Do I need to register a business to sell clothing in Australia?

Most businesses need an ABN, and a business name registration if you trade under a name other than your own. Check business.gov.au for your situation, and see an accountant about structure and GST.

Do clothes need care labels in Australia?

Yes. Care labelling is mandatory for clothing and textiles. The ACCC describes the instructions as permanently attached, legible and in English. Confirm the current standard on the ACCC site.

Do I have to put a country of origin on clothing?

The Australian Consumer Law does not require most non-food products to carry an origin label, but any claim you make, such as Made in Australia, must be true and accurate. Some imported goods also need a true trade description at import. Read the ACCC guide for the textile, clothing and footwear industries.

Should I register a trade mark for my clothing brand?

A business name registration does not give you ownership of the brand name; a trade mark does. You apply through IP Australia, choosing from the goods classes, and the free TM Checker helps you search first.

How to start a clothing brand in Australia

Written by Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo, the founders of Urban Media, Melbourne. Updated 10 October 2026.

A clothing brand has two jobs most small businesses do not: it has to follow product labelling rules, and it has to look good enough in photos that a stranger will pay for a garment they cannot touch. This guide covers both, in the order that wastes the least money.

It is general information, not legal or financial advice, and it was checked against business.gov.au, the ACCC and IP Australia on 10 October 2026. Rules change, so each step names the official page to confirm on.

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1. Decide who it is for before what it is

A brand with a clear customer sells more than one with a nice logo. Pick one customer (who they are, what they wear now, what they pay) and one product to start with, not a full range.

Write one sentence: who it is for, what it is, and what it costs.
Start with a small first run. Money tied up in stock is the usual way a new label stalls.
Work out your cost per garment and your margin before you order anything.

2. Register the business and check the name

Choose a structure (sole trader, partnership, company or trust). An accountant is worth paying for here.
Get an ABN. It is free from the Australian Business Register (abr.gov.au).
If you trade under a name other than your own, register the business name with ASIC.
GST: you must register once your GST turnover reaches $75,000. You can register earlier by choice.
Check the name is free: the ASIC register, a trade mark search, the domain and the social handles.

3. Protect the brand name

A business name registration does not give you ownership of the brand. A trade mark does. In Australia you apply through IP Australia, and clothing sits in the goods classes (1 to 34), so you pick the class and the items you want covered.

IP Australia has a free TM Checker to search the register and choose classes before you apply. Applications take months and are generally public, so start the search early, and check the current fees on their site.

4. Get the labels right

Care labelling is mandatory for clothing and textiles in Australia. The ACCC describes the requirement as adequate care instructions that are permanently attached, legible and written in English. Confirm the current standard on the ACCC site before you print labels.

Country of origin is different. The Australian Consumer Law does not require most non-food products to carry an origin label, but if you make a claim such as "Made in Australia" it must be true and accurate, and the ACCC has taken action over clothing claims that were not. Some imported goods also need a true trade description at import. Read the ACCC's guide for the textile, clothing and footwear industries before you put any origin claim on a tag or a website.

5. Samples before stock

Order samples and wear them, wash them and photograph them before you commit to a run.
Keep the first product range small enough to photograph well.
Write down every supplier, price and lead time, so the second run is faster than the first.

6. Build the brand before the store

A clothing brand is bought on how it looks. Before the website, settle the name, the logo, a colour palette, the fonts and a short note on how the brand speaks. Then everything, from the swing tag to the Instagram grid, reads as one brand.

7. Photograph it properly

Photos are your shopfront. You need clean product shots for the store and lifestyle shots for social, in vertical and horizontal crops. Shoot enough for the first drop so you are not scrambling for content on launch week.

8. The website and checkout

Fast on a phone, because most clothing traffic is on one.
Clear sizing, returns and delivery details before checkout.
A privacy policy and your terms.
Analytics in place before you spend on ads, so you can see what works.

9. Your first customers

Tell everyone you know, with a photo and the one-sentence pitch.
Post the real product and the real process, not generic content.
Run a small, tracked ad test only once the store and photos are ready, and answer every message the same day.

Where Urban Launch fits

Steps 1 to 5 are yours, with an accountant and the official sites. Steps 6 to 9 are what Urban Launch builds, done for you, in order, by one Melbourne team: brand, website, shoot and systems. If that is what you need, see how a launch works and what it costs.

Official sources

This guide was checked against these official pages on 10 October 2026. Rules change, so confirm on the source before you rely on a detail.

More guides for new businesses

All of them are on the guides page.

Who is behind this

Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo, the founders of Urban Media, on a shoot in Melbourne

Urban Launch is built and run by Urban Media (ABN 28 169 446 902), a Melbourne studio founded by Jack Harrington and Gabriel Pozo. Urban Media makes video, design and websites for clients including Box Hill United, Brighton Grammar and Porsche Club Victoria.

If you want to talk to the people doing the work, call 0456 785 904. More about who we are, and how to check us, is on the About page.

Jack Harrington, co-founder of Urban Media, speaking to camera — Jack Harrington, co-founder of Urban Media, on how Urban Launch works. Captions are on screen.

Common questions

Do I need to register a business to sell clothing in Australia?: Most businesses need an ABN, and a business name registration if you trade under a name other than your own. Check business.gov.au for your situation, and see an accountant about structure and GST.
Do clothes need care labels in Australia?: Yes. Care labelling is mandatory for clothing and textiles. The ACCC describes the instructions as permanently attached, legible and in English. Confirm the current standard on the ACCC site.
Do I have to put a country of origin on clothing?: The Australian Consumer Law does not require most non-food products to carry an origin label, but any claim you make, such as Made in Australia, must be true and accurate. Some imported goods also need a true trade description at import. Read the ACCC guide for the textile, clothing and footwear industries.
Should I register a trade mark for my clothing brand?: A business name registration does not give you ownership of the brand name; a trade mark does. You apply through IP Australia, choosing from the goods classes, and the free TM Checker helps you search first.

Start with a Launch Call

Live and generating enquiries within 45 days, or we keep working at no extra cost until you are. The Launch Call is where we check it is the right fit before we book anything in. For a real example, read the Airwize case study (12 conversions, meaning leads that became sales, in the first month of Google Ads from $70 of ad spend, our figures). You can also read how a launch package compares with hiring separately, or go to the packages and prices on the homepage.

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More: Brand and website package, Melbourne, Startup package for a new business, Melbourne, Branding, website and photography package, Melbourne.