Since 1991

  • Tracing a 200-year family-owned history through the generations of the Smith and Garnock family, Toorallie began as a visionary merino sheep stud in 1825. Today, the legacy is preserved by its founder’s descendants, twin brothers Simon & Steve Smith.

  • Growing up on the Toorallie farm in Bombala, NSW – Simon and Steve's resilience was characteristic of their parents’ tireless efforts to produce, spin, and knit their own wool. The Smith family worked exhaustively across their three Toorallie sheep stations where they initially produced quality wool, before evolving into a knitwear mill and fashion brand in 1991.

     

    LEFT: Simon Smith RIGHT: Steve Smith

Evolution

  • Immersing themselves in every facet of the business from the late 90's, it was increasingly apparent to Simon and Steve that Toorallie needed to evolve. Times were tough, and as a result, the Toorallie knitting mill in Canberra moved towards a devastating closure.

     

    Australian manufacturing was becoming uncompetitive as offshore production rose to develop high quality garments, with increased efficiency, at competitive cost. The industry landscape was drastically different from the brand’s inception in 1991.

  • Driven by a determination to sustain their family's legacy, Simon and Steve secured the trademark from their parents and moved their lives to Melbourne. Today, Toorallie is designed in Melbourne. Wool is selected from Australian farms and must meet the exacting criteria of the Responsible Wool Standard certification, before specialist factories in Guangdong Province and Shanghai, China, twist purpose into each yarn in the creation of technically innovative garments.

     

    LEFT: The first label, Bombala 1991-1994

    RIGHT: Melbourne, 2023-present

      Lasting Purpose

      • Rebuilding the business with the enduring integrity of the wool fibre at its heart, today Toorallie represents the collaborative creation of brothers Simon and Steve Smith, informed by the undercurrent of perseverance that characterises their family's historied past.

      • Today, Toorallie exemplifies the commitment to uncompromising quality spun into garments of technical conviction, longevity, and refinement.