Sydney Fashion, Not Souvenir: Rethinking Australian Style
There is a particular way Sydney dresses.
It’s relaxed, but not careless. Colourful without trying too hard. A little irreverent. Equally at home by the harbour, on a beach, walking through the city or sitting outside somewhere with a coffee in hand.
And perhaps that’s because Sydney itself is full of contrasts.
Ocean and city. Sandstone and glass. Cockatoos flying between buildings. Ferries crossing the harbour while office workers hurry towards the train. Beach mornings, busy streets, old pubs, beautiful restaurants and that unmistakable flash of blue water that appears when you least expect it.
For us, Australian style lives somewhere amongst all of that.
Australian, but not obvious
For a long time, Australian imagery in fashion has often been treated as something separate from fashion itself.
Koalas, cockatoos, Sydney landmarks and native flora appear on things made primarily to say I went to Australia.
We think they can say something much more interesting.
These are the things that surround us. They are part of our visual culture and part of our memories. They deserve to be interpreted with the same consideration we give any other source of design inspiration.
A cockatoo can become a beautiful graphic.
Sydney can sit across a sweatshirt and still feel contemporary.
Australian colour can be bold, sophisticated and incredibly wearable.
The difference is in how you tell the story.
Wearing a sense of place
At DK+L Originals, we design pieces that carry a little bit of where they came from.
Sometimes that's obvious. A Sydney graphic. An Australian animal. A familiar landmark.
Other times it's simply a feeling — the blue of the ocean, sun-faded colour, relaxed silhouettes or the freedom of clothes designed for real life.
We want someone from Sydney to wear one of our pieces because they genuinely love it.
And we want someone visiting from the other side of the world to discover that same piece in our store at The Rocks and take it home because it reminds them of how Sydney felt.
Not simply where they went.
From Sydney, with love
Our store sits in The Rocks, surrounded by sandstone buildings, harbour air and some of the oldest streets in Sydney.
It feels like the right home for what we're creating.
Because DK+L Originals isn't interested in presenting a postcard version of Australia.
We're interested in the Australia we actually know.
The beautiful bits. The colourful bits. The slightly ridiculous bits. The wildlife, the landscape, the city, the humour and our tendency not to take ourselves too seriously.
We take all of that and turn it into things to wear, keep and live with.
Australian design made to be part of your wardrobe — not just a memory of your holiday.
Born of Sun & Sea.
We are bold. We are free.
We are legends. We are Australian.