In partnership with 1800 Tequila

After celebrating a decade at Australian Fashion Week last year, Albus Lumen began reimagining the future of the brand for its Resort 2027 collection.

Arriving at 6:30pm for pre-show drinks, guests were greeted by a runway of staff holding silver trays of 1800 Tequila Palomas. There’s something transportive about a Paloma – it instantly takes you somewhere else. It was also our first taste of what was to come. In many ways, the show had already begun.

That sense of atmosphere was intentional. 1800 Tequila elevated the guest experience at the show with a bespoke drinks offering, celebrating the shared spirit of craftsmanship, sophistication and modern luxury that defines both brands.“Partnering with Albus Lumen during Fashion Week is a natural alignment for 1800 Tequila,” said a spokesperson from 1800 Tequila. “Both brands champion artistry, authenticity and elevated experiences. We’re excited to celebrate fashion, creativity and culture together in Sydney this May.” Creative Director and Founder Marina Afonina described the collaboration with 1800 Tequila as “a natural extension of the collection’s energy” when speaking to RUSSH about the evening’s opening moment.

She added, “Bright, refreshing, slightly unexpected, but still refined. There’s a sense of escapism in it – something that feels like a moment of pause within movement. That balance reflects the world of Albus Lumen this season: clarity with edge, ease with tension, familiarity with a slight shift into something more heightened and atmospheric.”

Blue neon lights scattered across the driveway as guests including Phoebe Wolfe, Cynthia Taylu, Yasmin Suteja and Valentine Fodor gathered with their 1800 Palomas in hand ahead of the show. It served as a great prelude to the world Afonina has created: "a world that feels futuristic yet intimate, grounded yet slightly surreal, where clothing exists within a living, atmospheric frame." That cinematic undercurrent intensified once inside the show space. A large blue-lit flame hoovered above the runway while the seating extended closely around it, creating a feeling that was both urban and surreal. The audience were locked into the atmosphere before the first look had even appeared.

Over the past decade, the Albus Lumen woman has come to define herself through confidence. For Resort 2027, that confidence manifested as controlled energy. Afonina explains that "it exists in the way she enters a space, how she pauses, how she moves through light and shadow." As Lien De Sang by Mila Dietrich soundtracked the opening of the show, the first model emerged wearing a black parachute maxi skirt, cinched at the waist, paired with a matching nylon black bomber jacket. The signature styling detail this season was ballet flats worn over stockings.

This collection existed between two extremes: sharp 90s minimalism and futuristic maximalism. It made sense, then, when Afonina named David Lynch as her favourite director and Blade Runner as a key references. She struck a balance between stripped-back 90s polish and dystopian glamour.⁠ The colour palette remained restrained and timeless – ivory navy, metallic textures and layered fabrication. The collection ultimately felt less concerned with spectacle and more focused on presence itself, echoing Afonina's vision of something "less about being seen and more about being felt – like a presence within a scene rather than the centre of it."

Building a cinematic experience for Resort 2027 remained central to the collection's vision. "It felt more cinematic than traditional. I was drawn to that sense of tension and ambiguity – where nothing is overly explained, and everything is felt through atmosphere, rhythm, and energy rather than clarity. For Albus Lumen, it became about translating that cinematic feeling into texture, silhouette, and movement – building a world that exists somewhere between reality and imagination."

As the night continued, and the show concluded, there was a noticeable shift in tone from previous Albus Lumen collections. Perhaps it was the lingering taste of the 1800 Paloma cocktail, but something about the collection stayed with you afterwards.

It signalled a new direction for the brand, one worth being excited about. As Afonina shares of Albus Lumen's future: "the future is about maintaining clarity while allowing the world around it to deepen – building atmosphere, emotion, and movement while staying true to its core language. Legacy now feels less about a fixed point and more about an ongoing evolution."

To easily create your own 1800 Tequila Paloma at home, find the recipe below

Ingredients

60mL 1800 Blanco Tequila

120mL Pink Grapefruit Soda

15mL Fresh Lime Juice

Garnish: grapefruit wedge/slice

Method

Add the ingredients to a tall glass over ice and then stir.