The Australian brand taking over Instagram

There's no place like Instagram to discover which hot fashion labels you should be investing in. One such brand is Australian brand Oroton, which although it was originally launched in 1938, has been taking over my feed in recent weeks.

Sophie Holt, Creative Director at Oroton, explains, 'I have fond memories of Oroton growing up. It is a very special Australian brand, loved since 1938 by many Australian women. It was an incredible opportunity to take a brand with such history and quality and make it relevant to a modern customer.'

Cue versatile, simple and unique pieces that have caught the eye of influencers the world over, including Monikh Dale, Lindsey Holland, Sylvie Mus and Tylynn Nguiyen to name but a few.

A photo posted by on

While the brand used to focus on handbags, it has now expanded into accessories and ready-to-wear.

Sophie explains, 'Oroton was about very classic, quality handbags but was not really on the radar of the modern customer. The brand needed relaxing and I really wanted to breath the Australian spirit into the product. I started by adding cotton canvas totes and beautiful silk scarves printed in Lake Como. Apparel was the next step to allow me to tell the full brand story. We have combined utilitarian and vintage details creating a sense of charm mixed with simplicity and strength.'

A photo posted by on

Sustainability is also a huge focus for Oroton, which is implementing ethical practices within the production of its collections.

'Working in an industry that has a significant, social and environmental footprint means the onus is on us to drive genuine and lasting change. We must evolve the way we produce products and materials and the way we care about our environment and engage with our community. We are only at the beginning of the journey. It is about progress not perfection,' Sophie explains.

A photo posted by on

These include an ethical supply chain whereby products are made by reputable manufacturing partners in factories that comply with international labour and environmental laws and by workers who work fair but not excessive hours and are provided with a safe, hygienic work environment.

Oroton is also committed to minimising and optimising the packaging we produce for our products as well as the packaging used for our deliveries.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.