Who Is Christopher Esber? The Australian Designer Who Won ANDAM

Christopher Esber is an Australian fashion designer based in Sydney, and the founder of the womenswear label that carries his name. He founded it in 2010. In June 2024 he became the first Australian to win the Grand Prix at the ANDAM Awards in Paris, which is the short answer to why the name started appearing everywhere at once.

The short version

• Who: Christopher Esber, Australian, founder and designer of his eponymous label.
• Based: Sydney, Australia. The atelier is in-house.
• Founded: 2010, two years after he graduated from Sydney’s Fashion Design Studio.
• Known for: deconstructed tailoring, sculptural silhouettes, cut-outs built around negative space, and a handcrafted brass ring called the orbit used as a visible fastening.
• Awards: regional Woolmark Prize 2014, Australian Fashion Laureate Designer of the Year 2023, ANDAM Grand Prix 2024.

From Sydney to the Paris calendar

Esber graduated from Sydney’s Fashion Design Studio in 2008 and launched the label two years later, showing at Australian Fashion Week the same year. The early work was already doing what the label still does: taking a tailored garment apart and reassembling it so the construction is the decoration.

The recognition arrived in stages. He won the regional Woolmark Prize in 2014, and in the same year Vogue Italia named him its most talented designer for the Asia-Pacific region. In September 2023 he showed on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar for the first time, at the invitation of the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. That is a meaningful line to cross. The calendar is curated, and Australian labels rarely appear on it.

Then came ANDAM. In June 2024 Esber took the Grand Prix, the first Australian ever to win it, along with a grant of 300,000 euros and a year of mentoring from Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of Saint Laurent. ANDAM has a long record of picking designers before the wider market does.

What the clothes actually do

Esber trained in tailoring and it shows in the seams rather than in the shapes. A dress will read as a plain column from a distance, then resolve up close into gathered panels held off the body by a brass ring. Cut-outs are placed to break the vertical line rather than to expose, which is why the pieces read as sharp instead of revealing.

The orbit is the through line. It is a handcrafted brass ring worn as the fastening rather than hidden as one, and it turns up as a buckle, a prong, and a clasp holding a gathered panel in place. Some styles set a natural stone into the brass. Because it recurs season after season across swim, jersey and eveningwear, two Esber pieces bought a year apart still look like they belong together.

Production runs through the in-house Sydney atelier working with specialist craftspeople in France, Italy, Switzerland and Spain. The house says it prioritises the advancement of traditional techniques, and the fabric spend is visible in the knitwear and the lace.

Where to buy Christopher Esber

Luxury Handbags carries the ready-to-wear and ships worldwide, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, the UAE and Australia. Start with the Christopher Esber collection, and go straight to designer dresses and designer tops. The label also sells through its own Sydney storefront and a small number of international stockists.

Before you order, check the sizing. Christopher Esber is cut on Australian sizing and AU maps straight onto UK, so an AU 8 is a UK 8. Our Christopher Esber size guide has the full conversion table. If you are weighing the price, we went through it in is Christopher Esber a good brand, and if you want the wider field, see brands like Christopher Esber.

Common questions

Is Christopher Esber Australian?

Yes. He is an Australian designer and the label is based in Sydney, where it also runs its own atelier.

Who owns Christopher Esber?

Christopher Esber founded the label in 2010 and is its designer. It is an independent house rather than part of a luxury group, which is part of why the 2024 ANDAM grant mattered.

When did Christopher Esber start showing in Paris?

September 2023, on the official Paris Fashion Week calendar.

What is Christopher Esber best known for?

Deconstructed tailoring, sculptural draping, cut-outs that use negative space, and the brass orbit hardware.