Aussie Designer Rebecca Vallance Launches First Denim Collection

Lisa Lockwood
·4 min read

Rebecca Vallance, the Australian fashion designer, is launching her first denim collection. The initial collection encompasses 15 pieces that are available globally online and in all Rebecca Vallance stores throughout Australia.

Known for her tailoring and craftsmanship, the collection features sculptural high-waisted straight-leg jeans; tailored flares; cinched-waist, fitted denim dresses; a strapless denim top with cinched-waist detail; oversize aviator denim jackets with cocoon-sleeve tailoring, and a modern denim tailored blazer. Prices range from $285 to $570.

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Rebecca Vallance's denim jacket.
An ad image from Rebecca Vallance’s denim collection.

“The goal for me is not only to make each woman feel her most beautiful self wearing the pieces in the collection, but also to dress her through the day in all facets of her life, whether that’s waking up and racing the kids to school in the morning, going to work or catching up with girlfriends for lunch. That definitely means wearing denim jeans at some point,” said Vallance, on a call from Australia.

“I’m not always dressed up to the nines, and it’s a natural, authentic evolution of the brand. It was something our customers were definitely asking us for, and we wanted to do denim in our own way,” she said.

Vallance is offering 15 stock keeping units — six jeans, four dresses, two tops, two jackets and a blazer. The high-quality denim comes in three core washes — washed white, mid-blue and dark indigo.

Sixty percent of Vallance’s business is international, and 40 percent is done in Australia. By May, she will have 13 stores in Australia.

Rebecca Vallance's denim collection.
An ad image from Rebecca Vallance’s denim collection.

For the launch, she’s doing an exclusive direct-to-consumer launch and then will roll it out. “I always like to launch new categories with our direct-to-consumer model,” said Vallance. “We launched bridal after COVID which was direct-to-consumer. After that, I roll it out.”

The denim collection is being made in China.

Will she be chasing the trends with her denim, or just design what she likes?

“Look, I don’t love the whole trend space. I want to be relevant, I want to be modern. I like to do what is authentic to Rebecca Vallance, to the brand. I think the customers appreciate that. When they spend a certain amount of money, they want to have it a long time, as opposed to a seasonality-based collection,” she said.

As for silhouettes, she’s launching a skinny leg, “a really cool flare,” and a wide-leg jean. “We’re loving that whole finished look — the denim jacket with the cinched-in look and the cocoon sleeve. It has a sexy DNA. There are some very sexy minidresses. It’s very us,” said Vallance. Sizes range from size 2 to size 12, and the collection launches Monday.

Discussing her inspiration, she said, “I think I wanted it to have that sex appeal. We definitely have a nod to ’70s denim with the flare. You also see it in the campaign as well. It’s quite a ’70s polish,” she said.

For the campaign, Pierre Toussaint photographed Lulu Wood, who’s been the face of Tom Ford. “We were thrilled to get her exclusively. She’s Aussie and she’s killing it at the moment,” said Vallance.

Turning to overall business, Vallance said the company has had a really big year and a half. She anticipates by June 30, business will be up 35 percent versus last year.

“Eveningwear is doing great. We’re having callouts for more and more gowns” she said. She said people also want a pared-down look. They are launching denim at the same time they’re launching a knitwear capsule. She said she wants to dress women for all aspects of their lives.

Vallance said she’s listening to her customers and personally reads the end-of-day reports from all the stores every night. “How we ended up doing gowns was Net-a-porter saying to me, ‘I think you should do gowns.’ And I said, let’s try it.”

“We’ve been approached to do lots of things and it’s more about what is authentic to the brand, what does the customer really resonate with and working strategically and slowly and getting it right as opposed to being everything to everyone,” she said.

Launched in 2011, Vallance’s clothing is carried in such retailers as Net-a-porter, Mytheresa, La Rinascente, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, Harrods, Brown Thomas, Farfetch, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Shopbop, Revolve, Holt Renfrew, Bhldn, Anthropologie, and Galeries Lafayette, and is available at the company’s boutiques.

The brand has been seen on such celebrities as Naomi Campbell, Nicky Hilton, Dakota Johnson, Rita Ora, Lady Gaga, Eva Mendes, Hailey Bieber, Paris Hilton, Priyanka Chopra, Aubrey Plaza, Sienna Miller, Eva Longoria, Molly Sims, Rachel McAdams, Chrissy Teigen, Chanel Iman, Joan Smalls, Halle Berry, Sofia Vergara, and Kate Beckinsale, among others.

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