Collette Mary Ann Dinnigan (born 24 September 1965) is an Australian based

fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...

. Born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, Dinnigan moved to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, then Australia, where she obtained work with the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

. She opened her own range in 1990, with the launch of a dry-clean only lingerie collection, and was the first Australian to launch a ready-to-wear collection, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1995.

Early life

Collette Dinnigan was born in South Africa on 24 September 1965. When she was eight, her family including a younger brother lived on their yacht for a number of years, eventually sailing around the southern coast of Australia and on to New Zealand, where they decided to remain. She graduated from a fashion design course at Wellington Polytechnic because she liked fashion designing. She later moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, where she worked for the

's costume department.

Career and fashion range

In 1995, Dinnigan was the first Australian to launch a ready-to-wear collection in

; she was also the first to be asked to be in the 'ready-to-wear parade' in Paris. Her range was stocked in her stores in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, and in David Jones department stores. In 2001, Dinnigan opened her first store on Greg Street in Sydney's

Paddington Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Paddi ...

, and imported stuff to her fashions to Barneys New York,

Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols is a British luxury department store chain founded in 1831, at its flagship store in Knightsbridge, London. It sells designer fashion collections for men and women, fashion accessories, beauty products, fine wines and luxury f ...

, and

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. In 2002, UK retailer

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

invited Dinnigan to create a branded collection of lingerie exclusively for their stores and Target stores in Australia. Wild Hearts by Collette Dinnigan launched and recorded impressive results. At the end of 2013 Dinnigan significantly scaled down her business, closing her boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne and London and stopping production of her bridal and evening wear lines. Approximately 80% of her staff lost their jobs. Dinnigan emphasized that the business was still profitable and had no debt; she wanted to spend more time with her family.

Personal life

Dinnigan has a daughter, Estella, with her former partner Richard Wilkins and a son, Hunter, with husband, hotelier Bradley Cocks.

References

External links

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Collette Dinnigan
Sunday Profile: ABC
Fashion Central: Collette Dinnigan
Vogue.com.au
Collette Dinnigan Profile
Australian Fashion Review {{DEFAULTSORT:Dinnigan, Collette 1965 births Living people South African people of British descent South African emigrants to New Zealand South African emigrants to Australia South African fashion designers South African women fashion designers Australian fashion designers Australian women fashion designers Australian women company founders Australian company founders Officers of the Order of Australia

Early life

Career and fashion range

Personal life

See also

References

External links