From being dubbed “Trend Weak” by British vogue author Susan Owens in its infancy to changing into Australia’s sartorial reply to Paris and Milan, Australian Trend Week (AFW) has traversed a outstanding journey. What began as a daring regional experiment is now a globally revered type spectacle. Celebrating outback aesthetics and high-gloss runway glam, the occasion has matured into one of many world’s most intriguing cultural and business forces, rewriting the narrative of what Australian vogue will be. It’s not nearly garments however about letting the world sit up and take discover of the Australian vogue scene- designers and their craftsmanship, expertise, and experimentation.
Now in its 2025 version, AFW returns with heightened function, a near-cancellation drama, a legacy tribute to Carla Zampatti, and a brand new sponsor—Shark Magnificence—signaling a recent alignment of magnificence tech and vogue futurism. From the entrance row at Carriageworks to reside streams beamed globally, the week guarantees runway revelations, digital disruptions, and directional type not like wherever else on this planet.
Australian Trend Week: Journey From Native to World
Based in 1996 by Simon Lock, a public relations guide and former reporter of ski journal, AFW started as a regional showcase to spice up Australian design expertise on the world stage. Its debut was scrappy, rebellious, and at instances unsure, going through all the pieces from {industry} skepticism to logistical chaos. In its earliest iteration, the occasion was often called Mercedes Australian Trend Week, due to the posh automaker’s backing—a strategic transfer that aligned Australian type with international luxurious branding. The affiliation with Mercedes-Benz lent speedy credibility to a fledgling occasion nonetheless discovering its toes. But it surely lacked polish; Lock’s ambition was clear: to create a platform that might elevate homegrown expertise to worldwide prominence. And whereas his imaginative and prescient paved the way in which, the equipment wanted to evolve.
In 2005, Lock bought the occasion to IMG, the worldwide powerhouse that now produces vogue weeks in New York, London, and Milan. With that sale got here construction, status, and entry to an unlimited worldwide community. Since then, AFW has grown into a cultured, globally revered platform, one which fuses the experimental vitality of its roots with the strategic precision of the style world’s elite.
The Evolution of Sponsorship: The Runway Timeline
- 1996–2005: Mercedes-Benz
The posh automaker gave AFW its first main increase, lending European gravitas to a scrappy newcomer. Because the inaugural naming rights sponsor, Mercedes-Benz made it clear: Australia was not vogue’s afterthought—it was a vacation spot.
- 2006–2010s: Rosemount Property
The beloved Australian wine model ushered in a decadent way of life period, the place backyard events met runways and vogue fused with indulgence. Underneath the Rosemount Australian Trend Week banner, the occasion leaned into native allure with a world wink.
With Afterpay, the runway turned immediately shoppable. This was the age of vogue meets fintech, the place digital democratization allowed viewers to “see now, purchase now” in real-time. It marked a paradigm shift towards consumer-first vogue.
The jewellery large introduced emotional resonance to the runway. Via themes of identification and self-expression, Pandora’s involvement mirrored a need for extra private storytelling in vogue, each on and off the catwalk.
The newest chapter is all about tech-savvy transformation. Recognized for high-performance hair instruments and glossy innovation, Shark Magnificence is greater than a sponsor—it’s a backstage powerhouse. Anticipate salon-quality styling lounges, digital activations, and a brand new dialog round magnificence and efficiency.
In brief, every sponsor has not solely funded the style occasion—they’ve reshaped the runway’s cultural foreign money. In 2025, Shark Magnificence alerts a polished, tech-driven future for AFW that blurs the boundaries between type, utility, and spectacle.
The Australian Trend Council: A New Starting for AFW
As Australian Trend Week (AFW) enters a brand new chapter in 2025, one of the vital vital modifications has been the formation of the Australian Trend Council (AFC). Following the announcement of IMG’s exit in late 2024, the way forward for Australia’s premier vogue occasion was unsure. Nevertheless, the AFC’s involvement has paved the way in which for a daring and industry-led reboot of AFW.
With a mission to strengthen the Australian vogue {industry}, the AFC has steered the occasion alongside Vacation spot NSW. This new partnership marks a dedication to showcasing the dynamic expertise in established and rising Australian vogue whereas making certain the occasion continues to supply a significant platform for designers to thrive. The 2025 version at Carriageworks is ready to not solely honor the previous but additionally redefine the way forward for Australian vogue.
So, Again to the Current: Australian Trend Week 2025
When and The place Is It Taking place?
Venue: Carriageworks, Sydney
Dates: Could 12 to 16, 2025
Anticipate a full week of runway exhibits; rising designer-showcases, magnificence activations, and cultural conversations—all set towards Sydney’s urban-industrial fashionable backdrop.
Who Owns and Operates Australian Trend Week?
AFW is owned and operated by IMG Trend Occasions and Properties, Asia Pacific, a division of the worldwide leisure, sports activities, and vogue company IMG. They oversee all points of the occasion—from curation and designer choice to sponsorship and manufacturing—making certain a world normal of execution.
The Course and Goal of AFW: Extra Than Simply Garments
AFW has all the time been a runway, however now it mirrors the {industry}’s ambitions and anxieties. In 2025, the occasion displays a posh new vogue panorama that calls for creativity and commerce.
AFW serves two distinct functions for designers:
- Shopper-Targeted Exhibits: These are tailor-made for audiences buying public tickets, pushed by immediacy and digital engagement. Assume see-now-buy-now vogue moments.
- Trade-Solely Showcases: These invite-only exhibits goal consumers, stylists, editors, and different insiders. The main focus right here is on long-lead influence and wholesale negotiations.
However even because the platform grows in status, the monetary pressure on rising designers stays stark. The price of participation—venue rent, mannequin charges, manufacturing scale—will be prohibitive, typically muting a few of vogue’s most daring new voices. Right here, the function of sponsorship turns into much less about branding and extra about equitable entry and inventive survival.
Was the Australian Trend Week 2025 Nearly Cancelled?
Earlier this 12 months, whispers of a possible AFW cancellation despatched tremors via the {industry}. Lowered funding, escalating manufacturing prices, and sponsorship uncertainty introduced the occasion to a standstill—till Shark Magnificence stepped in to avoid wasting the season.
The last-minute lifeline not solely salvaged the showcase however signaled a shift: this isn’t simply an occasion of cultural significance; it’s a enterprise necessity—for designers, editors, consumers, and the better luxurious ecosystem.
What’s New in 2025?
Moreover its very survival, AFW 2025 brings some massive upgrades:
- 4K Livestreams + AR Enhancements: A world digital viewers can take pleasure in front-row experiences and backstage entry like by no means earlier than.
- First Nations Trend + Design Showcase: Now a day by day characteristic, not only a one-off present—highlighting Indigenous storytelling and sustainability.
- Eco-Innovation Pavilion: Devoted to round vogue, upcycling, and biodegradable textiles.
- Magnificence Tech Integration: Shark Magnificence’s affect can be seen on and off the runway, from hairstyles to tech demos.
Prime Designers & Runway Highlights to Watch
- Zimmermann: Resort-ready romanticism and sun-soaked luxurious.
- Christopher Esber: Architectural minimalism and subversive tailoring.
- Ngali: Elevating Indigenous artistry with cultural reverence.
- Alemais: Artwork-forward, eccentric layering, and maximalist allure.
- Strateas Carlucci: Monochrome mastery with edgy, gender-fluid cuts.
Rising stars like Beare Park, Youkhana, and Iordanes Spyridon Gogos are including recent vitality—merging vogue with efficiency artwork, activism, and future-facing themes.
Rising Trend Developments from AFW 2025
From the early runways and press previews, a couple of standout themes are setting the tone for the season:
Desert-Core: Impartial tones, uncooked textures, sun-faded hues—assume windswept minimalism meets outback romance.
Techno-Tailoring: Sensible supplies and modular silhouettes redefine precision dressing for the longer term.
Draped Minimalism: Clear strains, fluid quantity, and easy motion create quiet influence.
Nature Punk: Rebellious vitality meets darkish florals, recycled materials, and earthy edge.
Inclusive Design: Genderless cuts, adaptive items, and expanded sizing embrace radical inclusivity.
Type Echoes: Fringing particulars, vintage-inspired silhouettes, and refreshing sorbet shades add texture, nostalgia, and a touch of playfulness.
How one can Attend or Watch Australian Trend Week
Attend in Individual
Public tickets can be found for choose exhibits and occasions. Go to the official web site australianfashionweek.com to order.
Watch On-line
All main runway exhibits are live-streamed in excessive definition by way of the AFW web site and YouTube channel.
Social Protection
Observe real-time updates, appears, and backstage moments utilizing hashtags like #AFW2025 and #SharkBeautyRunway.
What Australian Trend Week Means for the World Market
AFW is more and more a launching pad for international relevance. Its affect travels far past Sydney—from Paris showrooms to Web-a-Porter listings. Designers who escape at AFW typically safe worldwide stockists, movie star placements, and media protection that propels their model onto the worldwide radar. In a time when the style world craves recent views, AFW’s distinct Australian lens—sun-drenched, resourceful, rebellious—units it aside.
AFW’s Influence on the Luxurious Sale and Resale Market
AFW doesn’t simply dictate what’s in—it shapes what holds worth:
- Publish-show buzz drives searches and demand for present and classic items by AFW designers.
- Runway standouts typically grow to be extremely wanted on resale platforms, particularly when stock is proscribed.
- As sustainability and round vogue grow to be central themes, pre-owned luxurious sees a halo impact—customers need items with a narrative, a function, and long-term worth.
Highlights of Day 1 (twelfth Could 2025):
Day 1 kicked off with a strong mix of emotion and class as Carla Zampatti’s sixtieth anniversary tribute set the tone for the week.
Australian Trend Week opened with a commemorative runway present, archival retrospectives, and a capsule assortment by rising designers—all impressed by Zampatti’s empowering silhouettes and timeless imaginative and prescient. However this wasn’t only a homage—it was a symbolic passing of the torch, led by her son and CEO of the home, Alex Schuman. Decided to honour her legacy whereas steering the model into its subsequent period, Schuman infused the present with the identical spirit of generosity and innovation that outlined his mom’s profession.
To have fun the milestone, a one-off tribute assortment featured reinterpretations of the Zampatti aesthetic by a powerhouse lineup of Australian designers: Michael Lo Sordo, Pip Edwards, Toni Maticevski, Romance Was Born, Gail Sorronda, Package Willow, Akira Isogawa, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Alix Higgins, Grace Lillian Lee, Mariam Seddiq, and Bianca Spender. Every introduced their very own inventive lens to the legacy—leading to a present as daring, collaborative, and visionary as the girl it honoured.
Set towards the putting backdrop of the Museum of Up to date Artwork, the runway captured sweeping views of Sydney Harbour, with the Opera Home and Harbour Bridge anchoring each shot. It was a visible and emotional excessive level—becoming for a designer whose imprint on Australian vogue stays indelible.
Highlights of Day 2 (thirteenth Could 2025):
Day 2 noticed Lee Mathews mark 25 years in vogue with a group celebrating her journey, that includes breezy attire, applique florals, and utilitarian items; it was a reclamation of quiet luxurious, with sheer layering, artisanal bows, and breathable materials. Attended by celebrities like Nigella Lawson and Isabel Lucas, her present mirrored each a tribute and a celebration of her development. Her assortment wasn’t chasing virality—it was a reminder that subtlety, too, can command consideration.
The Frontier Present featured high expertise like Wynn Hamlyn, Paris Georgia, and Amber Keating’s Widespread Hours, showcasing Australian and Kiwi design.
Charlotte Hicks’s “see now, purchase now” assortment centered on creating an instantaneous connection together with her viewers via luxe leather-based separates and stylish silhouettes.
Widespread Hours’ Amber Keating embraced streamlined items with daring textures, evoking a way of assist for the {industry}.
Nagnata debuted with a brand new denim line and expanded knitwear assortment, whereas Joseph & James offered relaxed menswear separates.
Farage wrapped up Day 2 with a extremely anticipated present marking its return to AFW after 30 years.
Highlights of Day 3 (14th Could 2025):
Day 3 witnessed vogue fluidity, legacy labels, and rising voices.
Aje made a assured return to the runway with a group stuffed with motion—ruffles, lace tiers, sheer pleats, and ombré textures. Designers Adrian Norris and Edwina Forrest leaned into authenticity, exhibiting appears styled for actual Australian lives.
Bianca Spender offered Deliquesce, a serene and emotionally resonant assortment impressed by transformation and ocean swimming. Silks, drapes, and a mushy monochrome palette conveyed a quiet, private evolution, whereas a brand new swimwear line marked a recent path.
Alix Higgins continued to command consideration along with his word-printed items and signature play on text-as-fashion, bringing mental edge to the runway.
Courtney Zheng, the Chinese language-Australian designer recognized for dressing Troye Sivan, made her AFW debut. Clear strains, luxe materials, and quiet confidence outlined her minimalist but highly effective aesthetic.
Dan Single, Ksubi co-founder, marked the label’s twenty fifth anniversary with the launch of his e book The Diary of a Naughtie Child, reflecting on his near-fatal 2017 fall and inventive rebirth.
Avenue Type Highlight: Bag charms stole the present—notably Labubu toys, now extra coveted than Birkins amongst vogue insiders. The playful accent development is evolving right into a street-style standing image.
Highlights of Day 4 (fifteenth Could 2025):
Day 4 opened to excessive vogue drama and creative storytelling throughout Sydney’s most iconic venues.
Acler on the Sydney Opera Home
Acler commanded consideration on the Opera Home steps with voluminous robes, sculptural tailoring, and sharp pleating. The palette moved from mushy neutrals to fiery crimson, marrying architectural precision with daring femininity.
Albus Lumen’s Sensory Showcase
Inside a uncooked warehouse area, Albus Lumen embraced texture and tactility. Pure materials, sandy hues, and ceramic accents framed a present that prioritized materiality and sensory depth over spectacle.
Joslin’s Romantic Layers
Joslin leaned into softness with sheer cottons, lace trims, and cascading ruffles. Refined asymmetry and tonal layers in ivory, taupe, and blush gave the gathering a refined but dreamy attraction.
Bondi Born’s Sundown Palette
With sculptural swimwear and tailor-made resortwear, Bondi Born delivered clean-lined class in shades of seafoam, burnt orange, and sand—echoing each luxurious and sustainability in a single sun-kissed assertion.
Beare Park’s Luxe Utility
Beare Park provided a imaginative and prescient of recent energy dressing: outsized suiting, fluid silks, and high-sheen materials in a impartial palette. It was 90s minimalism reimagined with slick, directional polish.
Youkhana’s Avant-Garde Expression
Pushing boundaries, Youkhana offered a genderless, performance-driven assortment stuffed with upcycled supplies, freeform silhouettes, and expressive layering—a visible manifesto on sustainability and identification.
Highlights of Day 5 (sixteenth Could 2025):
Day 5 encapsulated the progressive spirit of AFW 2025, mixing heritage with avant-garde expressions, and setting a dynamic tone for the way forward for Australian vogue.
Wackie Ju: A Poetic Finale
Jackie Wu closed AFW with Saviour—a theatrical present that includes pillowy capes, sheer tunics, and silky units. The finale, a white robe splattered with crimson beneath a heavy coat, symbolized resilience via trauma.
Albus Lumen: Revolt via Reinvention
Marina Afonina’s Revolt assortment reimagined archival items with frayed hems, spray-painted blazers, and dip-dyed denim—marking a sustainable, directional shift for the model.
Blanca: Backyard Get together Glamour
Blanca’s Jardin present, set within the gardens of Vaucluse Home, blended summer season nostalgia with sequins, lace, boxy tailoring, and breezy class.
Damage: Futuristic Aesthetics
Damage’s 55555 immersed audiences in a techno-futurist world of metallic equipment, utilitarian silhouettes, and dystopian visuals.
Rising Designers Shine
The Frontier group present featured Courtney Zheng’s brutalist denim and sheer robes, Wynn Hamlin’s hand-loomed textures, and Amy Lawrance’s starch-sculpted attire.
Melissa Leong’s Runway Debut
TV persona Melissa Leong made a strong runway debut for Gary Bigeni, underlining AFW’s rising inclusivity.
Takeaways from AFW 2025 : Avenue Type and Sheer Statements
Finest Avenue Type
Exterior the runways, AFW 2025 turned a road type playground. Friends introduced their A-game with fearless self-expression within the type of outsized tailoring, archival designer items, and Y2K-inspired equipment. The temper? Effortlessly elevated. It wasn’t about perfection; it was about persona. From monochrome minimalism to dopamine-drenched coloration pops, the style crowd turned Carriageworks right into a reside temper board of up to date cool.
Sheer Materials
If there was one runway development that floated above the remaining—actually—it was sheer materials. Seen in all places from Lee Mathews’ romantic gauze attire to ethereal panels on eveningwear, sheer was much less about exhibiting pores and skin and extra about layering, motion, and visible depth. Gentle, sensual, and infrequently styled with structured separates, sheer parts gave collections a contemporary, ethereal lightness.
Trend’s Timeless Edge: The place Craftsmanship Meets Innovation
AFW 2025 isn’t only a showcase—it’s a cultural barometer, capturing the place vogue, sustainability, and innovation intersect. Because the Southern Hemisphere’s premier vogue week, it fuses uncooked creativity with forward-thinking design, spotlighting all the pieces from reimagined resortwear to Indigenous excellence.
From Carla Zampatti’s iconic tailoring to Lee Mathews’ easy silhouettes, this season affirmed a core reality: nice type endures. Simply because the runway revisits and reinvents the classics, as we speak’s vogue lovers are rediscovering the lasting attraction of high quality—whether or not recent off the catwalk or revived via pre-owned luxurious.
It’s a reminder that basic designs aren’t simply admired, they’re collected. And essentially the most coveted items don’t all the time come model new. Pre-loved designer treasures, like these curated by The Luxurious Closet, echo the very ethos AFW 2025 celebrates: craftsmanship, sustainability, and enduring type.
Pattern Forecast: What We’ll Be Sporting Subsequent
From what strutted, swayed, and shimmered down the runways, right here’s what to anticipate:
- The New Tailoring: Boxy blazers and wide-leg trousers dominated, with exaggerated silhouettes and mushy suiting making a comeback.
- Earthy Minimalism: Clear strains, pure fibers, and impartial tones (particularly at Albus Lumen and Joslin).
- Y2K Revival 2.0: Assume up to date metallics, low-rise cuts, and glam nostalgia, led by Bec + Bridge.
- Digital Meets Bodily: Damage blurred the road between tech and textile, integrating VR parts, NFT-linked designs, and digital twins.
Wrapping Up the Occasion:
Australian Trend Week 2025 didn’t simply predict what we’ll put on—it challenged how we take into consideration vogue. Resilience, inclusivity, and identification have been on the core of almost each present. And in an period of AI-generated quick vogue, AFW reminded us of one thing fixed, that vogue continues to be a deeply human craft.
From beachfront glam to conscious minimalism, from First Nations storytelling to digital couture—this 12 months’s AFW wasn’t only a second. It was a motion.
Keep tuned for resale developments and international ripples coming quickly.
