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Meet Australia’s ‘Fashion Billionaires’

The fashion business has contributed to the fortunes of many of the nation’s wealthiest moguls, merchants and investors, including a few who are more famous for their mining and property portfolios.
Several Australians have made their billion-dollar fortunes directly or indirectly from the fashion business including (L to R) Cotton On’s Nigel Austin, Tattarang’s Nicola Forrest, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, property mogul Frank Lowy and womenswear retailer Naomi Milgrom.
The Australian billionaires who have made part of their fortunes directly or indirectly from fashion include (L to R): Cotton On’s Nigel Austin, Tattarang’s Nicola Forrest, mining magnate Gina Rinehart, property mogul Frank Lowy and retailer Naomi Milgrom. (Getty Images)
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BoF PROFESSIONAL

Walk into almost any shopping centre or outdoor mall in Australia, and you’ll likely find a Cotton On store. These days you even come across the brand in markets as far afield as the US, Brazil and South Africa. Parent company Cotton On Group boasts over 1500 outlets in 22 countries, a sign of how far it has come since founder Nigel Austin famously started out selling acid-wash denim from the boot of his car in the late 1980s.

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