Australian Fashion Week 2025 Highlights

From being dubbed “Style Weak” by British style author Susan Owens in its infancy to turning into Australia’s sartorial reply to Paris and Milan, Australian Style Week (AFW) has traversed a exceptional journey. What began as a daring regional experiment is now a globally revered fashion 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 style may be. It’s not nearly garments however about letting the world sit up and take discover of the Australian style scene- designers and their craftsmanship, expertise, and experimentation. 

Now in its 2025 version, AFW returns with heightened objective, a near-cancellation drama, a legacy tribute to Carla Zampatti, and a brand new sponsor—Shark Magnificence—signaling a contemporary alignment of magnificence tech and style futurism. From the entrance row at Carriageworks to reside streams beamed globally, the week guarantees runway revelations, digital disruptions, and directional fashion not like wherever else on the earth.

Australian Style Week At A Look

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, dealing with every little thing from {industry} skepticism to logistical chaos. In its earliest iteration, the occasion was often known as Mercedes Australian Style Week, due to the luxurious automaker’s backing—a strategic transfer that aligned Australian fashion with international luxurious branding. The affiliation with Mercedes-Benz lent rapid credibility to a fledgling occasion nonetheless discovering its ft. However it lacked polish; Lock’s ambition was clear: to create a platform that would elevate homegrown expertise to worldwide prominence. And whereas his imaginative and prescient paved the best way, the equipment wanted to evolve.

In 2005, Lock offered the occasion to IMG, the worldwide powerhouse that now produces style 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 sophisticated, globally revered platform, one which fuses the experimental power 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 style’s afterthought—it was a vacation spot.

• 2006–2010s: Rosemount Property

The beloved Australian wine model ushered in a decadent life-style period, the place backyard events met runways and style fused with indulgence. Beneath the Rosemount Australian Style Week banner, the occasion leaned into native attraction with a worldwide wink.

With Afterpay, the runway grew to become immediately shoppable. This was the age of style meets fintech, the place digital democratization allowed viewers to “see now, purchase now” in real-time. It marked a paradigm shift towards consumer-first style.

The jewellery large introduced emotional resonance to the runway. By themes of identification and self-expression, Pandora’s involvement mirrored a want for extra private storytelling in style, each on and off the catwalk.

The newest chapter is all about tech-savvy transformation. Identified for high-performance hair instruments and glossy innovation, Shark Magnificence is greater than a sponsor—it’s a backstage powerhouse. Count on 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 indicators a polished, tech-driven future for AFW that blurs the boundaries between fashion, utility, and spectacle.

The Australian Style Council: A New Starting for AFW

As Australian Style Week (AFW) enters a brand new chapter in 2025, one of the important adjustments has been the formation of the Australian Style Council (AFC). Following the announcement of  IMG’s exit in late 2024, the way forward for Australia’s premier style occasion was unsure. Nonetheless, the AFC’s involvement has paved the best way for a daring and industry-led reboot of AFW. 

With a mission to strengthen the Australian style {industry}, the AFC is now steering the occasion alongside Vacation spot NSW. This new partnership marks a dedication to showcasing the dynamic expertise in established and rising Australian style 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 in addition redefine the way forward for Australian style.

By empowering native designers, fostering {industry} collaboration, and selling sustainable practices, the AFC’s management indicators a extra inclusive and forward-thinking method to AFW.

So, Again to the Current: Australian Style Week 2025

When and The place Is It Occurring?

Venue: Carriageworks, Sydney

Dates: Might 12 to 16, 2025

Count on a full week of runway reveals; rising designer-showcases, magnificence activations, and cultural conversations—all set in opposition to Sydney’s urban-industrial trendy backdrop.

Who Owns and Operates Australian Style Week?

AFW is owned and operated by IMG Style Occasions and Properties, Asia Pacific, a division of the worldwide leisure, sports activities, and style company IMG. They oversee all facets of the occasion—from curation and designer choice to sponsorship and manufacturing—making certain a worldwide customary of execution.

The Course and Objective 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 style panorama that calls for creativity and commerce.

AFW serves two distinct functions for designers:

• Client-Centered Reveals: These are tailor-made for audiences buying public tickets, pushed by immediacy and digital engagement. Assume see-now-buy-now style moments.
• Trade-Solely Showcases: These invite-only reveals goal consumers, stylists, editors, and different insiders. The main target 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—may be prohibitive, typically muting a few of style’s most daring new voices. Right here, the function of sponsorship turns into much less about branding and extra about equitable entry and artistic survival.

Was the Australian Style Week 2025 Virtually Cancelled?

Earlier this yr, whispers of a possible AFW cancellation despatched tremors via the {industry}. Decreased 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 higher luxurious ecosystem.

What’s New in 2025?

In addition to its very survival, AFW 2025 brings some huge 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 Style + Design Showcase: Now a day by day function, not only a one-off present—highlighting Indigenous storytelling and sustainability.
• Eco-Innovation Pavilion: Devoted to round style, 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 attraction.
• Strateas Carlucci: Monochrome mastery with edgy, gender-fluid cuts.

Rising stars like Beare Park, Youkhana, and Iordanes Spyridon Gogos are including contemporary power—merging style with efficiency artwork, activism, and future-facing themes.

Rising Style Traits from AFW 2025

From the early runways and press previews, a number 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: Good supplies and modular silhouettes redefine precision dressing for the long run.

• Draped Minimalism: Clear traces, fluid quantity, and easy motion create quiet influence.

• Nature Punk: Rebellious power meets darkish florals, recycled materials, and earthy edge.

• Inclusive Design: Genderless cuts, adaptive items, and expanded sizing embrace radical inclusivity.

• Fashion Echoes: Fringing particulars, vintage-inspired silhouettes, and refreshing sorbet shades add texture, nostalgia, and a touch of playfulness.

Easy methods to Attend or Watch Australian Style Week

Attend in Individual

Public tickets can be found for choose reveals and occasions. Go to the official web site australianfashionweek.com to order.

Watch On-line

All main runway reveals are live-streamed in excessive definition through the AFW web site and YouTube channel.

Social Protection

Comply with real-time updates, appears to be like, and backstage moments utilizing hashtags like #AFW2025 and #SharkBeautyRunway.

What Australian Style 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 Internet-a-Porter listings. Designers who get away at AFW typically safe worldwide stockists, celeb placements, and media protection that propels their model onto the worldwide radar. In a time when the style world craves contemporary views, AFW’s distinct Australian lens—sun-drenched, resourceful, rebellious—units it aside.

AFW’s Affect on the Luxurious Sale and Resale Market

AFW doesn’t simply dictate what’s in—it shapes what holds worth:

• Put up-show buzz drives searches and demand for present and classic items by AFW designers.
• Runway standouts typically turn into extremely wanted on resale platforms, particularly when stock is restricted.
• As sustainability and round style turn into central themes, pre-owned luxurious sees a halo impact—customers need items with a narrative, a objective, and long-term worth.

Highlights of Day 1:

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 Style 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 rejoice 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, Equipment 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 in opposition to 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 style stays indelible.

Highlights of Day 2:

Day 2 noticed Lee Mathews mark 25 years in style with a set celebrating her journey, that includes breezy clothes, 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 prime expertise like Wynn Hamlyn, Paris Georgia, and Amber Keating’s Frequent Hours, showcasing Australian and Kiwi design.

Charlotte Hicks’s “see now, purchase now” assortment targeted on creating an instantaneous connection along with her viewers via luxe leather-based separates and stylish silhouettes.

Frequent Hours’ Amber Keating embraced streamlined items with daring textures, evoking a way of help for the {industry}.

Nagnata debuted with a brand new denim line and expanded knitwear assortment, whereas Joseph & James introduced relaxed menswear separates.

Farage wrapped up Day 2 with a extremely anticipated present marking its return to AFW after 30 years.

Avenue Fashion & Material Traits at AFW 2025

Finest Avenue Fashion

Whereas AFW 2025 showcased excessive style on the runway, the road fashion outdoors Carriageworks was equally charming. Style-forward attendees, together with creatives and influencers, embraced daring, eclectic appears to be like—highlighting an appreciation for individuality. From assertion equipment to casual-chic combos, the road fashion mirrored a seamless mix of luxurious and laid-back Aussie aptitude.

Sheer Materials

Sheer materials have been a key development this yr, making their presence identified on a number of runways. Gentle, flowing, and infrequently layered, these materials added a contact of sensuality and class to collections. Whether or not within the type of sheer pink maxi clothes at Lee Mathews or dramatic sheer panels at different reveals, these materials dominated the 2025 collections, including texture and visible intrigue.

Style’s Timeless Edge: The place Craftsmanship Meets Innovation

AFW 2025 isn’t only a showcase—it’s a cultural barometer, capturing the place style, sustainability, and innovation intersect. Because the Southern Hemisphere’s premier style week, it fuses uncooked creativity with forward-thinking design, spotlighting every little thing from reimagined resortwear to Indigenous excellence.

From Carla Zampatti’s iconic tailoring to Lee Mathews’ easy silhouettes, this season affirmed a core reality: nice fashion endures. Simply because the runway revisits and reinvents the classics, right this moment’s style lovers are rediscovering the lasting enchantment of high quality—whether or not contemporary off the catwalk or revived via pre-owned luxurious.

It’s a reminder that traditional 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 Luxury Closet, echo the very ethos AFW 2025 celebrates: craftsmanship, sustainability, and enduring fashion.