A Letter From the Founder: The Kwani
A Letter From Eleanor · Founder of Eleanor & Co
Australia · August 2026
I could never find an easy summer dress that was comfortable and still looked like me. So I had one made.
On the six things I would not compromise on when we made our cotton Kwani dress, how it compares to the dresses you have been buying, and why the first run is going out at $79.95.
There is a particular kind of disappointment that comes from a summer dress. You buy it hopefully. It looks right on the hanger. Then you put it on at eight in the morning and by eleven, when the heat has come up, it is sticking to you and you are pulling it away from your back in the car park.
The Kwani is the dress I had made so that would stop happening. It is the one I reach for on the days the heat will not quit, and of everything we are bringing in for this summer, it is the piece I most wanted to write to you about properly.
I should tell you what I was arguing against, because it explains the whole thing. The easy summer dresses made for women our age come in two kinds. The first looks lovely and clings to you like cling film the moment you sit down. The second is genuinely comfortable and makes you look like you have given up.
I never accepted that a woman has to choose between the two. The Kwani is my answer, and there were six things I insisted on, usually against a supplier who wanted me to do the cheaper thing instead.
1 Real cotton that breathes.
Not the slippery polyester they pass off as natural. Real cotton, woven to let the heat out, so it stays cool when the sun sits heavy and softens like a good sheet the more you wash it. It costs more. I was not willing to do it any other way.
“It’s one of the few dresses I can wear all day on a really hot summer day without feeling sticky or uncomfortable by lunchtime.”
Carol R. · Brisbane2 Deep pockets that actually hold something.
Real ones, set into the side seam, deep enough for your phone, your glasses and your keys. Not the decorative slit that fits a folded receipt. On the days I wear the Kwani I leave the handbag on the hook by the door, and I cannot tell you what a small daily relief that is.
“I put my phone and keys in the pockets and didn’t even bother taking a handbag. It sounds like a small thing, but I absolutely love having proper pockets.”
Diane M. · Gold Coast
A real pocket, set into the side seam. Phone, glasses and keys, and the handbag stays on the hook.
3 An easy A-line that skims, and never clings.
Loose where you want it loose, so the air moves underneath, instead of grabbing the one part of you that you would rather it left alone. Not a tent either — I have bought those, the ones you could fit two of yourself inside. The Kwani sits in the middle, which is the only place that has ever flattered a real body.
“It falls nicely over my tummy instead of clinging to the area I’m most conscious of. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this comfortable in a dress.”
Linda K. · Newcastle4 Soft sleeves that cover the tops of your arms.
Without adding a single degree of warmth. Everyone is oddly coy about this one, so I will be direct: a great many women stop wearing sleeveless dresses long before they stop wanting to feel cool. A sleeve that lets you forget about your arms entirely is worth more than it sounds.
“Finally, sleeves that give me some coverage over the tops of my arms without making the dress feel hot or heavy.”
Patricia L. · Adelaide5 A length that sits right at the knee.
Long enough to feel covered and easy, never so long that it drowns you or so short that you spend the afternoon tugging at it. A length you can garden in, drive in, and go to lunch in without thinking about it once.
“The length is just right on me. I can wear it to the shops with sandals or dress it up a little for dinner and still feel completely comfortable.”
Janet S. · Perth6 Four soft colours that go with what you own.
Beige, black, soft green and a warm orange, each chosen to sit with the sandals and cardigans already in your wardrobe, so the Kwani earns its place from the first day rather than waiting for you to buy something to go with it.
“I started with the beige and ended up going back for the green as well. They’re so easy to wear and I already had plenty in my wardrobe to go with them.”
Maureen T. · GeelongThe Kwani, against the dresses you have been buying
You can find an easy summer dress for eighty dollars almost anywhere. I know, because I bought a great many of them first.
- A blend, or polyester sold as natural
- Clings the moment you sit down
- Fake pockets, or none at all
- Bare arms, or sleeves that add warmth
- Either too tight or shaped like a tent
- Looks tired after one wash
- Real cotton that actually breathes
- Skims, and lets the air move underneath
- Deep real pockets for phone and keys
- Sleeves that cover, with no extra heat
- An easy A-line that sits in the middle
- Softens and holds its shape wash after wash
I refuse to sell an easy dress that asks a woman to choose between being comfortable and looking like herself. That is the whole reason the Kwani exists.
Why the first run is $79.95
The Kwani is new here. This is the first shipment we have brought into Australia, and it has landed at the front of the season rather than the middle of it. The hot weather is still a few months off, which is exactly why the price is what it is. I would rather it went out now, to women who will have it hanging ready, than sit in a warehouse while I wait for the weather to make my argument for me.
I will be plain about it. The margin at this price is thin, and it is thin deliberately. I would rather introduce the Kwani to you properly, at a price that makes it easy to try, than advertise it at the price I would eventually like to charge and hope you take my word for it. That is the whole of the bet I am placing by writing you this letter.
Four colours, sizes S to 5XL. Full measurements are on the product page.
It is the dress I would put in your hands myself. I would rather it go to women who will wear it all summer than sit in a box waiting for the price to make sense.
If you have ever wanted an easy dress that keeps you cool and comfortable without clinging, this is the one I would recommend — and it is a far better thing to have hanging in the wardrobe before the first hot week than to go looking for in January, when every good one has gone.
— Eleanor
The Kwani — Easy Casual Flow Dress
- Breathable cotton, comfortable and never clinging
- Real deep side pockets, leave the handbag at home
- Sleeves that cover the arms, with no extra heat
- Four colours, sizes S to 5XL
- 30 day returns
Stack and save: buy 2 save 20%, buy 3 save 25%, buy 4 save 30%.
This is a personal letter from the founder of Eleanor & Co. Prices and availability are accurate at the time of writing.