So here we are, at the tail-end of arguably the most important week in any Australian fashion disciples calendar: Australian Fashion Week. And this year, AFW is celebrating its 30th anniversary, marked by a return to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Circular Quay after 13 years spent at Carriageworks.
The show calendar runs from 11–15 May 2026, with shows on schedule this year from brands like Aje, Beare Park, Maticevski and L'IDEE, as well as beloved designers like Alix Higgins, Courtney Zheng and Nicol & Ford. If you're not attending this year's event, we'll be your port-of-call for all the insights (or you can follow our guide for how to participate yourself).
We've been treated to a week packed with ambitious runway concepts, jam-packed front rows, bellwether emerging talent and the kind of jaw-dropping fashion moments that have unsurprisingly dominated our RUSSH editor group chats and social feeds (and will continue to do so for at least the next few weeks). And thankfully – for both us and for you, our lovely readers – we didn't miss a beat, or a runway show, as we zipped from location to location in Volvo's EX-30. Could you imagine more efficient or luxurious transport during AFW than a car that doubles as an office, mobile wardrobe and the perfect spot to doomscroll?
For all the show notes, highlights, most exciting, memorable and downright bizarre moments – we've got you covered below...
Albus Lumen
Albus Lumen’s Resort 27 collection, Inter Duo, explored the tension between two contrasting worlds: the refined minimalism of the 1990s and a bold futuristic maximalism. Grounded in wearability, the collection featured effortless separates including crisp shirting, relaxed tailoring, versatile layering pieces and signature outerwear, with 90s-inspired nylon fabrications offering ease and functionality. Touches of silk organza introduced softness and lightness, while statement sequins and amplified volumes brought a futuristic energy to otherwise simple silhouettes. Rendered in a timeless palette of ivory, black, navy and layered blues, the collection balanced restraint with expression, celebrating iconic Albus Lumen forms through a modern lens of luminosity and sculptural design.
NICOL & FORD
Design duo Nicol & Ford once again brought the theatrics with its fifth consecutive show at AFW. The 2026 collection from the brand drew inspiration from Adrian Feint (1894-1971), a painter and designer whose botanical fantasies inspired new sartorial forms. Held at the heritage Elizabeth Bay House at dusk on Thursday night, couture-like gowns were paired with extravagant floral headpieces and earrings, alongside gravity-defying sculptural garments, all the the tune of an original composition by Sza Sza Gyulay and Milo McLaughlin.
Ngali
Created in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists – and worn by First Nations models like Samantha Harris, Billie-Jean Hamlet and Latahlia Hickling – Ngali's latest collection transformed breathtaking artworks into versatile luxury garments designed to move and evolve with the wearer. Signature scarves were reimagined as dresses, skirts, belts, and wraps, while silk ponchos transformed into statement separates and layered pieces.
Lee Mathews
Lee Mathews' Resort 27 collection was about highlighting the deliberately undone – from intentionally deconstructed tailoring to raw hemlines and sheer fabrics. The show took places in the Redfern showroom of designer furniture retailer Anibou, where the runway was framed by a stack of modernist chairs that became a fitting symbol of Mathews' bringing together of fashion, design and art. The brand's usual cotton, denim and sheer organza fabrications were central to the collection, embellished with petal-like appliqués, bold check prints and simple ballet flats.
HENNE
HENNE hosted an in-store 'Denim After Dark' party on Wednesday evening, inviting friends of the brand like Pip Edwards, Indy Clinton, Jessica Gomes, Montana Cox to celebrate the launch of its latest denim collection (which includes new fits, washes, pairings and petite silhouettes). Guests were treated to roving fries and burgers, as well as spicy margaritas, cherry martinis, jelly shots and champagne, while listening to Cate Underwood and Bappy on the decks.
Iordanes Spyridon Gogos
For his sixth Australian fashion week show, Jordan Gogos held court at the UNSW Galleries. The presentation opened with a recording that asked: “What even is a button? Is it a circular object? Is it a square? Does it need to be either? And what is a buttonhole? And how does it decide what goes through it?” Some of the standout garments included a sculptural red blazer fastened at the collar to distort its silhouette; an angular strapless mini dress formed from a long swathe of button-connected fabric; a halter-neck top and flowing skirt crafted from richly textured Greek textiles; a beaded dress with a densely layered wooden-bead skirt; and an oversized teddy bear-like coat (worn by artist Tony Albert).
Zero Meaning
ZERO MEANING brought together the Australian fashion community for an after-dark Australian Fashion Week celebration at VAULT in Machine Hall, spotlighting the brand’s minimalist subculture aesthetic and growing influence within the local industry. With DJ sets from JAMMER, Cate Underwood, Kenfo and Dante Knows, guests including Inka Williams, Flex Mami and James Majoos gathered to preview the upcoming EDIT 0.2 Winter Collection over Disaronno cocktails and Heineken beers.
New Generation
Australian Fashion Week’s New Generation showcase, presented by DHL, spotlighted emerging designers, each presenting eight looks. Knitwear designer Alberta Bucciarelli debuted her honours collection Oceana, reimagining knitwear beyond the winter wardrobe. EDITION x Sarrita King merged contemporary fashion with First Nations storytelling through Alice van Meurs’ artisanal design and Sarrita King’s cultural artistry. Gloria Chol, Australia’s first South Sudanese-owned luxury fashion house, showcased refined designs grounded in ancestry and craftsmanship. Blak-owned studio KingKing Creative continued its focus on wearable art and storytelling through design-led pieces inspired by Country and community. Meanwhile, Melbourne label VAN BRUSSEL presented its signature blend of sustainable small-batch production, modern tailoring, and European-inspired sophistication.
L'idée
Four years after its Australian Fashion Week debut, L’IDÉE returned with a runway that distilled the brand’s signature glamour into a study of movement and pleating. Opened by supermodel Taylor Hill and featuring a cast of models including Shanina Shaik and Gemma Ward, the presentation paired the brand's signature liquid shine, saturated colour and rhythmic textures with a distinctly after-dark energy — a confident new era for the Australian label.
Karla Špetić
Karla Špetić's Resort 2027 collection, COMPOSE, was held inside the cavernous, light-filled Saint Barnabas Chapel. Špetić's usual crisp tailoring was deconstructed and softened for the occasion, utilising lace and cut-outs with ties and sheer overlays. A particular favourite was a sheer, oversized tee that read "Everything I love creates space for everything I need", alongside a cut-out dress worn over a pair of matching lace bike shorts.
MARIAM SEDDIQ
Designer MARIAM SEDDIQ unveiled her latest collection, ECHOES at the Museum of Contemporary Art, opening the show with Australian model Jessica Gomes and closing with Montana Cox. The collection was an exploration of spaces between power and softness, combining sculptural dresses with fluid drapery and metallic mesh in a palette of smokey greys, blacks, browns and plums.
The Innovators
FDS at TAFE NSW's show 'The Innovators' returned to AFW in the afternoon, spotlighting four of the school's recent graduates: Luke Rutherford-Durney, Oliver Parry, Tate Boswarva and Zoe Markopoulos. The show was a masterclass in texture, craft and visionary design – from siren-like pailette dresses to cloaked figures that glided down the runway. Technical knitwear in particular was a real highlight from several of the collections too.
Alix Higgins
Alix Higgins’ show remains one of the most anticipated on the Australian Fashion Week calendar, and this season again delivered his signature collision of digitised prints, fragmented text, and emotionally charged aphorisms – from “This is my show” to “I hope it was worth it” – distilled into a kind of wearable self-mythology. Staged among scattered black-and-white piano-style chairs and underscored by references to Britney Spears’ Circus (we love) and a beautiful selection of Pandora jewellery and charms, the collection blurred spectacle and sincerity with Higgins’ unmistakably coded visual language.
Nagnata
In the late morning, Nagnata debuted its Movement 21 collection in an industrial space on Oxford street. Guests were treated to bottled water, electrolytes and Loco Love chocolates upon entry, before bearing witness to an abstracted contemporary dance performance by NON that opened the show. The collection was titled Future = Fibre, and certainly, the brand's signature natural knitwear and newly introduced vegetable-dyed denim felt core to this ethos. However, the Nagnata uniform exapnded to include an expanded ready-to-wear offering that included jersey knits and dnim bags, fine rib layering and polos – and paired with soft sheepskin footwear brand EVERAU.
ESSE
ESSE opened our Wednesday morning with a sunlit show at the MCA. Against a stark, white backdrop and thundering, bass-heavy music, models showcased a collection that exuded elegance – show notes noted that the collection encircled this idea of "the modern gentlewoman". Fringed silks, leather scarves, shearling coats and emerald drapery were highlights, with the collection presented as a complete see-now-buy-now offering (meaning you can now buy the full collection on the ESSE website).
AJE
Staged at sunset at The Lands by Capella, AJE unveiled its Resort 2027 collection, Siren – a refined meditation on the House’s enduring codes, from saturated denim and sculptural hardware to diaphanous, fluid silhouettes. Seaside references permeated the collection through slide-on sandals, micro-mini shorts and silver bolo ties, lending the offering a subtle yet distinctly Western inflection.
Courtney Zheng
For Courtney Zheng's first-ever standalone show on the Australian Fashion Week — which she described as "surreal" — the designer turned toward the community around her: "the rock stars, dancers, artists, freaks and geeks who shape the world of the brand." The show was titled 'Beauty as Resistance', which took the shape of fluid silks, fringe details and plenty of sheer layers, before crescendoing into a series of regal gowns.
Hansen and Gretel
If a holiday feels like a distant dream right now, Hansen and Gretel's Resort 2026 collection might suffice. Set to the sounds of crashing waves, the brand's latest collection was aptly titled Tide, drawing inspiration from a connection to water, and a familiar coastal spirit. Think: crystals that dripped from sheer column dresses like water droplets, playsuits that shrugged from shoulders to reveal swimwear underneath, and salty hair twisted into tiny plaits. Charles & Keith returned as the official footwear sponsor for Hansen & Gretel for the second consecutive year, complementing the collection’s relaxed coastal mood and understated elegance inspired by the Australian shoreline.
Bianca Spender
For Bianca Spender's Resort 27 runway presentation, guests headed out to an industrial space in Lilyfield, where spacious glass windows framed a harbour speckled with newly emerging sunlight. At the centre of the room, Lauren Brincat’s suspended installation framed a collection was as light and ethereal as Spender is naturally known for – organza in sheer, opalescent hues, ballooning skirts and twisted tops being some of our favourite silhouettes.
The Frontier
The Frontier returned for AFW this year, spotlighting the new wave of creatives redefining the industry, including: Haluminous (by Hannah Teresa), Ouse (by Samantha Diorio), Paris Jade Burrows, madre natura (by Jackie Galleghan), Rose Guiffre and Suzaan Stander. The collections were a textural dream, encircling denim, shimmering paillettes, body-clinging lace and twisted satins.
Carla Zampatti
Carla Zampatti staged its runway on the Park Hyatt boardwalk against the backdrop of a lit-up Sydney Opera House last night. While attendees were treated to a gentle shower of rain, nothing could stop the magnificence of the clothing; dresses, tailored pieces and outerwear marking the majority of the collection. The palette leant toward evening tones – shimmering golds, black, pink and yellow satins, chiffon polka dots and collars fringed in feathers. Necklines were high and rolled, hemlines were ankle-grazing and paired with a strappy leather sandals and pumps.
Beare Park
At Australian Fashion Week 2026, Beare Park once again cemented its place as fashion’s arbiter of cool. Staged against the late-afternoon glow of the Sydney Opera House — the very venue where the label debuted five years ago — the show felt both reflective and assured. While much has evolved for the brand in that time, designer Gabriella Pereira described the collection as a celebration of what has remained constant. From locally made silks to the label’s exacting silhouettes, Beare Park’s enduring intentions were unmistakably on display.
Maticevski
Anticipation was high for designer Toni Maticevski’s first outing on the Australian Fashion Week schedule in more than a decade. You could feel it bubbling through The Collider in Haymarket, where guests gathered for the salon-style runway on Monday afternoon. From the opening look, worn by Gemma Ward, Maticevski’s enduring devotion to the female form was on full display. Sculptural silhouettes, swathes of tactile texture, and effervescent embellishments abounded in a collection that felt at once exacting and restrained, yet sweeping and exuberant.
FNFD Runway: Reclamation
Joy was the prevailing mood at the FNFD presentation on Sunday, which was centred on the themes of reclamation, sustainability, community and culture. Bringing together six First Nations designers and an all-Indigenous cast of models, the presentation featured garments crafted by Tjarlirli & Kaltukatjara Arts, Nungala Creative, MumRed, MerrepenArts, KingKing Creative and Grace Lillian Lee. The evening opened with a Welcome to Country, followed by a multi-sensory performance of runways, monologues, Digeridoo performances and a final song from Australian rapper and musician Barkaa.
Looking for more AFW content? We'll be on the ground all week reporting live from every show on the AFW calendar on our Instagram and TikTok. Follow us there for in-the-moment updates, backstage videos, designer interviews and street style round-ups.
