��driven scarves, wraps and capes cut from Australian merino wool and positioned for an urban, design‑literate consumer. A mill moves beyond the blanket For Waverley Mills, best known for home textiles and collaborations with names like Nudie Jeans and Fiona Lynch, In Resonance is framed internally as a “considered expansion” rather than a pivot. “From a commercial perspective, we derisked the move by building on what our customers already trust us for – warmth, comfort and craftsmanship,”  Waverley Mills CEO, Fran Maiale told Inside Retail, noting that scarves had already been part of the offer. Instead of treating accessories as a leap into unfamiliar territory, the mill extended the emotional and material qualities of its blankets into pieces that “naturally fit into everyday living.” That evolution rides on renewed investment in the mill itself. Recent federal and state grants have funded upgrades that allow Australia’s last fully functioning woollen mill to increase capacity and explore more complex weaves and textures, opening space for higher‑volume, design‑led collaborations. In Maiale’s words, the aim is to pursue more ambitious projects while preserving “the craftsmanship and authenticity partners expect from Australia’s oldest working textile mill.” A designer rewrites the brief If Waverley Mills is stepping out of the home, Smart is stepping out of the traditional fashion calendar. “Instead of a seasonal framework, the work begins with materiality, capability and context,” she told Inside Retail. “It’s about understanding where real expertise sits, and where something distinct can emerge.” With a partner that already produces “a world‑class luxury product,” her role, she argued, is less about reinvention than calibration: “With a partner like Waverley Mills, the role of design becomes more about alignment than imposition.” That shift in process also changes commercial expectations. Smart now designs for pieces that “can hold their place over time,” rather than for rapid turnover. The collection was defined early in terms of how each item is worn and where it sits in a wardrobe, with timelines governed by “shared judgement” between designer and mill rather than a rigid runway date. Building a tight, scalable assortment In merchandising terms, In Resonance is deliberately compact. Scarves act as an accessible entry point, wraps add a more enveloping textural layer and capes deliver a directional statement, each resolved in terms of how it layers and moves across different moments. “The discipline was in the edit,” said Smart. “There isn’t a single hero, each piece carries the idea, expressed differently through colour and texture.” Price architecture tracks that progression, moving from entry scarves through to more expressive capes without feeling over‑worked, supported by a palette designed to sit intuitively with navy, black, chocolate and denim. For Maiale, scalability depends on that clarity. “If the product is well resolved, it translates,” she said, adding that editing ideas ruthlessly through sampling protects both design integrity and margin. Fashion, not lifestyle Both sides are explicit that this is not a logo pasted onto existing throws. “The non‑negotiables were about ensuring the work felt like fashion, considered and relevant, rather than a lifestyle interpretation,” Smart explained. “Creatively, that meant designing for an urban context, with an inherently unisex sensibility.” Pieces are conceived to move from office to gallery to dinner, with proportion, colour and drape calibrated to feel alive on the body rather than static. That modernity is also technical. Within the mill, the team explored vertical fringing and ombré colour effects that were new to Waverley’s machinery, using the process as a way to push both craft and design forward. “Working with a 150‑year‑old mill teaches you to respect process,” Smart said. “At the same time, you need to hold a clear design position… that’s where something genuinely new can take shape.” Turning fibre into story Storytelling sits at the intersection of landscape, fibre and place. Smart talked about “landscape, light and material as a single language,” with gradations of colour echoing shifts in light and layered textures that invite touch, while insisting that “the product should communicate first… it has to read as fashion, something you’re drawn to instinctively.” Imagery for the launch focuses on connection and touch – how pieces sit on the body, how they move, how the merino is experienced up close. For Maiale, that sensory focus is grounded with tangible proof points: Australian merino wool, local manufacture at Waverley Mills and a partner whose values visibly align with the brand’s own. “Our customers care deeply about natural fibres, sustainability and Australian‑made,” she said. “The collaboration felt authentic because the values were aligned from the outset, and that alignment is ultimately what ensures the work resonates with our customers and strengthens the brand long‑term.” Further reading: Reviving Waverley Mills with innovation and sustainability