anna cordell
THIS MELBOURNE CREATIVE DESIGNS TAILORED SUITS FOR MUSOS AND FASHIONABLE FOLK ALIKE.
How did you get started in fashion design?
I studied philosophy and music at uni, so I wasn’t intending to get into fashion, but it kind of took on a life of its own. Years ago, I was collecting all this vintage stuff from op shops, so I started a reworked vintage fashion label. It originally started in a market, then it was stocked at a few stores around Melbourne and in Sportsgirl and General Pants. It grew really quickly.
I had four kids by this stage, so I stopped everything to be home with them. But then I got back into music, started gigging and had a corduroy suit made to wear on stage. Other musicians wanted a suit, so I started getting them made for my friends in the industry. That’s how my fashion label stemmed from the music world.
When did you realise you wanted to combine your love of music and fashion?
Because of COVID, I couldn’t do gigs anymore, so I focused all my energy on the clothing. And the more I focused, the better it got. Now I’m completely absorbed in the clothes and I’m not really doing music. But that’s why I love dressing other musicians, because I’m still connected to that world and I get to create exciting things for people to wear on stage. This allows me to keep it interesting and exciting. If a musician comes to town and needs something quickly, I get a bit of a buzz, so I think I’ll always have that element to the label.
Your garments feel like a kind of uniform. Is that intentional?
I don’t feel like anything I do is intentional. I’m
