Garland and Garland Fashion founder Phoebes Garland shares a tribute to the late, great Aurelio Costarella, who passed away in mid-April 2025.
I first met Aurelio at Fashion Week in 2014, but it felt like I’d known him for years. We shared many mutual friends in the industry – it was a true case of six degrees of separation.
Born in Perth, Western Australia to Italian parents from Calabria, Aurelio Costarella was a self-taught fashion designer whose creations were worn by celebrities and royalty alike, including Queen Mary of Denmark, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, and Rihanna.
In the early 1990s, he was known as “Ray” and began his fashion journey alongside Adelaide fashion figure Razak at Miss Gladys Sym Choon, launching the label “Milk.” By the time I met him, his namesake brand was stocked in department stores, and he was regularly travelling from Perth – “the West” – for business.
It was a busy and seemingly prosperous time, with his collections carried by multi-brand boutiques and heavily promoted by retailers. His designs were exceptional – timeless, in fact. I still see them online and marvel at their continued relevance and beauty.
David Heimann, founder of Orson & Blake, reflected on working with Aurelio:
"As a store owner and buyer during the nineties and 2000s working closely with Aurelio was a delightfully creative process. His outstanding painterly colouration, sensual layering of silky textiles and heightened quality of craftsmanship set him aside during this era. He managed to cleverly capture the essence of the time where woman gravitated towards his almost zen like wearable shapes in deeply saturated tones & unique tactile fabrications. One could say that his exotic vision was almost operatic in nature."
Like many in fashion, Aurelio faced difficult times. The industry is tough – ruthless, even – where success is measured by sell-through and the latest collection. The demands of wholesale, constant pressure, and the complexities of business take their toll. For many creatives, the balance between artistry and commerce is deeply challenging. Aurelio gave it his all – heart and soul.
In a world where people often mask struggles with curated perfection, I admired his honesty. At the time, I was dealing with a family illness, and we both shared our real-life challenges on social media, far removed from the industry’s glamour. He was a passionate mental health advocate and ambassador for Lifelife WA and didn’t sugar coat his struggles. We weren’t close friends, but we had genuine exchanges through Instagram DMs.
I remember one late-night post where he said he needed a break from social media. I reached out, told him how much he mattered, how much he was helping others, and gave him my number—something I rarely do. I didn’t want him to think I was just another industry bystander. I simply didn’t want him to feel alone. He was kind and grateful.
That was our last conversation. He quietly disappeared from social media and never returned.
When I heard he had passed from a brain disease, I kept thinking of that last exchange. I hope he felt the love. I hope it brought him some comfort.
Vale, Aurelio. You will be deeply missed.