t interesting garments for people who want to express themselves with conviction – and who care deeply about where and how their clothes are made,” Van Brussel, told Inside Retail. The brand is the founder’s direct response to unsustainable fast fashion and unmarketable slow fashion. Sustainable fashion’s new guard The Adelaide-based emerging fashion house is one of a few Australian brands that delivers on end-to-end local production but its Australian made status didn’t come easy.  Van Brussel shared that building her local supply chain and production processes took a lot of conversations and persistence. “I reached out to makers, pattern-makers, cutters, fabric suppliers, and haberdashers. I reconnected with old contacts, built new relationships, knocked on doors, sent hundreds of emails, and asked all the questions,”  “I shared the vision and brought everyone along on the journey – translating my passion clearly helped build a team who believed in the mission,” she continued. “It wasn’t easy – there were setbacks, rebuilds, and steep learning curves – but that’s the nature of building something from scratch.” But the result is something the founder and brand are deeply proud of: Every step of Van Brussel’s production – from sketch, to sample, to final garment – happens in Australia. Moreover, the Adelaide based slow fashion brand works with designer dead-stock fabrics to create limited-edition premium collections. “Once a run is sold out, that’s it. It’s a more sustainable way to produce – it gives new life to exceptional fabric, and it ensures each piece is truly limited,” he added. But Van Brussel’s ethical and local production are not just fuelled by the founder’s moral compass, it is also driven by her desire to create superior products. “That transparency and connection don’t just feel good – they enhance the product,” she explained.  “You can feel the intention, care, and attention to detail in every piece. That’s the kind of energy I want our customers to invest in, wear, and cherish.” However, Van Brussel admits that educating customers on the value of locally made fashion is sometimes a challenge – explaining why garments cost what they do, and why it’s worth it.  “But the response has been amazing. People want to support brands with purpose, integrity, and transparency,” Van Brussel revealed. “Every time I see someone wearing Van Brussel out of the store, it feels surreal. That connection is what makes it all worthwhile,” she added. Setting a new creative direction  Van Brussel worked behind the scenes for Australian brands, like Sans Beast, and international brands, like Simone Perel, before diving head first into her own creative  endeavour. “The motivation was both artistic and deeply personal. I wanted to create something that felt uncompromisingly true to me – a space where I could finally respond to my own design brief and channel my full creative sensibility,” Van Brussel shared. Van Brussel detailed the distinct aesthetic she wanted to explore as one that celebrates bold individuality, refined tailoring, and a confident interplay of femininity and masculinity, all with a utilitarian edge.  “I was ready to push boundaries, but with an attention to wearability and commercial relevance,” she noted. It’s this sharp focus on the details that motivated Van Brussel to have both an online and offline presence. “Fashion is tactile. I wanted people to feel the fabric, try the pieces, and experience the brand in full dimension,” Van Brussel explained.  “Our Adelaide store is an extension of the Van Brussel world – it brings everything to life in a way the digital can’t,” she continued. “But we also know our community is online, so having both channels working together is essential.” Van Brussel is already planning pop-ups across the Australian Eastern states as well as in the UK and Europe later this year. The brand’s early success coupled with its global ambitions have driven Van Brussel to wear many hats in an attempt to scale.  “From creative direction and product design to production management, content creation, bookkeeping – you name it. It’s a lot,” Van Brussel said. When asked what she wished someone told her before founding an eponymous fashion label, Van Brussel answered that the hardest parts are often the most rewarding.  “That every so-called “mistake” is actually just redirection. And that community is everywhere – within the industry, your personal friends and family circles and among your customers,” Van Brussel concluded.  “You don’t have to do it all alone. In fact, it’s so much better when you don’t.”