In a world where fast fashion dominates clothing racks, Courtney Holm wants to make a positive change.

“The circular economy is the idea of nothing going to waste. In fashion, that means producing items that consider the full lifecycle of a garment,” explains Courtney.

“At my fashion label A.BCH we consider what kind of materials to put together to make full garments that can have the longest lifespan and are biodegradable. We also offer free repairs for the life of the garment and a take back program to recycle old A.BCH pieces.  

“It’s our way of providing a solution to a complex environmental challenge.”

A.BCH is an acronym for Article by Courtney Holm and the circular fashion label originated from Courtney’s second bedroom in Carlton. As the label grew she moved production to Brunswick, Collingwood and Geelong before taking up the current custom-fitted West Melbourne space in 2020.

The site is the place where the designing, cutting, machining, storage and product dispatch happens. Customers can visit the West Melbourne workshop for fittings by appointment, but the label is sold predominantly online. 

Originally from Brisbane, Courtney has been creative all her life. After graduating from fashion school, she noticed a gap in the market with circular fashion and decided to embark on starting her own label.

“I went on this journey of figuring out what I wanted to do. I worked for a small label and then tinkered around with my own design practice.”

“After a while I discovered that most clothes are stitched together with plastic at the very minimum, or are otherwise riddled with plastic.”

“I decided I didn't really want to be in the fashion industry unless I was going to do something to change it. I wanted to fix all the things that I saw as problematic in the area. So the core philosophy at A.BCH is that we're not contributing to landfill and additional clothing waste issues.”

Courtney launched A.BCH in 2017 with six pieces; the range has grown to fifty styles over the years. She focuses on creating gender neutral timeless pieces that last many years, with a neutral colour palette punctuated by occasional pops of colour. 

“My style is influenced by the simple lines and layers of Japanese 80s designers such as Issey Miyaki, Yohji Yamamoto and Kenzan and the structure of classic menswear. Ultimately I have to dress for comfort, so that’s what I like to design.”

She takes pride in slowing down the process of creating fashion to focus on craftsmanship, tailoring and customisations if required by customers. 

“We have a couple of signature garments. The linen shirt, called A05, is an organic linen button up shirt and looks great on anybody. Everyone also loves the skivvy and the Merino thermal, which is made from a beautiful, lightweight, locally grown merino wool.”

Every garment by A.BCH is coded, so that a customer can search any piece in years to come to find out the whole story of how the garment was made, how it should be taken care of, and then what should happen at the end of its life.

Courtney’s passion is in her products and making beautiful things that people love. 

“For myself and my team it’s really important that we’re always being true to what we're trying to achieve and to make the concept of circular fashion more accessible and empowering for our customers.”

Words by Joyce Watts & Photography by Anna EncIO