‘Australian Fashion’ can be applied to fashion businesses that originated in Australia, design their products in Australia, commit to original design that is respectful of other cultures, and adopt sound social and environmental practices.

They must satisfy two of four critical criteria - Australian owned, Australian majority employees, Australian made, and Australian tax domiciled. Qualifying for at least two of these four criteria ensures that benefits are created for Australian workers and the local economy, which is the strategic purpose of the trade mark.
Find out more about getting certified here.
Find out more about the Australian Fashion ethos here.

No, the Australian Fashion CTM has been created as a whole-of-brand certification, versus an individual product certification. This means that the applicant business must satisfy all the required criteria for 100 per cent of their business and product ranges in order to qualify.

The certification period is two years. This means that brands must re-submit their application every two years, indicating if anything has changed substantially in the business that may impact their ability to meet the required criteria. Fees are payable on an annual basis.

A certification trade mark (CTM) identifies goods (or services) that possess a particular standard or characteristic, or set of standards and characteristics. The Australian Fashion Trade Mark is a certified trade mark used to show customers that a brand and its products have met certain standards.

The Trade Mark may only be used by brands that have applied to become a licensee, have satisfied all the criteria and are approved. Approval criteria can be found under Eligibility Criteria here.

Approved brands must adhere to the usage obligations set out in the Australian Fashion TM Rules. Usage rules include only using the trade mark for the brand that has been certified, ensuring employees and agents are aware of usage guidelines and strictly adhering to the brand guidelines. The guidelines specify how the Trade Mark itself can be represented on printed materials or in digital form.

An annual compliance audit is in place to review a sample of licensees to ensure they are using the Trade Mark appropriately. Should brands misuse the Trade Mark, or should the Trade Mark be utilised either in Australia or in foreign countries by businesses that are not approved licensees, legal action can be taken. This is done to protect the integrity and value of the certification trade mark for all other licensees. Login and visit Trade Mark Assets to view the Brand Guidelines. If you believe a business may be misusing the Trade Mark, please report it to info@australianfashion.org. Your details will be treated as confidential.

The Australian Fashion Trade Mark is administered by the Australian Fashion Council, a not-for-profit organisation. The licence fees paid by users (licensed brands) is the primary source of revenue for the management of the Trade Mark, platform and campaigns. Funds from licence fees are used to support critical activities like licensing and licence administration, compliance monitoring and management, along with the promotion of the Trade Mark and the products of licensed brands. View the fees here.

The annual licence fee is based on the turnover of the licensed brand. The minimum fee is $550 for businesses with less than $1 million turnover. From time to time special pricing may be applied for businesses seeking both certification and membership to the Australian Fashion Council. Please see this page for detailed fees and any current offers.

No, this is because the Trade Mark does not imply that products are made locally, and is very clear that the purpose of the Trade Mark is to be able to identify brands that have originated in Australia and design their products in Australia. This creates Australian jobs and provides other significant economic benefits to Australia. The offshore production component of is one small part of the overall value chain in designing, developing, constructing, marketing, warehousing, selling and delivering products to customers.

Regardless of whether brands are producing offshore or onshore, they must comply with high social and environmental practices to qualify for the certification. For consumers who wish to identify brands with Australian Made products, our website brand directory (launching in August 2022) will offer a filter for identifying businesses that make 50 per cent or more of their products locally. Find out more about certification criteria here.