So strong is the link that the retailer, which stocks Willow, has signed on to be the first department store to carry her new ethically sourced label KITX when it is released in the three weeks.

"Kit is an incredibly talented designer with a strong vision and we are delighted to see her create this beautiful brand that is such a positive step in the right direction for fashion," Sophie Clark, general manager of womenswear for David Jones, said.

KITX will be a clothing and footwear brand with an ethical and sustainable focus, "a positive impact label", Willow Podgornik said, designed and produced out of her Sydney studios.

The designer, who was a darling of the national and international fashion scene, especially in New York and London throughout the 2000s, has conducted "extensive" research and consulted with numerous sustainability specialists and ethical fashion organisations for her new project.

She has also spent time seeking suppliers and manufacturing partners who share her environmental values and awareness of social issues as well as working with a greener David Jones, which is working on having all its 1600 brands become environmentally friendly and ethically sourced.

Willow Podgornik's move into sustainable style will not be all linens, hemp and things you can wear to Splendour, "It's about high frequency wear, we have $89 organic cotton T-shirts as well as pure gold woven jackets that retail upwards of $1400", she told Fairfax Media.

Her two-year sabbatical from the coalface of the industry has also allowed her to hone in on what a sustainable fashion house requires.

"Having the heart and soul across all aspects of a fashion brand is so important, it's how that magic at the designer level works," she said.

KITX will debut at the retailer's upcoming spring/summer 2015 launch in early August.