At Navangi, every piece is designed and manufactured in Brisbane, Australia, with our manufacturing partner located less than an hour from our designer. Keeping production close allows us to be involved throughout the making process from refining the fit to overseeing the smallest construction details ensuring each design is brought to life exactly as intended.
However, our decision to manufacture locally extends further than just proximity and quality.
It’s about the people behind every garment. The makers, patternmakers, machinists, fabric suppliers and specialists whose knowledge has been built over decades and whose skills deserve to be preserved for future generations.
Below, our founder and designer, Jithya Fernando shares why Australian manufacturing has always been a part of Navangi’s vision, and why she believes where we choose to make our garments has an impact far beyond the finished piece.
As a younger designer, I entered an industry after decades of manufacturing had moved overseas.
I wasn’t part of those decisions that led us there, but I experience the consequences every day.
Fewer skilled makers.
Knowledge that’s slowly disappearing.
And an ecosystem that’s become harder to sustain.
Which is exactly why preserving these skills in Australia matter to me.
A couple of years ago, while sourcing fabrics, a sales representative came to visit with some beautiful textiles. What was meant to be a quick meeting turned into an hour-long conversation about the fashion industry.
Before working in fabric sales, she had been a patternmaker for a bridal designer. When that manufacturing moved overseas, the work she had built her career around disappeared and the skill she worked decades on was no longer feasible for that business or for her.
That’s why she was surprised when I told her I manufacture in Australia. We came from different generations, but we cared so deeply about the same thing.
We spoke about why there are fewer skilled makers, why fewer people are entering the technical side of fashion, and whether it’s because of education, accessibility, cost, or something bigger.
It was one of those conversations where you feel completely understood. Where you’re both finishing each other’s thoughts because you’ve been carrying the same concerns for years.
And over the years, I’ve had many conversations like that.
With fabric suppliers.
With manufacturers.
With people who have spent decades mastering their craft.
Almost every time, they comment on how young I am and how unusual it is to see someone from my generation care so deeply about keeping these skills alive.
The truth is, I understand why manufacturing moves overseas. Business is complex, and every brand has different realities.
But for me, every decision creates a ripple effect.
Every time I heard someone say something about my age and passion to keep this alive it became clear to me just how big this responsibility I had was.
Because where I choose to make my pieces affects far more than the garment itself.
It affects the people I get to work with.
It affects whether specialised businesses can continue.
It affects whether knowledge gets passed on.
It affects what opportunities exist for the designers who come after me.
Everything starts with that one decision.
And that’s why, for me, saying “Made in Australia” has always been about investing in skilled people and creating space for them to continue doing what they do best.
Because when we invest in people, we invest in the future of those skills.
And I hope that, in some small way, it helps create an industry that’s easier for the next generation to navigate than it was for me.
I hope that the choices we make today create more opportunities tomorrow.
I want to make it easier for the next generation of designers to find skilled people to work with.
I hope that we can encourage more people to pursue specialised crafts, knowing there are brands willing to invest in their skills.
I hope we can create space for makers to continue doing what they love and for those skills to be valued for generations to come.
And I hope that, in some small way, we’re contributing to an industry that is stronger, more connected, and easier to navigate than the one I entered.
Because a garment is never just a garment.
It’s the result of people, knowledge and craftsmanship coming together.
And if the final piece is worth creating, then everything that makes it possible is worth preserving.
Because fashion isn’t only about what we create. It’s about what we preserve.