My first time going to Australian Fashion Week was last year in 2024. I bought myself tickets to the Acler show – 8pm, third row from the front, seat H. It was magical, but it was also the only show that I attended. God forbid I buy $200 tickets for every single show that week. Unfeasible.
Fast forward to 2025, and I was lucky enough to attend four out of the five days of Australian Fashion Week in Sydney. I was ecstatic for this very opportunity that I had envisaged happening, finally coming to fruition – being able to attend through an external medium, which was somehow related to my pursuit of one day working as a writer.
To be honest, it was a shock that AU FW was even happening this year. With talks of potential cancellation on the back of IMG (the owner/operator for the past 20 years) pulling out, and no other source of funding, a shutdown was imminent. This did not come as a huge surprise to me. The Australian fashion scene is lacklustre, devoid of much character, and a poor man’s version of whatever is typically trending in Europe and America. This is not to say that talent is scarce, no, of course not. We are home to Zimmerman, Camilla and Marc, Christopher Esber, Aje, Bec and Bridge, Oroton, Dion Lee (at one point, oops), Sir, and so on. Where we fall short, is failing to tap into what makes us so unique – recognising the beauty, artistry, and rich cultural and spiritual history of the Indigenous peoples of this country. It is, after all, their story, their country.
Nonetheless, Shark Beauty, in conjunction with the Australian Fashion Council and Destination NSW, came together to keep the show on the road. Given the last-minute nature of the rescue, I felt the same hurried, patchwork was reflected in the way that fashion week was organised.
The schedule was sparse, with often long hours passing between shows, and many notable brands like Acler, did not present at all this year. There was a noticeable shift regarding the future focus of Aus FW – more trade-oriented, less emphasis (and funding) on influencer invites/marketing, and strictly honing in on industry professionals like buyers, merchandisers, and media personnel. This pivot to exclusivity is likely to mirror our overseas counterparts in Europe and the United States. There was also a heavy spotlight on the importance of sustainability, with an eBay pop-up situated at The Studio in Carriageworks for the entirety of the week, to educate attendees on the importance of circular fashion. Through my various conversations and casual interviews, sustainability really did seem to be on everybody’s mind (not to mention on their body a la thrifted/vintage pieces).
There were a few other pop-ups present. This included a Shark Beauty “salon”, where one could book in to get their hair curled or waved. Thread Together, a charity initiative that redistributes excess stock from major retailers to people in need. The Atelier, which was an exclusive trade showroom. There were also various Australian Fashion Council panel discussions, and exclusive collaborative events with Vogue and Ebay – essentially there was a lot of filler.
In terms of the shows themselves, there were a few standouts. Carla Zampatti celebrated its 60th anniversary by opening fashion week, and what a sight it was! Each piece evoked something akin to a love song written for the most beautiful of women – deeply elegant, poised, complex, yet varied enough to leave the viewer in admiration. There were a few pieces that looked to me, to be inspired by South Asian/Middle-Eastern traditional garbs. In fact, this was something that I have noticed across various brands, both locally and internationally. Let us hope that recognition and credit are also awarded to us in due course! My only qualm with this collection would be more use of bolder colours. Actually that is one of my greatest gripes with this season, WHERE WERE ALL THE COLOURS?! Must we mimic the boring banality of New York, and its obsession with neutrals?
Others that wowed include:
Aje: beautiful as always. Dresses, skirts and co-ords are where they shone. Their big, flowy, frilly dresses and skirts are truly second to none. I particularly loved the printed pieces that looked like Monet’s paintings.
Ngali: a heart-warming testament to the rich history and culture of the Indigenous Australians. The inspiration was to take First Nation’s artwork beyond a wall display and onto garments. The drapery, flow and movement of these garments was akin to water, really wish I could have touched the fabrics. Felt deeply peaceful and ethereal.
Iordanes Spyridon Gogos: sculptural and avant-garde, perhaps the most technically interesting show all week. Extremely vibrant and fun.
Mariam Seddiq: sophisticated, very Bond bombshell meets Men in Black. Loved the hairdo on the models – reminded me of Roz from Monsters Inc lol.
Nicol and Ford: theatrical (reminded me of John Galliano’s Maison Margiela runway at the 2024 Paris Fashion Week), and outfits/makeup seemed reflective of the 1920’s.
Romance was Born: my absolute favourite show of the entire week. Set in a snowy, magical forest – it was a maximalist’s dream come alive. Yet, oh so refined, t’was a moving art work, embroidery that looked like it was crafted in India (for Indian artisans are incomparable), and glorious beadwork. It was dance, architecture, literature – there truly aren’t enough words to describe the designs, performance of the models, or the set itself.
With light, there always comes darkness. Of course, there were shows that I disliked, but I won’t mention them – the Australian fashion scene is suffering enough. However, I will point out my general issues with the week.
Incredibly poor Indigenous representation – bar Ngali, any form of First Nations representation looked an awful lot like tokenisation. Like I mentioned in the beginning, our focus should be on uplifting, and giving greater exposure to Indigeous artistry and talent, and that includes models. This was very disappointing to see.
Lack of South Asian representation – funny that traditional South Asian clothing is blatantly appropriated, yet we can’t be better represented on the stage, or invited as attendees. But yes, feel free to continue re-creating lenghas and shalwar kameez, and touting it as being Scandinavian inspired.
Size diversity was in hell – there was an interesting statistic that came out post fashion week, that showed that the most size inclusive brands were owned by queer people. I know of some shows that had ZERO plus size models. How embarrassing.
Most looks were a massive snoozefest – in general, I found the whole event to be somewhat forgettable. As the days passed, most shows seemed to coalesce into a whole lot of the same thing. There was a lack of originality, and truly ground-breaking work. Also, do we have a kink for neutrals or something, like why are we so scared of colours?
I do have more things to say, but I think this shall suffice for now. I hope I have not been too scathing in my review- I really don’t want to see the Australian Fashion industry dying. There truly is so much opportunity here. Some of the best work I saw was by small, independent artists, who wore their own creations, and flaunted it at Carriageworks. As they should. Creativity and talent really begins at the grass-roots level, and we need to learn to propel these kinds of gifted people forward.
