Alannah Hill

Alannah Louise Hill (born 26 March 1963) is an Australian fashion designer, well known in Australia and internationally. She is the former owner of the "girly chic" fashion label and boutique chain, Alannah Hill.

Hill was born in Franklin, Tasmania, but spent much of her childhood in the coastal town of Penguin. At the age of 17, she moved to Melbourne, Victoria where she hoped to establish an acting career. She did have one small acting role in the 1986 film Dogs in Space starring Michael Hutchence.

In Melbourne, Alannah was cast as Girlfriend Number 2 in Richard Lowenstein’s 1986 “quintessential post-punk” Melbourne film Dogs in Space. In reference to her time as an actress:

“I had NO idea what I was doing on that film set! I kept staring into the camera unable to act, unable to focus, unable to accept that I didn’t have a name! I was an introvert trying to be an extrovert ~ I felt plain, unremarkable, almost as if I was slipping through the cracks of everyday life."

Whilst waitressing in a cafe, she was offered a job at a fashion store (Indigo) in Chapel Street, South Yarra, where she worked for fifteen years, before starting her own fashion design label in 1996. Hill opened her first boutique in 1997, and with the financial backing of Melbourne-based business Factory X, established 42 Alannah Hill stores in Australia as well as being stocked in David Jones stores.

On 15 August 2013, Hill announced she had walked away from her fashion business following a dispute with the label's owner Factory X. Factory X will continue to operate the Alannah Hill stores, however, Hill will not design for, or have any further input into, the brand that bears her name. At the time of her announcement, Hill indicated that she wanted to continue in the fashion industry.

Alannah Hill now has her own fashion label called Louise Love. She currently designs for her small business, whilst Factory X designs for the brand that carries her own name.

Alannah is currently working on her memoir, Butterfly on a Pin that will be released through ABC/Harper Collins in 2017.

She is currently working on her new collection and plans to launch a new perfume and candle line for her brand Louise Love in the very near future.

Alannah has four siblings and she has a son, Edward, whose father is Karl Bartl, founder and designer of menswear brand, Jack London. She is in a relationship with rock musician and record producer, Hugo Race.

Alannah proudly serves as an Ambassador to Sydney’s Centenary Institute of Science and Medical Research, raising funds for cancer research.