Toni Maticevski was awarded Australia's most prestigious fashion trophy, while last year's best emerging designer Strateas.Carlucci added the best menswear prize to its trophy cabinet.

Both labels have made big inroads locally and internationally this year, with Strateas.Carlucci showing on schedule at Milan Fashion Week, while Maticevski continued to impress buyers from Selfridges and Harrods with his unique gowns and innovative fabrications.

"My Australian customers have always been the strongest; it's been kind of magic for a local designer like me to have so much local support," Maticevski told Fairfax Media. "You don't get that in any other regions except maybe in New Zealand."

The Seddon-raised designer beat out Vogue Australia editor Edwina McCann and fellow designers Kym Ellery, Alex Perry and Dion Lee for the industry-voted prize.

The Laureate celebrates professionals whose careers have made a significant contribution to the development, promotion and advancement of the Australian fashion industry internationally.

This year will be remembered as one of Maticevski's most successful in his 20-year career. Following a critically acclaimed showcase at Fashion Week Australia, a retrospective of his work was opened at the Bendigo Art Gallery. Maticevski: Dark Wonderland, open until November 20, is his first solo exhibition.

Strateas.Carlucci designer Mario-Luca Carlucci, who with Peter Strateas creates rages for both men and women, said taking out the best menswear category was a "nod and tick of approval that we are headed in the right direction".

The label, aunched in 2013 and quickly snapped up by stockists like Lane Crawford and David Jones, is entrenched in the masculine and feminine duality – a concept labels such as Burberry have begun adopting.

"We pay respect to tailoring, which is traditionally seen as menswear, but both the ranges really touch on the idea of gender fluidity, which I think is where fashion is heading," Carlucci said.

Kym Ellery, Parlour X and macgraw took home the awards for womenswear, retail and emerging talent, respectively.