Well-known Australian womenswear label, Gorman, began with humble beginnings. The story of Gorman begins on the Great Ocean Road in the coastal town of Warrnambool. Taught to sew as an eight-year-old by her mother Jane, Lisa Gorman collected cool 70s fabric offcuts from her neighbour and designed clothing for the Gorman sisters’ Barbie collection with vigour through the early 80s.
What followed Gorman into adulthood in the years to come included much travel, a nursing degree, and a desire to take up her lifelong passion for creating.
Returning to Melbourne after several years in New York working many jobs from hospitality to a styling assistant, Gorman decided to put some of her notebook designs into action, launching an original eight-piece unisex collection at a local Fitzroy lifestyle store in 1999.
The collection was a sell out and soon Gorman was fielding requests for the next collection. While building the business she kept her design day job with Mariana Hardwick creating fantastical wedding gowns, alongside pursuing her nursing career, until realising at 28, that it was time to give the Gorman brand the sole focus it needed.
By 2003, the Gorman brand was stocked in 55 retailers in Australia and 15 Japan, and a year later in 2004, the first Gorman boutique opened on Chapel Street Prahran. More than 20 years after launching her eponymous label, Gorman now has 47 stores across Australia and New Zealand. Gorman and her team are forever proud to dress those who value the independent style the brand has to offer.
Artist collaborations have become a mainstay for the brand, with Gorman now having worked alongside 100+ local and international artists over the last decade to create rich and diverse fashion collections.
In recent years Gorman has worked collaboratively with Mangkaja Arts Resource Agency in Western Australia. The collection was Gorman’s first with Indigenous artists and saw the Copyright Agency negotiate what has been billed as a national benchmark in fashion licensing rights of the adaptation of Indigenous artists’ work.
In 2021, Gorman will bring to the table six fresh and inspired collaborative collections, presenting the work of local and international artists in a form that you can wear.
“We are constantly working with local and international artists, and our next collaboration launching in May is incredibly exciting. It’s been in the works for over a year now; collabs take a lot of time to get right, so we’re looking forward to being able to share the work of some truly talented artists with you soon,” expressed Gorman.
The Gorman design team creates pieces with the expectation of long-term wearability throughout seasons.
Garments are not designed to fit a trend; they are designed with a signature unique to Gorman that combines the modern and the timeless. From design through to construction, pieces are made to last years rather than months.
The Gorman Playground is a range focussing on childrenswear - launched in 2019. Since its launch, the brand has collaborated with international and local artists to produce six collections. Almost 100 percent of the pieces in the Gorman Playground range has been produced from sustainable fabrications, which is important to the brand and its customers.
“Our most recent collection with Australian artist Rachel Castle has been our biggest yet and we strive to unite practicality with a whole lot of fun for our little people.”
New Zealand customers can finally shop Gorman’s beautiful pieces on their new New Zealand website, as well as in Auckland, Wellington and Queenstown stores.
To celebrate the launch of Gorman’s new New Zealand website, the brand is giving its New Zealand subscribers the chance to win a trip to two to Melbourne including return flights, five nights accommodation and VIP access to Gorman’s next collaboration launch party at the end of May!
To enter, subscribe to the Gorman database by 11:59pm AEDT Sunday 2nd May, full T&C’s available here.
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