Australian Made at birdsnest | Celebrate Aussie Fashion

Is it national pride or the feeling of closeness and connection that makes buying Australian Made products feel so special? From clothing to accessories, homewares to beauty products and everything in between, we here at birdsnest love that we can offer our birds items made on home soil, and here are a few reasons why.

There is something special about wearing a garment you know was made just across the state border - or in our case less than 4 hours away! Here in the nest, we are very proud that of the nine exclusive bird brand labels we design in-house, 50% of those styles are made in Australia.

Meet JM Fashions, proud family owned manufacturers operated by sister duo Sharon and Michelle, and their husbands John and Jim out of Western Sydney. Together with a small but mighty team of 13, including 5 local makers, they manage everything! Pattern making, cutting, sewing, labelling, packaging and finally shipment to us here in Cooma. Our in-house designers have been working closely with this team for the last 11 years, watching their visions come to life for our beautiful birdsnest customers. 

It’s not only our bird brands that offer a range of Australian Made garments, many of our suppliers do to!

A common question we get asked is; “Isn’t it more expensive making clothes in Australia?” Or conversely, “Why is buying an Australian made product more expensive?” There are some cost-saving benefits to having our designs made locally when we look at transportation costs, shipping of samples, and travel expenses when our designers and makers meet face to face throughout the year, however, those wins are countered with a few obstacles. In Australia we have a higher standard of living which comes with a higher cost of living, leading to a higher base wage for all Australians, so we do end up paying a little more for the manufacturing process. And again we return to the why? Here in the nest, we like to look at the big picture, and downstream effects, so bear with us as we dive into some quick economics.

The purchase of Australian-made clothing stimulates economic growth, by increasing demand for domestic products. As local clothing businesses thrive, they generate revenue, pay taxes, and contribute to the overall GDP of the country. This economic activity has a positive ripple effect, boosting other sectors of the economy and promoting a healthier business environment.

Concurrently, it helps improve our trade balance. By supporting domestic manufacturers, consumers reduce the need for importing clothing from overseas. This decreases the trade deficit, as money stays within the country and is circulated within the local economy. It also promotes self-sufficiency and reduces dependence on foreign markets. As we emerge out the other side of the Covid pandemic, we not only see the need to continue manufacturing here in Australia and support our suppliers who are doing the same, we also acknowledge that having this practice already in place largely contributed to our survival over the last 3 years. 

There is so much to be done in the place of environmental sustainability in the fashion industry and across Australia as a whole, but there are some clear benefits that manufacturing here at home has to lessen our impact.

Manufacturing here at home not only lowers delivery time and subsequent carbon emissions from the shortened distance, Australia has stringent environmental guidelines and policies around the manufacturing process, which are continually updated to align with the latest information and innovation, slowly but surely moving the industry toward cleaner and more sustainable practices.

We welcomed activewear brand DK Active in 2022, and apart from their gorgeous designs, we were keen to work with the brand because of their commitment to environmentally responsible design. Powered by solar, their sunshine state based operation meets all Australian standards for ethical clothing manufacturing. From the design and creation of each piece to the way it is packaged and shipped, DK Active’s process is intentional and considered. They similarly are invested in supporting and empowering women throughout their life with the confidence that comes from looking and feeling good in what they’re wearing.

We’ve talked you through a few of the reasons we like to create and house Australian made products. We like that for you, our beautiful birdsnest birds, you can enjoy the feeling of wearing something that was crafted by someone who was potentially sitting on the couch last night watching Farmer Wants A Wife just like you hehe! We like that when you are travelling internationally and someone asks, “Where is that dress from?”, you can say it’s 100% Aussie made and you got it from birdsnest, a small Australian retailer tucked away in the snowy mountains of NSW. We like that in just a few hours we can be face to face with the cutters, seamstresses, packers and transporters of our Australian made designs. We like that in our small way we are improving, stimulating and ensuring manufacturing jobs remain on shore, contributing to our economic growth and stability.

It is, however, not all we’re doing. In 2022 we launched birdsnest rehatched, a shoppable rebirth of preloved birdsnest styles. Rehatched enables customers to return styles they have loved but are now ready to let go of, in return for a credit they can then use on a new, sale or preloved purchase. Their returned garment is checked, cleaned and reloaded onto our site, ready for a second life in a new home. Rehatched is a part of our journey towards a more circular fashion model, and shares in many of the economic and sustainable benefits of manufacturing at home. For the manufacturing we are doing here at home, we want to ensure the longevity of our designs and love the idea that they may be worn and enjoyed by many birds over a lifetime.

Love, the birdsnest girls x