East End Edit: Fashion with heart at ADL Fashion Week
ADL Fashion Week’s East End Edit shines a light on the precinct’s unique voices shaping the future of Australian fashion.
The East End has always had a certain energy about it. A mix of grit and charm, heritage and modernity, its laneways and shopfronts are home to some of Adelaide’s most interesting retailers.
During ADL Fashion Week 2025, that character is brought into sharper focus with the East End Edit, which shines a light on the precinct’s unique blend of established labels, vintage curators and new voices shaping the future of Australian fashion.
For the designers and retailers taking part, it’s about more than sales. It’s a chance to open their doors, share their stories and connect with a community that values creativity and authenticity.
Assembly Label
At Assembly Label, simplicity is everything. Known for timeless collections built on relaxed silhouettes, natural palettes and coastal ease, the brand has become synonymous with effortless Australian style.
“Led by timeless design and intentional simplicity, we create collections for men, women, kids and the home that reflect quality, ease and our connection to the Australian coastal lifestyle,”Assembly Label’s Maica Carbajal says.
Assembly Label first joined ADL Fashion Week last year and is back again, this time with its spring collection styled in soft pastels and neutral tones.
“We’re looking forward to connecting with our community and introducing the latest collection in a way that feels personal,” Maica explains.
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“It gives us the chance to connect with our customers, while also welcoming new faces to the brand and share our latest collection.”
The boutique on Rundle Street will also be offering 20% off storewide on October 11 and 12, an added incentive for shoppers looking to bring Assembly Label’s understated aesthetic into their wardrobes.
Midwest Trader
Just around the corner on Ebenezer Place, Midwest Trader tells a very different story. Open since 1992, the store has become a local institution, built on a love of vintage Americana and a dedication to sustainability long before it became a buzzword.
“We’ve been here for 33 years, and we import American and French vintage,” co-owner Kate Tomkins says.
“Our philosophy revolves around recycle, repurpose and reuse, and we focus on American heritage brands – Ralph Lauren, Dickies workwear, Carhart workwear, Levi’s, Wrangler, Lee – and then we do some more sustainable high-end brands, like Red Wing boots from America. The concept is buy quality over quantity.”
The result is a space that feels like a treasure trove: cowboy boots lined up alongside band T-shirts, Harrington jackets and denim that has lived a life before finding its place on the racks.
Kate says the East End itself has always shaped the store’s identity. “It’s still got a nice, grungy element to it, which is why we stay here, because it’s not too sanitised. With the Fringe and all the events we get down here, that’s the main reason we love being in the East End — it’s a bit of a community feel.”
That community spirit extends to collaboration. This year, Midwest Trader is lending cowboy boots to fellow East End Edit participant Rachel Von Brussel, ensuring that Adelaide’s emerging voices are supported by its veterans. Shoppers can also enjoy 20% off during Fashion Week simply by mentioning the event in store.
Cable
For Melbourne-born label Cable, the East End is a newer home, but one that’s quickly become important. Founded 17 years ago by Georgina Austin, whose family has deep ties to Australia’s merino wool industry, Cable began as a knitwear brand before expanding into a full womenswear label.
“Georgina started off designing knitwear, specifically merino wool,” explains Amanda Singleton, the brand’s marketing co-ordinator. “Her great, great grandfather was a merino wool trader, and so that was passed down through the generations — this love of wool and working with natural fibres.”
From its beginnings in Melbourne, Cable has grown to 22 stores nationally, including two in Adelaide. Last year the label supplied outfits for a Fashion Week runway, and with its Rundle Street store now open, Amanda says the team is excited to be more involved. “Cable loves to be involved in any sort of local activities around where our stores are, and especially Fashion Weeks,” Amanda says.
Visitors to Cable during ADL Fashion Week will see pieces from the spring collection, which feature exclusive prints and natural fibres such as silk and linen. A 20% storewide discount during the festival will make the brand’s focus on sustainability and craft more accessible.
VAN BRUSSEL
Then there’s Rachel Van Brussel, who represents the next generation of Adelaide fashion. Her label only opened its doors in February, yet she has already built a reputation for ethical, Australian-made tailoring crafted from luxury deadstock fabrics.
“Everything’s made in Australia. I’ve kept all the manufacturing and all the operations in the country,” she says. “I have no interest in producing offshore and I’ll do everything I can to keep it within the country. I think it’s a special and unique story to be able to tell.”
Her work ethic is relentless — 12-hour days, seven days a week — but Rachel speaks with the conviction of someone who knows why she’s doing it. “I sincerely wouldn’t want it any other way. I’m so proud and happy.”
Her debut at ADL Fashion Week feels like the natural next step. “It’s so special. It’s that natural progression of the next step – every business wants to participate in Fashion Weeks in general. But obviously, as an Adelaide born and bred business, to now be able to participate is special.”
Rachel is staging three events across Fashion Week, from a Studio 54-inspired opening night at Latteria Bar to her own spring/summer launch party at her Ebenezer Place store and a runway appearance in the Futures Collective show. Shoppers can also discover her designs with 15% off selected in-store pieces, exclusive to the East End Edit.
During ADL Fashion Week 2025, the East End precinct will come alive with exclusive shopping offers across its incredible line-up of independent boutiques, national designer labels and local fashion favourites.
Participating retailers include Andrew Mazzone, Assembly Label, Cable, Cue, Dangerfield, Florshiem, Gorman, Jurlique, Leonard St, Little Ms Waste-Not Vintage, Midwest Trader, Naomi Murrel, Nudie Jeans, Salubrious Hour, Sencillo, The Style Capsule, Tony Bianco, Van Brussel,Veronika Maine, Yaneth and more.
From storewide discounts to gifts with purchase and limited-time festival perks, there’s never been a better moment to explore, shop, and support the brands that make the East End iconic.
ADL Fashion Week runs from October 8-12, 2025. Find out more here.
