Collette Dinnigan

Last updated

Collette Dinnigan at the Puss In Boots Australian premiere, in November 2011 Collette Dinnigan.jpg
Collette Dinnigan at the Puss In Boots Australian premiere, in November 2011

Collette Mary Ann Dinnigan AO (born 24 September 1965) [1] is an Australian fashion designer. Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, Dinnigan moved to Australia, where she worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She opened her own range in 1990, with the launch of a dry-clean only lingerie collection, [2] and was the first Australian to launch a ready-to-wear collection, in Paris in 1995. [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Collette Dinnigan was born in South Africa on 24 September 1965. When she was eight, her family including a younger brother lived on their yacht for a number of years, eventually sailing around the southern coast of Australia and on to New Zealand, where they decided to remain. She graduated from a fashion design course at Wellington Polytechnic because she liked fashion designing. She later moved to Sydney, where she worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's costume department. [5]

Career and fashion range

In 1995, Dinnigan was the first Australian to launch a ready-to-wear collection in Paris; she was also the first to be asked to be in the 'ready-to-wear parade' in Paris. Her range was stocked in her stores in Sydney, Melbourne and London, and in David Jones department stores. [6]

In 2001, Dinnigan opened her first store on Greg Street in Sydney's Paddington, and imported stuff to her fashions to Barneys New York, Harvey Nichols in London, and Hong Kong. [4]

In 2002, UK retailer Marks & Spencer invited Dinnigan to create a branded collection of lingerie exclusively for their stores and Target stores in Australia. Wild Hearts by Collette Dinnigan launched and recorded impressive results. [6]

At the end of 2013 Dinnigan significantly scaled down her business, closing her boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne and London and stopping production of her bridal and evening wear lines. Approximately 80% of her staff lost their jobs. Dinnigan emphasised that the business was still profitable and had no debt; she was scaling back because she wanted to spend more time with her family. [7]

Personal life

Dinnigan has a daughter, Estella, with her former partner Richard Wilkins and a son, Hunter, with husband, hotelier Bradley Cocks. [8] [9] [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vera Wang</span> American fashion designer (born 1949)

Vera Ellen Wang is an American fashion designer. Wang initially pursued a career in figure skating before transitioning to fashion. She worked for Vogue and Ralph Lauren before launching her own bridal gown boutique in 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dior</span> French fashion company

Christian Dior SE, commonly known as Dior, is a French multinational luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH. Dior holds 42.36% shares and 59.01% of voting rights within LVMH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Sui</span> American fashion designer

Anna Sui is an American fashion designer. She was named one of the "Top 5 Fashion Icons of the Decade", and in 2009 earned the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), joining the ranks of Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Diane von Furstenberg. Her brand categories include several fashion lines, footwear, cosmetics, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, accessories and home goods

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Target Australia</span> Australian discount department store chain owned by Wesfarmers

Target Australia Pty Ltd is a department store chain owned by Australian retail conglomerate Wesfarmers. Target stocks clothing, cosmetics, homewares, electronics, books, and toys selling both in-store and online. The company's head office is located in the Melbourne suburb of Williams Landing which the company moved to in 2018. Despite the identical logo, name and similar type of outlets, Target Australia carries no direct relation or affiliation to the American big box retailer Target Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Fashion Week</span> Australian fashion industry event

Australian Fashion Week, formerly Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) and as of 2021 Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW), is an annual fashion industry event, or fashion week, showcasing the latest seasonal collections from Australian designers. Run by American company by IMG since 2005, the event has been held at the multi-arts center Carriageworks in Redfern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josie Natori</span> Filipino-American fashion designer

Josie Natori is a Filipino-American fashion designer and the CEO and founder of The Natori Company. Natori served as a commissioner on the White House Conference on Small Business. In March 2007 she was awarded the Order of Lakandula, one of the highest civilian awards in the Philippines. In April 2007, Natori received the "Peopling of America" Award from the Statue of Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation. She often says her business philosophy is based around an "East-West mix" of culture and design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lanvin</span> French luxury fashion house

Lanvin is a French luxury fashion house based in Paris. Founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin, it is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group. Bruno Sialelli, a 31-year-old French designer, was named Creative Director of Lanvin in January 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celine (brand)</span> French fashion brand

Celine is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1945 by designer Céline Vipiana. The headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris at the Hôtel Colbert de Torcy, which has French Historic Monument classification. Séverine Merle has been the Chief Executive Officer since April 2017.

Jenny Bannister is an Australian fashion designer, based in Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Zampatti</span> Australian fashion designer (1942–2021)

Carla Maria Zampatti, was an Italian-born Australian fashion designer and businesswoman, and executive chair of the fashion label Carla Zampatti Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlies Dekkers</span> Dutch fashion designer

Marlies Dekkers is a Dutch fashion designer known for her lingerie line Undressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Stuart</span> American fashion designer

Jill Stuart is an American businesswoman and fashion designer based in New York City, where she has been operating since 1988. She established her eponymous label in 1993. She also has a significant international client base, particularly in Japan.

Ralph & Russo British fashion house

Ralph & Russo is a European, privately held company owned and founded by Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo. Ralph & Russo is a high fashion house that specializes in haute couture and ready-to-wear clothes, luxury goods, and fashion accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Cohen</span> Australian fashion designer

Kay Cohen is an Australian fashion designer and business woman based in Sydney, Australia. Cohen has led a number of lingerie design brands, most notably as Founder and Creative Director of Pleasure State and as General Manager and Creative Director of Elle Macpherson's Lingerie label Elle Macpherson Intimates, also Cohen is known as the inventor of the Biofit uplift bra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel Marant</span> French fashion designer

Isabel Marant is a French fashion designer, owner of the eponymous fashion brand. She won the Award de la Mode (1997), the Whirlpool Award for best female designer (1998), Fashion Designer of the Year at British Glamour's Women of the Year Awards (2012). She was named Contemporary Designer of the Year at the Elle Style Awards in 2014. Her collaboration with H&M in 2013 was so successful that company's website crashed under the demand and the collection was sold out within 45 minutes. Celebrities wearing Marant's designs include Alexa Chung, Katie Holmes, Victoria Beckham, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Kate Bosworth, and Rachel Weisz.

Julie de Libran is a French fashion designer. She has worked for leading fashion houses such as Gianfranco Ferré, Gianni Versace, Prada and Louis Vuitton. She specializes in women’s fashion, celebrity and event dressing and made-to-measure. In May 2014 she was named the artistic director of Sonia Rykiel. In June 2019 she launched her own fashion line, Julie de Libran Paris, a women’s made-to-order couture collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tory Burch LLC</span> American luxury fashion brand

Tory Burch LLC is an American mid-luxury women's fashion label based in Manhattan, New York, United States. It was founded by American designer Tory Burch in 2004. Pierre-Yves Roussel is the current CEO of the company.

Zimmermann is a luxury fashion brand from Sydney, Australia. The eponymous label was founded by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann in 1991. Zimmermann has over 56 stores in both Australia and globally, including throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and China.

Fleur du Mal is a lingerie and ready-to-wear brand that sells at retailers including Shopbop, Barneys, and Net-a-porter. The company was founded in 2012 by Jennifer Zuccarini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camilla Franks</span> Australian fashion designer

Camilla Franks is an Australian fashion designer, known for her bright kaftan designs and resort-wear.

References

  1. Hornery, Andrew (31 December 2005). "Birthday bash a perfect fit". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  2. "Collette Dinnigan Clothing – Designer Women's Fashion". Australian Fashion Review Blog. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 1 May 2013.
  3. "Dinnigan flies Aussie flag in Paris". The Age . 4 October 2002. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Transcript: Collette Dinnigan". Talking Heads . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 3 March 2003. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  5. "Grand Designs". Australian Broadcasting Corporation . September 2015.
  6. 1 2 Tilley, Elizabeth (1 April 2008). "Collette Dinnigan lingerie set for Target, joining the ranks of Stella McCartney & Zac Posen". Entertainment: Fashion & Beauty. News.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 September 2008. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  7. "Collette Dinnigan to close her boutiques" by Katrina Strickland, The Age , 29 October 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  8. "Collette Dinnigan: I quit to regain balance in life" by Andrew Hornery, The Age , 29 October 2013. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  9. Boland, Yasmin (15 October 2004). "Essentially Collette". The Age. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  10. Attard, Monica (24 April 2005). "Sunday Profile – Colette Dinnigan". ABC Local Radio . Retrieved 17 June 2008.