{"id":710348,"date":"2025-11-19T09:37:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T06:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=710348"},"modified":"2025-11-19T09:37:40","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T06:37:40","slug":"how-aussie-born-matteau-is-filling-the-international-womans-wardrobe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=710348","title":{"rendered":"How Aussie-Born Matteau Is Filling the International Woman\u2019s Wardrobe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fashion<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How Aussie-Born Matteau Is Filling the International Woman\u2019s Wardrobe<\/h1>\n
By <\/span>Madeleine Schulz<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

November 19, 2025<\/p>\n

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    Photo: Courtesy of Matteau<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
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    We all have a go-to drawer of favorite pieces we wear again and again, neglecting the majority of our wardrobe, the majority of the time.<\/p>\n

    Matteau founders, sisters Ilona Hamer and Peta Heinsen, want to make pieces for this minority section \u2014\u00a0for the go-to staples we come back to again and again. The brand isn\u2019t \u2018fashion\u2019, per se, says Hamer, who also works as a stylist (instead, they call it a \u201clifestyle\u201d label). \u201cWe all have those two drawers of the clothes that we actually wear,\u201d she says. \u201cThe whole wardrobe could go away, but you have those two drawers. A lot of people that we know say they\u2019re full of Matteau. That\u2019s what we like to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n

    This wardrobing philosophy was on full display on November 15, when friends of the brand gathered in Paris (during photography fair Paris Photo) to celebrate the launch of Matteau\u2019s 360-page coffee table book, Warm<\/em>, which celebrates 10 years of the brand. On the cool evening, guests wore Matteau cashmere tucked into the brand\u2019s relaxed jeans; some threw a blazer on top.<\/p>\n

    But it didn\u2019t start this way. When the Australian-born sisters launched Matteau a decade ago, they made bikinis. Three swim tops, three swim briefs; the goal was to fill the gap for a good, simple bikini. Heinsen recalls Hamer, who worked at Vogue<\/em> Australia at the time, complaining to her while packing for a trip. \u201cShe said, \u2018You know what? For everything that comes across my desk at Vogue<\/em>, you would think I could find a simple black bikini.\u2019\u201d (The brand name, a portmanteau of \u2018matt\u2019, the finish, and \u2018eau\u2019, the French word for water, reflects the founders\u2019 solution.)<\/p>\n

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    Founders Peta Heinsen and Ilona Hamer with the brand\u2019s just-published Warm<\/em> book.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Matteau<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    In the early 2010s, there were few high-quality yet affordable swimwear options locally. Though the likes of Net-a-Porter shipped to Australia, custom fees were high, making international brands tough to get hold of. \u201cAs much as we love Eres, in Australia, it would be like $500 or $600 for a bathing suit [once the fees were added],\u201d Heinsen says.<\/p>\n

    This filling-a-gap ethos has carried the founders through to today. \u201cWe felt like we were answering a need,\u201d Heinsen continues. \u201cSo we were like, OK, how do we start to fill gaps in the Matteau woman\u2019s wardrobe for her trips for summer? We\u2019ve evolved in much that way through the whole [journey].\u201d Ready-to-wear now makes up 87% of Matteau\u2019s annual revenues, but the category began much as the bikinis did: a three-item drop, starting with a sundress, a shirt and cropped trousers.<\/p>\n

    Ten years in, Matteau\u2019s RTW offering is robust. Ruched summer dresses are staples, as are boxy long-sleeve white cotton tees. Classic tailored shirts and relaxed jeans feature heavily. Swim remains a core part of the offer, however. \u201cWe\u2019ve really just been adding the gaps in our own wardrobe,\u201d Heinsen says. This is what informs the founders\u2019 approach to growth as they set forth on the brand\u2019s second decade, plotting category expansion to better cover their own wardrobes and those of their customers.<\/p>\n

    Doing what works<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Matteau is self-funded, and has been profitable since its second year of operation (the founders declined to provide turnover figures). The priority has always been to grow within its means. This meant no paid advertising for the first five years of business (their first paid-for ads were during Covid), and still<\/em> means never rushing a launch. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be killing ourselves in the process,\u201d Heinsen adds.<\/p>\n

    Because Matteau\u2019s clients have said they like to rebuy certain shapes in fresh colors and prints, it would be silly not to repeat designs, the founders say. It guarantees sales, and is financially beneficial as it reuses existing patterns. \u201cWe redo the same dresses a lot of the time,\u201d Hamer says. \u201cThey\u2019re great dresses. We know people who own five or six or 10 of them, they buy a new one every season.\u201d And if a subset of consumers are fans, chances are it\u2019ll be a hit with newer customers, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Matteau\u2019s next category launch is eyewear.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Matteau<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

    This understanding of what women want to wear (on repeat) stems from the sisters\u2019 own experiences over the past decade, Heinsen says. \u201c[When we started] Ilona was in her 20s, I was in my 30s; she\u2019s now in her 30s, I\u2019m now in my 40s,\u201d Heinsen says. \u201cSo over that time, we\u2019ve gone through our 20s, 30s and 40s with the brand, and we\u2019ve learnt a lot about how women dress.\u201d The 25 to 54 bracket is Matteau\u2019s key market, making up about 90% of its customers. \u201cWe know who we\u2019re talking to and what she wants \u2014 and what she needs on her trip.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    It\u2019s also, in part, to thank for Matteau\u2019s shift back to a more direct-to-consumer (DTC) business. After launching as a DTC brand, Matteau fast became heavy on wholesale as the founders pursued international discovery and growth. Early days were 80% wholesale vs 20% DTC; the split then remained 70-30 for a while, Heinsen says. Lately, though, the DTC channel has been growing rapidly, edging into 50-50 territory. The last financial year closed at 51% wholesale vs 49% DTC, with Heinsen expecting the latter to hit about 55% in fiscal 2026.<\/p>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s done a complete flip,\u201d says Heinsen, before clarifying that wholesale isn\u2019t shrinking (Matteau\u2019s latest Paris showroom was one of its best yet), but that DTC is simply growing at a much faster rate. It\u2019s a good spot to be in, rounding out 2025, as multi-brand retail wages on through the turbulence.<\/p>\n

    Beyond the beach<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Matteau may have been created for the beach, but the brand has expanded well beyond resortwear. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been more of a summer brand, but we\u2019re now addressing that more seasonal thing,\u201d Heinsen says. \u201cShe\u2019s not just doing summer breaks; she\u2019s doing city breaks in the winter, or just spring in the city.\u201d In 2024, Matteau launched cashmere and jeans, and has a Mackintosh trench coming out in its next drop.<\/p>\n

    Incorporating more winter elements is also a necessary step in establishing Matteau as an international fashion brand, versus an Aussie summer go-to. \u201cIt\u2019s hard when you are a summer brand and an international brand at the same time,\u201d Heinsen says, noting that they need to be able to talk to Australian customers about bikinis and dresses, while talking to the Northern Hemisphere client about cashmere, Mackintosh and denim.<\/p>\n

    Australia makes up 60% of the brand\u2019s DTC sales, while 75% of international DTC sales are from the US. Wholesale, on the other hand, is made up of 85% international sales (primarily the US, Europe and the UK) and 15% domestic Australian sales. Hamer, who moved to New York shortly after co-founding Matteau, is now based in California, while Heinsen remains in Australia. Having established the brand in their two home markets, the pair are now looking to up Matteau\u2019s UK and European penetration (while continuing to grow in the US).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Matteau\u2019s new eyewear campaign.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of Matteau<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

    Matteau is planning for this international growth on the backend, opening international distribution centers across its markets (a US warehouse in March 2025; a European distribution center in Paris; and a UK warehouse is now in the works, targeting summer 2026). \u201cIt\u2019s been amazing to have these distribution points in light of a lot of the things going on around duties and taxes and being able to land goods,\u201d Heinsen says.<\/p>\n

    In addition to creating options for women in both hemispheres, Matteau is expanding its categories to develop more brand touchpoints. First up is eyewear, launching on 8 December with three shapes, in true Matteau fashion. Also in development is footwear, which will likely launch in the second half of 2026. For both the eyewear and footwear, Matteau brought on design consultants from respective fields. \u201cWe\u2019re not experts in those areas at all,\u201d Heinsen concedes. \u201cIt\u2019s been really nice to work with and learn from those partners.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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    Looking forward, the sisters are keen to find a physical store for Matteau. Hamer recalls Matteau\u2019s Paris showroom, on a corner in the Marais. \u201cIt looked like a store and people who were walking past were just sort of coming in to shop and we were like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m so sorry. Do you have an appointment?\u2019\u201d When they didn\u2019t, the founders went to introduce the brand \u2014\u00a0but found they didn\u2019t need to. \u201cPretty much everyone knew us,\u201d Hamer smiles. \u201cSo we know the appetite is there.\u201d<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s a matter of finding the right space, whichever continent that may be on \u2014 and the sisters have no plans to rush it.<\/p>\n

    More from this author:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    How Basic.Space Cracked \u2018New Luxury\u2019 for the Next Gen<\/p>\n

    What is Skims\u2019s Secret Recipe?<\/p>\n

    How Erede Is Building a Jewelry Brand for Tomorrow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

    Source URL: http:\/\/vogue.com\/article\/how-aussie-born-matteau-is-filling-the-international-womans-wardrobe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Fashion How Aussie-Born Matteau Is Filling the International Woman\u2019s Wardrobe By Madeleine Schulz November 19, 2025 Photo: Courtesy of Matteau We all have a go-to drawer of favorite pieces we wear again and again, neglecting the majority of our wardrobe, the majority of the time. Matteau founders, sisters Ilona Hamer and Peta Heinsen, want to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":710349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-710348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-vogue-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=710348"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/710348\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/710349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=710348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=710348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=710348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}