ABOUT

His grandmother worked as a couturier, including for King Hussein of Jordan. Avakian went from tow truck driver to topping his class at the Whitehouse Institute of Design, earning a scholarship to complete a Master of Fashion Design and Textiles at the Accademia Italiana Arte della Moda in Florence, where he topped his class again. From there, London, where he worked under Alexander McQueen and Giles Deacon, before returning to Sydney in 2007 to launch his own label, debuting at Australian Fashion Week.

He builds a garment the way he was trained to think, not the way most tailoring gets taught. Most start with the silhouette and work backward into structure. Avakian starts with the structure: every seam and panel solves something first, decoration comes after.

Recent years have gone into building his own production system, an entrepreneur's answer to an industry that still runs on guesswork. That system now runs as its own platform, DAKUTX, open to other designers and brands.

"I'm in the business of giving people their confidence."

**As worn by**
- Rita Ora
- Guy Sebastian
- Human Nature
- Jennifer Hawkins
- Sophie Monk
- Mel B
- Charlie Sheen
- Christie Whelan Browne
- Tess Haubrich
- Melissa King — 2026 Logies
- Zara and Sophia Forrest — Vogue-featured wedding
- Bailey Pickles — Sydney Opera House, Apple's 50th anniversary