By Mason in Fashion — 26 Sep 2026

Collette Dinnigan and Saint James give the Breton stripe a cashmere makeover

Collette Dinnigan has teamed up with French label Saint James on a four-piece cashmere Breton capsule, with styles named after Australian coastal towns. Prices start at A$650.

The Noosa V-neck jumper. Image: Saint James

Collette Dinnigan has put her name to a new collaboration with French maritime label Saint James, a small capsule of Breton-stripe knitwear made entirely from cashmere. The four-piece range is on sale now through Saint James in Australia, with prices from A$650, and it is a rare fashion outing for one of the country's best-known designers.

The collection

Saint James brings more than 140 years of nautical craftsmanship to the partnership, and its Breton stripe is the foundation here. Dinnigan's contribution is to soften it: the stripes are knitted in 100 per cent cashmere, in relaxed silhouettes designed, in Grazia's words, to work everywhere "from couch to airport".

There are four styles, each in two colourways, and every one is named after an Australian coastal town:

Noosa: a V-neck jumper, in navy, caramel and red or light grey, ivory and red
Port Willunga: a round-neck jumper, in ivory and red or ivory and light grey
Byron Bay: a hooded jumper, in light grey, ivory and red or navy, caramel and red
Sorrento: cashmere pants in the same two colourways as the hoodie, so they can be worn as a matching set

The palette sticks close to the classic nautical story, with navy, ivory and red joined by softer caramel and light grey.

Why Dinnigan and why now

Dinnigan's name carries weight in Australian fashion. After launching her label in 1990 with a lingerie collection, she became the first Australian to show a ready-to-wear collection in Paris in 1995 and by 2001 was stocked internationally at stores including Barneys New York and Harvey Nichols. At the end of 2013 she significantly scaled back the business, closing her boutiques in Sydney, Melbourne and London, and she has since chosen her projects carefully. Earlier this year she announced a forthcoming book, A Journey Home, about her first return to South Africa, where she was born, since childhood.

A cashmere Breton collaboration makes sense in that context. It is relaxed rather than red carpet, and it trades on a sense of coastal ease that suits both brands. Grazia described it as giving "the Breton stripe a softer, more luxurious spin."

Who it is for

At A$650 to A$890 a piece, this is a considered purchase rather than an impulse buy. The appeal is longevity: classic stripes in a neutral palette are hard to date, and the matching Byron Bay hoodie and Sorrento pants make a strong case for long-haul travel dressing. With the weather warming up, the lighter jumpers will also earn their keep on cool coastal evenings.