Maticevski
Fashion Internship, 2025
Maticevski Resort/Summer 2026
Job Description: I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with avant-garde luxury Australian design house Maticevski. I felt honoured and was exciting about the prospect of learning from the very talented team. I predominantly worked with the production team, but I also got the opportunity of working with various departments and learning about different aspects that help run a successful business like Maticevski. Through the experience, I gained insight in the wholesale, marketing and ecommerceoperations. Unfortunately, Toni, the designer was away, but I was in good hands under the supervision of Production Manager Irene Domingo.
Who is Maticevski?
Maticevski is an Australian high-end fashion brand established by Melbourne-based fashion designer Toni Maticevski in 1999. Maticevski, creatively led by its unique designer, is “recognised for [its] signature manipulation of cloth as sculpture”. (Maticevski, 2025). Their unique draping methods have become recognisable to the brand identity and storytelling. Toni remains an active member of his small team of 11, including himself, based in his headquarters in Yarraville, Melbourne. The company operates across multiple departments including design, production, accounts, PR, sales, and online/customer service. Production is entirely based in Melbourne, excluding leather goods which are produced offshore in India. Otherwise, factories are located none further than 15km away from the Maticevski headquarters meaning that product does not travel far and allowing the in-house production team to be very hands-on in the creation, from design to end-product. Additionally, all high-skill, intricate garments, as well as small production runs, are entirely crafted in-house to maintain the integrity and high quality of Toni’s avant-garde designs.
Maticevski occupies a unique market position in the global fashion landscape, sitting within the high-end luxury market, a tier below the top-tier luxury of fashion houses such as Chanel or Dior. Competitors range from both Australian, and international luxury brands, including Christopher Esber, Michael Lo Sordo, The Attico, Victoria Beckham, and Rebecca Vallance. Their target customer is established and affluent women, in their 40s, wanting to invest in quality and unique event wear to last.
Maticevski’s unique point of difference that sets it apart from its competitors in the market is the renowned “sculptural and avant-garde” (Stillwhite, n.d.) designs which “exude an elegance” (Maticevski, 2025) that is hard to capture in quite the same way. This, paired with the local and intricate production procedures appeals to their fashion forward clientele.
Presentation Wave Dress
$7,585.00 AUD
Production
During my internship at Maticevski, I spent time working with the production team. My tasks included cutting intricate glitter lace hems from layered tulle gowns, distressing tulle finishes, attaching swing tags, carefully packaging garments, and hand-stitching fabric leaves onto finished pieces. I also assisted with recutting pattern pieces and preparing patterns for construction by delicately removing sequins from seam allowances. Through this experience, I gained insight into the meticulous processes required to maintain the high quality standards of luxury fashion production. Observing the time, precision, and craftsmanship involved in every garment helped me understand why luxury garments command higher prices and reinforced my appreciation for slow, high-quality fashion over fast fashion.
Wholesale and ecommerce
Appealing to clients who desire artistry and individuality, Maticevski is stocked in over 100 different retailers across the globe. This includes department stores, luxury boutiques and online platforms, as well as their own website. While this direct-to-consumer section serves primarily a local Australian clientele, Maticevski’s wholesale leg works in conjunction with many international platforms, such as Net-A-Porter, with particularly strong markets in the Middle East, Europe, and United States.
My internship allowed me to assist with both wholesale and e-commerce tasks, which broadened my understanding of the commercial side of the fashion industry. I supported the wholesale team by helping prepare fabric swatch packs for international clients who were unable to attend the Paris showroom. This involved cutting and organising fabric samples and accurately labelling each swatch with its fabric composition and corresponding garments. In e-commerce, I assisted with search optimisation by entering product keywords into Excel to improve how garments appear in online searches. These experiences introduced me to the operational and strategic processes behind selling garments, highlighting the differences between wholesale and direct-to-consumer retail. It also expanded my awareness of potential career pathways within fashion business beyond design.
Thunderdome Gown
$5,400 AUD
Marketing
In terms of marketing and sales strategies, Maticevski maintains a polished and up-market position in the market. Through a combination of strategies such as editorial photoshoots, sophisticated PR and influencer partnerships, international brand trips, and appropriate luxury retail collaborations, Maticevski connects to its desired audience and position.
During the internship, I gained exposure to marketing and visual presentation through assisting with a ghost mannequin photoshoot for wholesale and online product imagery. Working alongside the wholesale manager and styling team, I helped prepare garments and ensure they were presented correctly for photography. This experience showed me how garments are visually communicated to buyers and customers when no model is present, and how detailed imagery can help convey the structure and design of a garment. With my background in modelling and fashion design, this experience allowed me to observe the intersection between creative presentation and commercial marketing, reinforcing the importance of clear visual communication when promoting luxury fashion products online and to wholesale buyers.
Overall reflection;
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Maticevski and it has cemented my love for the fashion industry. I am more excited now about entering the workforce after this experience. I felt as if I was allowed to work very independently which allowed me to grow and learn a lot more in the tasks I was assigned. My confidence in my abilities grew due to the confidence that Maticevski had in me. I saw the garments that I worked on transform and finalise into beautiful gowns ready to sell throughout my time which was rewarding.
I enjoyed the variance in different teams and learned a lot about the different jobs/departments I could go into after study. I have always loved production, but I am now considering a wholesale/buying route as well. I am so glad that I went down the path of doing this Work-Integrated-Learning route whilst studying at University. The connections I have made will hopefully help me in future endevours.
“In this collection, I brought together elements like samurai shoulders, achieved by reducing decoration into architectural expansions around the hips and shoulders. Decorative, reflective beetle-wing organza adds dimension, glistening and acting as an embellishment in itself. Fringe clusters in self-fabric add texture, exaggerating the smaller details and creating beautiful distortions.
The embroidery motifs morph from cowboy to astral—tattoo—like, inspired by vintage sailors, when tattoos were decorative odes to life, love, and loss. They were markings of our stories: daggers, phoenixes, birds, starbursts, scorpions, and the universe. I look at how we are intertwined with so many things around us — even if we don’t associate with or align with them, they exist. They enter our thoughts, our days, our lives — often through others.
We are a collage of these odd messes. Yet, we make them work. We meld them, introduce them, pay homage, and reflect on their inclusion in our lives. They add fuel. They set ablaze this idea — this reignition of why we keep seeking to discover ourselves in a new light.”
— Toni Maticevski, Resort/Summer 2026