Godwin Hili: The Man Who Dressed Melbourne (and Beyond)
In an ever-evolving world, the concept of change is often met with apprehension and resistance. However, the recent podcast episode titled “Embrace Change for Growth” sheds light on the transformative power of change and its potential to foster personal and professional development. Through a series of insightful discussions, the speakers articulate how embracing change can lead to growth, resilience, and a more fulfilling life.
Wrong Turn, Right Career
Unlike most fashion designers, Hili didn’t follow a traditional path. A RMIT University graduate with degrees in Business Marketing and Accountancy, his first professional role was crunching numbers at PricewaterhouseCoopers. However, a chance meeting at age 19 with a colleague whose father owned a wholesale manufacturing facility in Collingwood changed everything.
“Before I knew it, I was starting to get my own garments made at this factory,” Hili recalls. “It was the process of discovering old bolts of fabric, literally blowing the dust off these beautiful English tweeds and cashmeres, that were basically left there and no longer used.”
This unexpected discovery sparked a passion that would eventually become his life’s work. Hili, the son of a dressmaker, had always been involved in clothing creation. “Growing up, my mum, being a dressmaker, made us everything we wore. Up until about the age of 15, I was still wearing pieces that she was making for me.”
The Birth of Godwin Charli
In 2007, after stints in accounting, marketing, advertising, and even helping his sisters establish a performing arts school, Hili took the leap and founded Godwin Charli. The name itself tells a story: “Godwin representing obviously me, being a unique name, I thought it would have cut through in the marketplace. And Charli represents both my father’s name, Charles (symbolic of the influence his old wardrobe items have on my earliest designs), and is spelt like the female of the brand, representing Mum’s garment maker influence.”
What started as a predominantly ready-to-wear brand expanded into multiple stores across Melbourne. But the rapid growth would eventually lead to challenges that tested Hili’s resilience.
Learning Through Adversity
After a decade of expansion that saw Godwin Charli grow to six stores and 25 staff, Hili faced a painful reality in 2017: the business model wasn’t working.
“I had to wind up my business in 2017. As severe as that sounds, it was my greatest education,” Hili shares candidly. “To hit rock bottom like I did, both financially, mentally, the skills required to dig myself out of that hole have made me the man I am today.”
The experience forced him to reassess everything. “I now view the first ten years of my business as my apprenticeship. I feel like it was the ultimate MBA.”
The Rebirth: Made-to-Measure Revolution
When Hili relaunched Godwin Charli in 2019, he pivoted to a business model that played to his strengths: made-to-measure tailoring. This approach eliminated waste, provided better cash flow, and offered customers a premium experience that mass-market competitors couldn’t match.
“Now with iteration two of Godwin Charli, 95% of what I do is made-to-measure,” he explains. “The fact that I can customise the experience entirely for my customer is super powerful. My customer no longer has to compromise on fit. My customer no longer has to compromise on fabric.”
This shift proved fortuitous when COVID-19 hit Melbourne just months after the relaunch. Rather than folding, Hili adapted:
“It was scary for about 24 hours, and had I not experienced the lows of the 10 years prior, I wouldn’t have had the resilience and I wouldn’t have had the hardened skin to say, let’s not react and become emotional.”
Instead, he learned to conduct virtual fittings, which expanded his client base globally. Now he serves customers in Paris, London, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and New Zealand—all because of a pivot forced by necessity.
The Fabric Obsession
At the heart of Godwin Charli’s appeal is Hili’s obsession with fabrics. He travels regularly to Europe’s premier fabric fairs, building relationships with the best mills in the world.
“I’d like to view myself as a fabric fanatic,” he says. “It’s what attracted me to this industry from the very beginning.”
His favourite source is the Biella region in northern Italy, where mills at the base of the Alps create fabrics using water that runs off the mountains. “They believe it’s the purity of that water that gives the fabric the handle, that very special handle, that only the Italians can replicate.”
Celebrity Clientele and Collaborations
Over his career, Hili has dressed Richard Branson, Liam Hemsworth, NBA players like Matthew Dellavedova and Andrew Bogut, and outfitted numerous national sports teams, such as Tennis Australia’s Fed Cup and Davis Cup teams.
He’s collaborated with major Australian corporations, including Channel Nine, Channel Ten, Channel Seven, ABC, and numerous AFL clubs, including Geelong Cats, Essendon Bombers, Melbourne FC, Western Bulldogs, and Carlton.
His designs have appeared at prestigious events including the Academy Awards, Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globes, ARIA Music Awards, AFL Brownlow Medal, and the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
Quiet Luxury in a Fast Fashion World
While fashion giants push disposable trends, Hili carves his niche in “quiet luxury”, crafting timeless pieces that outlast seasons by decades.
“My clients value quality over quantity,” he explains. “A lot of my customers have told me over the years that a flaw in my business model is that my garments last too long.”
While social media has accelerated fashion cycles, Hili remains focused on creating pieces that won’t go out of style. “I need to stay true to my aesthetic and believe that my customers will seek me out for the things that I love.”
Lessons for Entrepreneurs
Reflecting on his journey, Hili offers valuable insights for young entrepreneurs:
“I would be very clear on the business model that you’re looking to work with because there’s nothing fun about hustling and not making any money.”
He emphasises the importance of understanding the financial side of business: “I had the responsibility as a business owner to oversee all of this. And I never took the time to invest in really understanding the numbers. I trusted too many other people to make those decisions.”
His most important advice? “Fall forward. So, by that, I mean to learn from our experiences, from our failures, and to continue moving forward. It’s about leaving your ego at the door and being open to always learning.”
A Melbourne Fashion Institution
Today, Godwin Charli operates from a prestigious location on Flinders Lane in Melbourne, surrounded by global luxury brands like Chanel, Loewe, and Louis Vuitton. For Hili, this represents the culmination of years of hard work and persistence.
“To be able to stand amongst them, and be proud of what I do, in a beautiful space like this, I feel like it’s a huge achievement,” he says.
Fashion brands flare and fade with Instagram’s whims, yet Godwin Hili has built something that lasts, just like his garments. He’s living proof that in an industry obsessed with what’s next, sometimes the most revolutionary act is simply doing what’s timeless, exceptionally well. Whether dressing billionaires or upcoming executives, his philosophy remains unchanged: quality over quantity, craftsmanship over mass production, and passion over profit. It’s this approach that’s not just kept his business alive through economic downturns and global pandemics—it’s what’s positioned him as Australia’s answer to European luxury tailoring.
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