Anna McLaren, Founder of Cult Australian Brand A.Emery, Shares a Glimpse into Her 9-5

Some brands are born from a grand masterplan; others begin with a single, very specific wardrobe frustration. For Australian designer Anna McLaren, it was the search for a simple all-black lace-up sandal at an accessible price point that sparked the launch of A.EMERY in 2017. What started as a tightly edited, self-funded footwear-only offering has since evolved organically—and now, it's an insider-favourite label spanning ready-to-wear and accessories, with global stockists such as Net-A-Porter, Harrods and Mytheresa.

Built slowly and with intention, the brand reflects McLaren’s instinct for designing pieces that slot seamlessly into the rhythms of everyday life. Think: elevated knits, softly tailored separates, minimalist accessories and beautifully crafted leather shoes that prioritise timeless elegance and polish without ever sacrificing comfort.

Here, A.EMERY's founder and designer Anna McLaren shares what life really looks like behind the scenes of her nine-to-five, from early-morning routines and creative process, to the lessons she's learned along the way.

I can't start my day without... Journalling. 2026 has reignited this old practice for me, and it's an early start to squeeze it in (5.50am before my kids wake up), but I’ve managed every morning of this year and the clarity it has provided has been unbelievably beneficial.

Most mornings I am driven by comfort... And how I want to feel in my body for the day. Ultimate comfort has me in a pair of our Goddard trousers in an incredibly soft tropical wool, pared back with a mid-weight knit like our Reid style. If I want to feel a little more put together, I’m still in a knit, but paired with a column skirt like our Innes.

My office essentials are... My Macbook Pro with the full Adobe Creative Suite. A day doesn’t go by that I’m not in at least two of the programs. Second to this, my more analogue way of keeping on top of everything is my collection of notebooks. I have separate notebooks for lists, sketches and business planning.

Having young children means there isn’t much time for self rituals... But I do try to squeeze them in after a family dinner and the kids bedtime. Ideally its pilates, an LED mask and reading, but a regular night usually only sees me getting to one of these.

My design process is fluid and constant through most of the year... I am in a constant state of collecting and absorbing, so that by the time I get to putting pen to paper, I usually have a host of ideas stockpiled that I want to delve deeper into. Fundamentally A.EMERY is focused on elevated pieces for an everyday wardrobe, including ready-to-wear, footwear, belts and bags. As I go about my weeks, I am considering the wardrobe I have and what needs to be filled—and if I am missing this, I am sure other women are too. How can I provide women with a pragmatic way of dressing but still feel a level of polish no matter the life scenario, is something I am always asking myself.

A.EMERY was launched as a sandal only brand. I started it purely out of my desire to have an all-black (upper, insole, outsole) lace up sandal at an approachable price point— something that just wasn’t available in the market in 2017. When I launched the brand I was working as a womenswear designer and was ready to attempt a business of my own. It was very small, financially bootstrapped (and still is) and launched with only six styles in all black. The last eight years hace seen the business grow and expand organically. Launching ready-to-wear two-and-a-half years ago was a big step and an inevitable part of the business’ growth.

My favourite thing about my job is... All things behind the scenes. Design and product development will always be my roots and my love, but I have felt such professional growth being able to control the brand identity as well. While the creative side is my true passion, there are some days where I thoroughly enjoy getting stuck into a spreadsheet.

The biggest pinch-me moment so far was... On a short trip to New York, almost two years ago and I saw three women wearing A.EMERY on the street. As a small, independent brand from Australia this was incredible to see. Real women wearing my brand excites me more than any media or celebrity or influencer placement.

My biggest career achievement to date is... Everything that the team and I have achieved for A.EMERY. We are an internationally recognised brand with an incredible stockist list globally as well as a strong and growing direct business. Every day I am incredibly grateful and excited that I do what I do and while there are hard parts of running a business, watching it flourish feels like an incredible achievement.

The most important lesson I've learned is... To be dynamic and move as quickly as you can. We have grown A.EMERY though some really turbulent times—COVID and managing the current trade wars have been two especially difficult moments. The answer of how to manage these things will not be handed to you, you need to move swiftly towards resolution and not get bogged down in the decision making.

A.EMERY has really evolved over the years... From a very small brand with six sandals options to now having a full year-round footwear offering, ready-to-wear and recently adding bags into the mix. We started as a local Australian brand and are now stocked all over the world. I hope that the next 10 years bring even more change.

I'm working on a lot of things right now... There are always so many collections on the go at once. We have just returned from Paris where we showed our Winter ’25 collection, so we are wrapping up this season and closing production to ensure deliveries are made in June. We are also in the final stages of sampling Resort ’27 which we will show in Paris in June. I am also in the early stages of designing our Transeasonal ’27 collection which won’t launch until March 2027. The development lead times are long. All while prepping to launch our Transeasonal ’26 collection in the next couple of weeks. There is always a lot happening and a lot of seasons to jump around.

As for what's next? A near future project is launching e-commerce out of our US warehouse, offering a much better customer experience than orders coming all the way from Australia. This will be launching this month in line with our Transeasonal ’26 delivery. We hope to offer a similar experience to our UK and EU customers soon, too.

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