Last year, when Meghan Markle was spotted celebrating her birthday in a black and white strapless dress by Sydney label Posse, the stripy number sold out within a few hours.

Posse founder and designer Danielle Mulham recalls the moment she saw the Duchess of Sussex in the label’s Theo dress. “We were actually in the middle of a photoshoot when we received the news so it was very special to share the moment with our entire team,” she tells Broadsheet.

“We were blown away by the impact this had on the growth of our brand and had a similar moment a few months prior when Sofia Richie wore our Emma vest and pencil skirt just days before her wedding in the South of France. She posted the images to her Instagram, and they went viral.”

It was a similar story when Taylor Swift was seen repping a crochet Dion Lee corset at boyfriend Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl game earlier this year. The black knitted construction quickly sold out and has been on pre-order since. The white iteration remains out of stock in multiple sizes. It’s Swiftonomics in full swing (although after the recent news that the brand is going into receivership, perhaps even Tay Tay can’t save an ailing label).

The news came as a surprise – Dua Lipa, Zendaya and Gigi Hadid are among the many celebs who regularly slip into the Sydney-born label’s utilitarian and experimental designs. From Hadid’s birthday celebrations in an all-white lacey ensemble to Lipa’s most recent Times Square performance in a sparkly black bodycon. The steps of the Met Gala have also been graced by Dion Lee’s genderless designs. American actor and singer Jeremy Pope wore the label two years in a row, and FKA Twigs was in a silky graphic Dion Lee dress at this year’s after-party.

Aussie designer and couturier Toni Maticevski’s sculptural designs have been spotted on Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lopez. Keke Palmer wore Maticevski at her historic Emmy win, and the label features in the music video for , a track from Taylor Swift’s latest album.

Maticevski tells Broadsheet he’s not actually sure how it came about. “Timing? Chance? The conversation was between my PR and her stylist,” he says. “I believe there was an opportunity for the Grammys, and so we shared the look book images in which the gown appeared … [Seeing her wear it] was something I had to sit with for a few days … and it really seemed to have a moment for Taylor.”

Fellow Australian designer Christopher Esber has a loyal fanbase at home and around the globe. Actor Emma Roberts wore a beaded Esber skirt for her latest Jimmy Fallon TV appearance. Actor Greta Lee sported a dolphin-blue off-shoulder number. And Hailey Bieber donned a sparkly floral skirt on a tropical holiday.

Then there’s American singer-songwriter Madison Beer decked out in frilly mini dresses and ruffled sets by Melbourne label Bye Bambi on her current tour.

Global hit Netflix show Heartbreak High brought attention to a flurry of local designers, from Amerie’s newspaper-inspired Emma Mulholland on Holiday pants and Daren’s love for Alix Higgins’s poetic tops, to Malakai’s playful Wah Wah knits.

St Agni co-founder Lara Fells says having a celeb wear one of your designs offers the kind of visibility that helps Aussie brands stay influential and compete on an international stage. “Being geographically distant from major fashion hubs, this exposure provides us with a global platform that would have been much harder to access in the past.”

The Byron Bay label’s minimal, elevated basics have been favoured by Kendall Jenner. It’s a relationship that grew organically as Jenner’s stylist reached out to select pieces, Fells explains. The model most recently wore a pair of raw-edged low-waisted pants at Coachella this year.

Kaylene Milner, founder of cult Aussie knitwear brand Wah Wah, also credits overnight sell-out success to moments like when New Zealand filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi and Aussie TV presenter Tony Armstrong sported the brand’s Kaylene Whiskey jumper in 2021 on the set of Thor and an episode of Q&A, respectively.

But it’s when English comedian and co-host of The Great British Bake Off Noel Fielding first flexed a Dinosaur Jr Wah Wah knit in 2019 that the brand really blew up, Milner says. “I was sort of winding down the brand at that point for several reasons but it really took off again and is flourishing now.”

He’s since become a regular wearer of the label’s loud and eccentric jumpers on TV and gone on to collaborate with the brand on his very own design.

Milner says at the moment, as a small brand, celebrities are the only way to tap into the overseas market and connect with an entirely new audience. Maticevski says when one Aussie brand opens the doors, it makes room for the others. “I think Aussie brands have had to work particularly harder than most international brands, in terms of travelling, being present and visible.” Maticevski says. “In the end, talent has won.”

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