To join PE Nation , Aje Athletica and Camilla and Marc on the front line of Australian fashion, the obvious path is paved with athleisure wear, beige bralettes and black blazers. Designer Monika Branagan is taking the road less travelled, unveiling a debut collection crammed with Elizabethan ruffled collars, bold polka dot blouses and prints of flying pigs. Fashion designer Monika Branagan (centre) with models Shanesse Wong and Tori Michael.
Credit: Louise Kennerley Those airborne pigs could be metaphors for a start-up’s success in the struggling fashion industry, where labels are closing and sales are soft . For Branagan, the porcine print represents a determination to do things her way or go down in a blaze of pink blazers trying. Dressing the niche crowd “I just can’t make a grey jumper,” Branagan says.
“I’m interested in dressing people who are not afraid to take risks, like those in the movie The Greatest Showman . As the song says, This is Me. ” The empowering tune has become a mantra for Branagan as she transitions from a successful interior design career in Sydney to creating whimsical blazers and sailor suits for her budding online store .
‘Perhaps launching a label in the middle of a cost of living crisis was not the best idea, but this is ...
about pursuing creativity.’ Fashion designer Monika Branagan “I was working in interiors for 20 years and the burning desire to have my own label, which has been with me since I was growing up in the eighti.