The full line-up of Australian Fashion Laureate Award winners.

The winners of the 2024 Australian Fashion Laureate Awards were announced yesterday in Sydney. Established in 2008, the annual awards are Australia’s highest accolades, recognising and celebrating both emerging and established designers.

The event marks IMG’s final fashion event, following the company’s announcement just last week that it was withdrawing its support for Australian Fashion Week.

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“We are thrilled to bring the industry together for our final event to celebrate the accomplishments of Australian designers and industry leaders who have been the driving force behind Australian fashion’s cultural and economic impact this year,” said Natalie Xenita, IMG Fashion Events and Properties Vice President-Managing Director.

The evening produced a female-dominated group of winners, including Lesleigh Jermanus of Alémais who took home the prestigious Designer of the Year award, as well as Grace Lillian Lee who won Indigenous Designer of the Year. Find the full list of recipients below.

The 2024 Winners

There are six categories overall, including Designer of the Year, Emerging Designer of the Year and Indigenous Designer of the Year. Winners were determined by a panel of industry leaders, comprised of fashion journalists, buyers, stylists and Fashion Laureate Lifetime Achievement alumni.

Having previously been awarded the Laureate’s Emerging Designer of the Year award, Lesleigh Jermanus of Alémais won the prestigious Designer of the Year category. Under the creative direction of Lesleigh, who has over 20 years of experience in the industry at labels including Zimmermann and Tigerlily, Alémais pays homage to her Lebanese heritage, with bright colours, patchwork and embroidery.

Gabriella Pereira of Beare Park took home the Emerging Designer of the Year award. Gabriella, whose background was originally in finance, first launched the label at Afterpay Australian Fashion Week in 2021. “Being unknown at the time, it was certainly a risk but the support from the industry and consumers showed me that what we were doing was right,” she told FJ.

The Indigenous Designer of the Year accolade was awarded to Grace Lillian Lee. The founder of First Nations Fashion and Design (FNFD), a non-profit designed to support Indigenous creatives and designers in Australia, Grace has also collaborated with the likes of French designer Jean Paul Gaultier for the Brisbane instalment of Fashion Freak Show.

Sisters and Nagnata founders, Laura May and Hannah Gibbs, won the Sustainable Designer of the Year award. Bridging the gap between movement and fashion with their athletic wear, the Byron Bay-based label is known for its commitment to sustainability and slow models of fashion.

Andie Halas of Thread Together was awarded the Carla Zampatti Award for Excellence in Leadership, which was first introduced in 2021 as a tribute to the late designer, while the Australian Fashion Laureate for Lifetime Achievement went to Country Road founder, Stephen Bennett.

Designer of the Year, presented by Shark Beauty

• Lesleigh Jermanus, Alémais

Emerging Designer of the Year, presented by Pandora

• Gabriella Pereira, Beare Park

Indigenous Designer of the Year, presented by ByHealth

Sustainable Designer of the Year, presented by The Volte

• Laura May and Hannah Gibbs, Nagnata

Carla Zampatti Award for Excellence in Leadership

• Andie Halas, Thread Together

Australian Fashion Laureate for Lifetime Achievement

Read more about the awards here.