Can We Keep Tall Women’s Fashion Made in Australia?

Can We Keep Tall Women’s Fashion Made in Australia?

Time stamp, late May 2025, I’m in Melbourne on a mercy dash to secure a new local maker.

After more than 30 years in the game, my current manufacturer is closing by the end of this financial year. The phone call was unexpected and reduced me to tears - it’s the second local maker I’ve lost in just six months.

I didn’t share this news last year, but I am now. Not because I’m secretive, but because I’ve wanted to shield you from any concern that Miss G & Me might lose its footing. That’s not who we are. No, we haven't been able to release any new designs so far this year - the disruption of our long-term manufacturing partner unexpectedly closing in Oct 2024 ran deep, but we are, and will remain, a quality label, built on the craftsmanship of Australia’s most skilled manufacturers.

But the landscape has changed.

Before fast fashion, a good local maker could rely on steady orders, 500 to 2,000 units per style, per season. Now, they’re lucky to cut 300 units total. My largest ever order? 150 units of the Maddie Chillax pants. I’m restocking the Monique pants ATM with just 120 pieces.

That’s not enough to keep doors open.

In fact, my current manufacturer will soon earn more money leasing his workroom than he would from making garments. So really, who could blame him? After decades of building a business that helped designers like me bring their visions to life, the economics no longer stack up.

Here’s one hard truth: the balance of power in manufacturing has shifted.

Once, manufacturers were price takers, subject to whatever the brands and labels could afford to pay. But now? The skilled few who remain are price setters. Their craftsmanship is rare. They’re sought after. And they deserve to be paid well. Another hard truth is that most are about to retire.

As a label owner, I understand both sides. I studied economics. I get the supply and demand curve, the shift in pricing power, and the invisible hand of the economy. I also know what happens when these hands stop making visible garments: labels like mine, and women like you, lose access to clothes that fit, that last, that feel right.

And this isn’t just about one maker closing. This is about a local industry in crisis.

Just a few weeks ago, I announced the sad news that our Australian manufacturer of extended size slippers and Ugg were no longer able to supply the offering. Read up here - Extended Size Slippers for Tall Women: end of an era

Australia’s manufacturing base has shrunken rapidly. In the '90s, hundreds of factories and workrooms were buzzing. Today, only a handful remain capable of producing designer-quality work. Many of those are run by people approaching retirement, with no one stepping in behind them - their kids are at university studying engineering and the arts.

There’s no pipeline of cutters or machinists coming through, either. TAFE training is nearly non-existent. It’s easier to study fashion marketing than to learn how to sew a French seam.

In some make rooms, the youngest person on the sewing floor is over 50.

And while other sectors, mining, defence, and even agriculture, get government support and strategic investment, fashion manufacturing is left to fend for itself. Despite its potential to create jobs, reduce carbon emissions, and rebuild local economies, it’s rarely even part of the conversation.

Add to this the rise of fast fashion and the collapse of seasonal structure. Once, makers had six months’ worth of work booked in advance. Now, brands want small, unpredictable drops, which means lower order volumes and constant uncertainty.

On top of that? Fabric sourcing. The vast majority of fashion fabrics are imported, and mills overseas often require huge minimums, 2,000 or 3,000 metres. That’s simply not viable for a small label like mine, where an order of 120 units is considered a big investment.

It cost over $600 to ship the fabric for Penni + Louise to Australia

Even retail is unstable. Department stores that once supported dozens of Aussie designers are struggling to stay open. Labels like mine rely on direct-to-consumer sales now, online, in studio, or through word of mouth.

The new norm.

So yes, I’ve started quietly investigating overseas manufacturing. Not because I want to, but because I may one day need to.

That’s how volatile things are.

But before I go down that road, I’m leaning into every local innovation available. Technology is offering us tools we never had before, like digital patterning and automated marker creation. What used to take a day of manual work can now be done in minutes with a digital file and a big arse printer.

It’s a game-changer. But it’s not free. Those who own the tech know what it’s worth, and they charge accordingly, just like the makers who survived the race to the bottom. And rightly so.

Good News, I’ve found someone!

My new maker is the brother-in-law of my current one, a quiet genius whose team of machinists make for some of the most respected names in Australian fashion: Anna Thomas, Viktoria & Woods, Anthea Crawford. He’s agreed to work with me. He believes in the Miss G & Me vision. And he’s excited to help build what comes next.

What comes next?

A radical shift in how tall women access clothing that fits. That flatters. That feels right. Clothes that don’t cost the planet. Clothes that make you feel more like yourself.

But this next chapter needs more than just ideas. It needs customers who value quality. Those who understand that price is part of the equation, but not the only part. Who believe tall women deserve more than scraps, fast fashion, or fit failures that almost meet the brief of covering ankles, backsides or wrists.

Here’s a third truth: if the cost of making the Maddie Chillax pant increases again, whether fabric or labour, I don't think I can continue the line. Not because I don’t love it - we all love Maddie, right..?! But because I can't see enough women prepared to invest in 'trackpants' at a greater cost than they currently are. But pls, how wonderful are they... let's remember that..

So if you love Maddie, or anything else we make, now is the time to support the label.

We’re not here to mass-produce. We’re here to make clothes that matter. And we’re just getting started.

Moreover, I’ve been watching something quietly unfold.

A known name in tall fashion has announced they’re “not closing”, but their warehouse is shutting down. There’s no new stock on the way. Every piece is marked down. Heavily. You don’t have to read between the lines. The message is clear: something’s changed.

It’s unsettling. And it raises a bigger question.

Is there demand in Australia for tall women’s fashion that’s designer-led? Purposefully made? Priced fairly, not cheaply?

I ask, not as a competitor, but as someone deeply invested in this space, as a tall woman. Because the final truth in this blog is: this work is hard. It’s resource-intensive. It’s logistically complex. And it’s personal. And currently, a benevolent activity.

Designing for tall women is not a mainstream commercial play. It’s a belief. A responsibility. A commitment to serve women who’ve been overlooked by traditional fashion.

But without consistent support, orders, shares, word of mouth, even the strongest brands can start to wobble - ask the various labels under Mosaic Brands, Ally Fashion, Wittners, and Jeans West.

So while others wind up, I’m doubling down. I’m in workrooms, on factory floors, testing tech, securing supply, doing everything I can to keep quality tall women’s clothing not just alive, but evolving, because I believe you still want more than “just long enough.”

You want well-made. Well cut. Thoughtful. Beautiful. Australian made. And readily available.

Your ATC means more than ever.

Miss G and Me is the only Australian-made tall women's clothing label, and we think we have designed the best pants and trousers for tall women. Our passion for beautiful, sustainable fashion ensures that we cater to tall women, with styles that last even beyond a few washes. This article was written by our founder and designer, Penni Lamprey, who stands at 6'1". She emphasises that clothes that fit positively contribute to an individual's self-esteem, a core value of our label.