Many Jewish people brought their skills in the textile business when they migrated from Europe.
The origins of famous Australian brands like Seafolly, Best & Less, and Lowes, and their Jewish founders, are being told at an exhibit at Sydney's Jewish Museum.
"Jews went into this industry as very much a necessity, a way to earn a living and to put food on the table," said curator Roslyn Sugarman.
Now some of their grandchildren are carrying on the tradition in a very different way.
Bec & Bridge designer, Becky Cooper, has just wrapped up a week of fashion shows in Sydney but for the young designer, clothing is in her blood.
"My grandmother was a dressmaker when she came here after the Holocaust and so was my grandfather on my father's side," she told SBS.
"So many of us in that next generation have the opportunities that our grandparents never had, and we're doing it because we want do it not because we have to do it."
