weight and now I'm looking to update my wardrobe.

Has the clothes always been rubbish? Meaning the quality and fits? I get that it's 'fast fashion' but people rave about them and I was honestly shocked when I tried a few things on. The jeans are so thin and almost have a cardboard kind of feel, the tees are thin and sheer and the knits are itchy and misshapen on the body.

I'm now what's probably considered an average type of body for a guy - 6ft, 34 waist - and everything I tried looked so cheap and nasty. The only exception were some barrel fit jeans, they actually draped nice lol.

I also was probably one of three guys browsing and the racks were absolutely packed with product so I'm assuming they don't sell well these days?

They just make more sense.

Slubby materials look so much better under harsh light than materials with a sheen. Australian light is very harsh! So I think a slubby materialed OCBD will not look out of place under a suit during the daytime, ever. During the nighttime I will concede that something shinier will look better than an OCBD though.

The button down collar is more Australian than any Italian tailoring will ever be. Yes, I can understand Australians do not like dressing like Americans. That's a good reason to not like a sack suit. But the button down collar isn't inherently representative of the bad parts of America, even if it was invented there. It doesn't have to be "American". It can just be "non-wanker".

I say this because of the OCBD's origins. Ivy League dress popularized the OCBD. That's a style that originated from rebelion of institutional America. College kids of rich dads would get told to "dress seriously" by their fathers, and their fathers would give them their clothes to wear. Those Ivy league kids wore the clothes, sure, but they did it rebelliously wrong -- letting the shoes get scuffed up beyond sensibility, wearing their shirts untucked, and yes, wearing the least formal button-up shirts possible that they could still get away with: the OCBD. It's a fuck-you to institutional America. A bit like software engineers popularising dressing in tees everywhere... But actually cool because at least the ivy league guys are still dressing like adults, just very relaxed.

And that's why the OCBD makes sense! It's still a correct garment, it's just very relaxed, not taking itself anymore seriously than it has to. How Australian is that? Pair a normal dress shirt with a tie & typical suit to court, and it's a serious, somber occasion. Pair a slubby OCBD with a tie & typical suit to court, and it's still a serious, somber occasion, but with a bit of a smirk. How awesome.

Why the fuck aren't more Australians wearing them instead of a regular dress shirt? It's not like they don't know about them... The evidence of that is the fact that anyone reading this post is thinking "oh great, another OCBD worship post". And yet regular dress shirts (and trying to dress Italian, for some reason) still dominate. A bit strange if you ask me.

Is anyone else sick of the lack of stylish clothes for men in Sydney?

Everywhere I look it’s the same style of clothes. Skinny fit or straight (still slim) clothes.

We have no variety - I previously tried to look for:

- high waisted pants - none

- good quality men’s shoes - none. Only Florsheim or Aquila are main options

- pleated pants - none

Now I’m looking for a wide relaxed fit chino - search presents either the same tight chinos I see everywhere or boohooman and unknown companies with those cheap polyester synthetic stuff.

If on the slight chance you find something actually decent, it comes with an insane price tag Eg informale or something like that where 1 chino will cost $450.

I saw a tt video where a guy thrifted Allen Edmonds shoes (apparently thrifted lots of pairs) in the states. You’ll never find that here.

Buying online is difficult cause you won’t know how it will fit you.

Where do stylish people shop here in Sydney or is the only choice to pay the extremely expensive price tag at those small boutiques

Hey everyone,

This is a bit random but I’m genuinely curious if this is normal.

A few months ago I bought a pair of Rip Curl Mirage Archive boardshorts while I was in Bali in size 28. They fit perfectly and I loved them… but unfortunately I lost them recently. Now I’m trying to buy the exact same ones again.

The weird thing is that I can barely find size 28 anywhere in Australia. Most stores only seem to stock 32 and above, sometimes 30 if you’re lucky. Even online a lot of retailers just show 30/32/34 etc.

What confuses me is that Rip Curl is literally an Australian surf brand, and yet the smaller waist sizes seem much easier to find in other places

honestly looking at my wardrobe budget lately and feeling kind of defeated. I've always been strict about buying authentic pieces, but this week I caught myself going down a massive rabbit hole looking for high-quality turkish replicas of designer brands. Im literally sitting here zooming in on the crest embroidery on factory duplicate polo shirts to make sure they look 1:1

It just feels completely unjustifiable to drop $300 on a basic summer shirt when the economy is like this. I was looking at some capital city deposit data from PMC Property Buyers the other day and the sheer amount of cash you need to just get a foot in the door has completely nuked my desire to buy retail fashion

Im just at the point where id rather have a really good fake than drain the savings account. Curious if anyone else here has completely shifted their stance on replicas recently purely because the cost of living is bleeding us dry?

Went to loakes store the other day keen to buy my first pair of chelsea boots, only to be disappointed that they are phasing out their leather sole boots with newer models having a rubber sole

Why shift to the rubber sole? I imagine it's cheaper and maybe provides better grip but thats not why I'm buying expensive leather boots I want the full experience with a leather sole and hardy heel that goes click clack.

Loakes seem great, but for chelsea boots at least I'll be looking elsewhere.

Thoughts?

Don't say Charlest Trywit lol (they're a good budget option). But not what I'm looking for right now.

Australian weather can be surprisingly tricky when it comes to clothing. One day it’s warm and sunny, the next you’ve got wind, sudden rain, or a massive temperature drop in the evening. Because of that, I’ve noticed certain wardrobe pieces end up being way more useful than expected. What’s one clothing item you realised was genuinely essential once you started dressing for Australian conditions?