Iconic Australian fashion designer Perri Cutten has died at age 73.
Owners of the brand, Austin Group, said in a statement Cutten had passed away.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Perri Cutten, an iconic figure in Australian fashion whose name has become synonymous with timeless elegance and sophistication,” it said it a statement on the Perri Cutten Facebook page.
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“Her contribution to the fashion industry was not only visionary but also deeply personal— she understood the modern Australian woman and designed with purpose, integrity, and grace.”
Cutten set up her company in 1981.
She did a graphic design course at Swinburne University in Melbourne but decided she wanted to work in fashion.
She worked for Melbourne brands Geoff Bade and Thomas Wardle before setting up on her own.
She catered for the growing market of women going into office jobs.
She went on to win top fashion awards including the Woolmark Prize in 1991.
She once described her look as; “good fabrics, good taste and always flattering”.
In 2011 she said the brand had had its best year ever.
At the time she and business partner Michael Gannon owned a dozen Perri Cutten shops and 20 Myer and David Jones concessions.
She said the secret behind it’s enduring success was ‘discipline.”
“It would have been lovely to go off on a tangent and do all the hot, latest looks and get into all the papers and magazines,” she said.
“But we didn’t. That isn’t what our customer wanted and it isn’t good business.”
In 1998, Cutten received an honorary doctorate from Swinburne University’s Faculty of Design.
She semi-returned when she was in her early 60s to live in Flinders on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula with her partner.
There are currently seven Perri Cutten shops around Australia, while Perri Cutten clothing is also sold at department store David Jones.
