Around 300 Australian fashion brands - including Bianca Spender, Country Road and Dion Lee - have been featured in a new online directory called ‘homeroom’.
The directory is designed to connect consumers to fashion brands through various categories and factors such as size range, custom-made and luxury, alongside styles such as minimalism, maximalism, street or avant-garde, or by occasion such as daily, dinner date, work, pregnancy and bride.
The directory can also be browsed by initiatives such as made in Australia, size 18+ and B Corp certification, or by cohorts such as First Nations designers, modest designers, adaptive fashion designers or emerging designers.
Homeroom also includes a journal tab that curates edits of specific wardrobe items such as classic black blazers or timeless trend coats, with options pulled exclusively from the site’s label directory.
The online directory is co-founded by Melbourne-based stylist Sophie Barker and communications strategist Annie Carroll, who established the idea in 2020.
“We’re living in a time of information overwhelm,” Barker said. “But what people really want and need is a trusted, curated source of fashion inspiration and knowledge – and that source often becomes a friend or family member or colleague who have their ear to the ground when it comes to fashion.”
Barker has worked with brands including David Jones, Bonds, Dior, Country Road, Chadstone and Lexus. With this experience, she said her friends and family regularly turn to her for fashion advice.
“We wanted to turn the knowledge database I’ve built over 12 years working in the fashion industry into something accessible, fun and inclusive that also supported Australian designers, especially emerging designers. Because Google, with all its paid ads and algorithms, just doesn’t cut it.”
Carroll said she and Barker aim to promote the depth and breadth of the Australian fashion ecosystem for both industry players and consumers.
“Three years ago – in the middle of the pandemic – Soph and I sat around a dinner table and developed the seed of an idea for an Australian fashion platform that would be equal parts resource and equal parts inspiration,” Carroll said. “We felt then as we do now: that the Australian fashion industry deserves championing for the incredible talent, creativity and diversity that brings it to life.
“Homeroom is a jumping-off point for anyone to learn more about Australia’s best fashion labels for women, men and kids – and that includes offering up transparency and a single source of information for our listed labels’ environmental, ethical and social practices.
“We want our audience to feel empowered to make more deliberate choices about what they buy and how they wear it.”
Barker said there is a long-standing practice of exclusivity in the fashion industry.
“[This] is really only serving one type of fashion lover and consumer: one that conforms to the size, style and look of the moment,” she said. “To be able to discover labels that are catering to so many different needs, preferences and desires in one beautiful space is so exciting.
“Homeroom provides recommendations in a way that feels like it has been sent from my best friend's group text.”
As ‘homeroom’ grows, the directory is aiming to partner with like-minded companies that align with its values of inclusivity and transparency.