Remix chats with Toby Wright of Melbourne-based clothing label MONPHELL
Chatting with Toby Wright, I try to picture a life where he’s not immersed in clothing design. It’s almost impossible. He carries the cool of someone who lives and breathes his craft, dressed—unsurprisingly—in what I suspect is an unreleased MONPHELL piece. But before he was constructing garments, he was constructing something else entirely. For years, Toby balanced full-time scaffolding with his then-fashion label, YSTRDAYBONE, building his brand in the margins of his day. He made the leap three years ago—swapping steel and grit for fabric and form.
Photography by Willem Eager @willemeager
This is MONPHELL: the Melbourne-based brand bound to no age, sex or season —a label named after a letter from each of his family members, the brand is an ancestral reflection of Toby’s vision—one rooted in fabric-first design, considered construction, and an unwavering commitment to local manufacturing. With his partner, stylist and content creator Paris Wycherley, by his side, MONPHELL has carved out a space in the Australian fashion landscape on its own terms. No shortcuts, no compromises—just a clear, focused evolution of a brand that, much like its silhouettes, is built to last.
You started your apparel business back in 2012 under the name YSTRDAYBONE. Can you tell us a little about this chapter?
I was 21 and had just returned home to Burnie (Tasmania) after living in Canada for a year. I had an interest in clothing so I put together a portfolio and applied for Melbourne School of Fashion. Three months later, they accepted, and after one month of school, I registered YSTRDAYBONE at the local library, which is still such a clear, vivid memory.
What was the reason behind transforming YSTRDAYBONE into MONPHELL?
My attraction to clothing and starting a label, from the very beginning, was always about the fabrics and my love for construction. I knew that YSTRDAYBONE was always going to blossom into something different, I didn’t know when it would happen. The brand just took a little longer to evolve as I was still a full-time scaffolder, and it took me a while to find the fabric suppliers and local manufacturers I wanted to use. I was scaffolding one day, and I just thought, it’s now or never, so I quit, and it’s been three years since I’ve been doing this full-time.
Image via @monphell
How would you describe the MONPHELL aesthetic in five words?
Authentic, local, uniform, timeless, versatile.
MONPHELL is known and loved for its longer lines and baggier silhouettes—what about this style of clothing attracts you?
I like that oversized silhouettes and baggy clothing give more opportunities to show off the incredible fabrics I use to their full potential. I also think that oversized fits look so much more casual and effortless. It doesn’t look like you’re even trying when you have it on.
What other influences do you look to when designing, or are you more led by the unique fabrics you source from the likes of Japan?
With MONPHELL, it all comes down to the fabrics. A lot of people ask me about my reasoning behind the collection, but I just make what I like. I work backwards compared to a lot of designers and choose the fabrics first, before I know what I’m even planning on doing with them. I pretty much go in blind and let the fabrics do the talking. 
Image via @monphell
MONPHELL isn’t a brand constrained by gender divides—what led to designing with genderless clothing in mind, and how did it alter the design and fitting process?
It naturally just happened when I met my partner Paris. She started posting and styling outfits, and because of her following, girls tend to look up to her for inspiration. Over five years, I started altering the sizing so it’s more generic, and now I’d say our customer base is around 70% female.
With your Paris Fashion Week debut in 2023, what was the biggest takeaway from presenting on an international stage, and are there plans for more overseas showcases?
Man, that was an eye-opener. We went in completely unprepared, at the last minute, and we were showing the wrong season, but it was good to see how it all worked. We built a strong relationship with the agency that showed us ‘IMPOSSIBLE OBJECTS’, had some good chats with buyers, and received good feedback. I want to tackle overseas when I'm 100% confident in my manufacturing. We make everything (apart from our hats and socks) here in Melbourne, but I want it running like a well-oiled machine before we tackle the world. But overseas is definitely where MONPHELL is at.
What advice would you give emerging Australian designers trying to carve out a space in the industry today?
Buckle up and be persistent. I’ve been at it for 13 years, and there’s not one day that something doesn’t go wrong, but is it worth it. I absolutely fucking love it!
Advertisement
