Kirrily Johnston Womens Designer Clothing & Fashion Label

Kirrily Johnston Clothing & Fashion Label

First published on the Last Modified on the

Australian Fashion Designer Label

View recent Kirrily Johnston Collections on Australian Fashion Review Blog.

Introduction to the Kirrily Johnston Fashion Label

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Australian-born fashion designer, Kirrily Johnston entered the Australian fashion industry in 1999 after dropping out of the Melbourne Institute of Textiles in the second year of her degree. Not enjoying the course, Kirrily left to work in Kookai, where she also sold a range of accessories that soon gained the attention of Teresa O’Hehir, the owner of the local Hoss boutiques. Impressed by her work, Theresa offered Kirrily a job at her Chapel St store, along with the opportunity to sell a small collection of clothing, which Kirrily called ‘Uber Chic’.

Kirrily later relocated to Sydney and launched her namesake womenswear label, ‘Kirrily Johnston’, in 2004 with her first solo presentation at the iconic Icebergs Dining Room and Bar in Bondi Beach, with a showing of her Spring/Summer 2004-2005 collection. The collection, entitled ‘Meet Me At The Magic Club’ was immediately well received by fashion critics and buyer alike, instantly developing the brand a reputation for sleek tailoring, sexy and modern cuts, blending elegance and innovation.

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Just a few short months after the labels launch, the Kirrily Johnston brand was picked up by Australian department store giant, David Jones. Things moved quickly for the label after that with stand-alone boutiques opening in Sydney (2005) and Melbourne (2007), a menswear line was developed (2009) and a diffusion line ‘Kj by Kirrily Johnston’ (2010) was launched, improving the brand’s demographic, taking the Kirrily Johnston aesthetic to a wider audience.

As of early 2012, the Kirrily Johnston brand has an impressive representation on both domestic and international shores, with over stockists throughout the globe. The Kirrily Johnston collections are available in many countries including, Australia, the USA, Asia, UK and New Zealand. Kirrily Johnston currently has two flagship stores in both Sydney and Melbourne, as well being stocked by David Jones, and various other independent boutiques. A full list of stockists can be found on the official Kirrily Johnston website.

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Kirrily Johnston Fashion Label: Key Dates

1999: Australian-born designer Kirrily Johnston drops out of the Melbourne Institute of Textiles and embarks on a career in the fashion industry.
2004: Following a relocation to Sydney Kirrily launched her namesake fashion label ‘Kirrily Johnston’ with a solo presentation of her Spring/Summer 2004-05 collection at Bondi Beach’s Icebergs Dining Room and Bar.
2005: The first Kirrily Johnston stand-alone boutique opens in Sydney.
2007: The second Kirrily Johnston boutique opens on Melbourne’s High St Armadale.
2008: Kirrily Johnston received the great honour of being asked to open Rosemount Australian Fashion Week.
2009: The Kirrily Johnston fashion label introduces a ‘unisex’ menswear line to the product range, taking the brand to a wider audience.
2010: The label launches its diffusion line ‘Kj by Kirrily Johnston’, capturing the essence of the Kirrily Johnston aesthetic at a lower price point, offering the perfect ‘weekend’ wear for both men and women.
2011: Kirrily Johnston and Dulux join forces for the second time at Rosemount Australian Fashion Week for Kirrily’s Spring/Summer 2011-12 collection, ‘Habitat’. The collaboration will seethe iconic Icebergs Dining Room and Bar of Bondi Beach into a unique interior installation and runway inspired by the colours of the Dulex 2011/12 Colour Forecast palette. Also this year, Kirrily is signed to be one of the judges of TV show, Project Runway Australia, which will surely increase the awareness of her fashion label. Finally, a stand-alone boutique for the diffusion line, ‘Kj by Kirrily Johnston’ opens in Sydney.

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Aesthetic of the Kirrily Johnston Brand

The Kirrily Johnston aesthetic has been described as sexy with a modern edge, blending elegance with innovation, while focusing on luxurious fabrics and quality craftsmanship. The beautifully detailed and chic tailoring of the brand’s collections has attracted some of the world’s most stylish women, including Nicole Kidman, Miranda Kerr, Megan Gale, Rachael Taylor, Dianne Kruger, Kate Hudson, Reese Witherspoon and Toni Colette.

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Future of the Kirrily Johnston Fashion Label

The Kirrily Johnston has big plans for the future, including a re-launch of the brand’s website and expansion into more boutique stores. The label will continue its strong relationship with Australian department store giant, David Jones, with the diffusion line ‘Kj by Kirrily Johnston’ expanding from 5 stores to 12 stores in the near future. Additionally, Kirrily is continuing to expand and develop the menswear line within the diffusion label for the Spring/Summer 2012-2013 season.

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