With her feminine dresses Rebecca Vallance is an international success, but that’s not enough for acknowledgment at home
In New York, designer Rebecca Vallance is a different person to the composed blonde sitting at the back of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, while her peers jostle for the topDuring New York Fashion Week I’ve seen international buyers, beauty executives and stylists scramble for time with the Australian designer, holding court in the bougie brasserie Pastis in the Meatpacking District.
“We found success overseas quickly, but Australia is a slower burn,” Vallance says. “I love that we have such a big following internationally, and I’m grateful for it.”That slow burn is sizzling, with business from four Australian stores growing by 100 per cent year-on-year, according to internal reports from the brand’s partners Hotsprings, which also works with activewear brand.
Kind words and big accounts are satisfying but compared to peers such as Camilla and Marc, Aje and Sir, Rebecca Vallance is rarely selected from stylists for shoots in Australia. “For 13 years I’ve had blinkers on to make this an international brand. I try not to sit here worrying about what people are thinking. I try to look ahead.”