Two young Aussie designers have firmly committed to manufacturing their entire range of comfortable and stylish wardrobe staples in Australia for the long term – supporting local manufacturers and producing pieces to the highest of global standards.

Start-up fashion house, ELLORE, which features a suite of comfortable and stylish everyday pieces, including matching tracksuits, T-shirts, ribbed pants and denim jeans, is setting the bar high when it comes to creating beautiful and long-lasting fashion – and all made in Melbourne.

For Ebany Mclees, 26, and Olivia O’Neill, 23, designing cute and cosy pieces has been a true labour of love and to manufacture them locally, has been well-planned, strategic and already fruitful journey.

According to Ebany, after finding their feet and knowing they wanted to make clothing, they needed to educate themselves on what was best for their customers and the environment.

“Australian made always came out best as opposed to manufacturing overseas due to strict regulations and high standards here in Australia.  When you buy Australian-made, you know that you are in investing in something that is made to last. Australia has a reputation for manufacturing and producing some of the highest quality products in the world. We wanted to bring the best of the best to our customers and manufacturing on shore made that possible,” Ebany says.

Olivia adds, “There are pros and cons when it comes to importing clothes made overseas into Australia and for us the cons outweighed the pros. While it’s cheaper to manufacture overseas as opposed to onshore, we know it’s kinder to the environment to be manufacturing onshore. Buying local also means a reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions that result from importing products from overseas. We always want to do our best to make our pieces as responsibly as possible, all the way from design ideas to sampling, production, and freight to our finished garments. We want to create garments with a timeless design that will never go out of style, in high-quality fabrics that are durable and easily maintained, and as kind as possible to our planet.”

“Once we had done our research, our decision was final.  Being Australian made is at the core of ELLORE now and our customers love that we support local Australian businesses while creating responsibly-made pieces that will remain staples in your closet for many years to come.

“Both Ebany and I believe Australians like to support local businesses and is imbedded into the Aussie culture. Australians have very high standards and consumers are likely to find Australian-made products are of a much higher quality compared to buying from foreign brands. Australian companies just like us will always strive to deliver on the expectations of the country’s high standards.”

According to Ebany, manufacturing ELLORE pieces in Australia, especially the fleece wear, has been sensational.

“Being able to build a real community with everyone who is a part of the manufacturing process for ELLORE is something that will always remain super special to us. ELLORE is created with the finest fleece-wear, each garment comes directly from our Melbourne made manufacturing team. We are proud to be working alongside one of the last garment factories in Melbourne. Our fleece makers are committed to the ethical production of high-quality fleece-wear clothing, with over 45 years of garment expertise enriching every piece, the team takes locally-made to a whole new level and is proudly accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia,” Ebany said.

“Our family run manufacturers have built a strong network of designers, laundries, printers and suppliers of materials which has allowed them to produce fleece-wear of the highest quality right here in Melbourne. From the very beginning our manufacturers have been renowned for prioritising quality over quantity.

“We get to go into the factory when the garments are cut and hand sewn whenever we like and we have the opportunity to see every garment get printed and packed ready for our customers. We enjoy nothing more than being at the heart of the business and being side by side with our manufacturers really allows us to have our finger on the pulse. Watching our next drop go from a sample dip dye cut out to the final product all package up ready for us to deliver to our customers is mind blowing. We value the creation of clothing items more than ever because the amount of people and the team it takes to build that plush soft hoodie for you really is amazing. It really does take a village.

“Our Melbourne manufacturers have a quick turnaround time of 12 weeks from when the sample is approved and when you don’t have to worry about getting them on a boat or plane from overseas and you can get them delivered same day to us in Melbourne we love how quickly we can get our pieces.

“In terms of value, the proof is in the pudding, each piece is created with love, from design to production, we want to support local Australian businesses while creating ethically-made pieces that will remain staples in your closet for many years to come. Our fleece-wear is made from premium quality cotton jersey that's made to last the test of time. The oversized garments are brushed on the inside for a soft warm feel.”

According to Olivia, ELLORE is undoubtedly a rare breed in being a fashion range designed and made in Australia.

“One way we like to test this statement is to ask people to name an Australian made brand and they always struggle to answer and if they do they name an Australian brand not an Australian made brand. We are proud to be unique in the apparel industry, we know what we bring to the table and we know our customers love that about ELLORE.”