From being dubbed “Trend Weak” by British trend author Susan Owens in its infancy to changing into Australia’s sartorial reply to Paris and Milan, Australian Trend Week (AFW) has traversed a exceptional journey. What began as a daring regional experiment is now a globally revered model spectacle. Celebrating outback aesthetics and high-gloss runway glam, the occasion has matured into one of many world’s most intriguing cultural and industrial forces, rewriting the narrative of what Australian trend might be. It’s now not nearly garments however about letting the world sit up and take discover of the Australian trend 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 trend futurism. From the entrance row at Carriageworks to dwell streams beamed globally, the week guarantees runway revelations, digital disruptions, and directional model in contrast to wherever else on the planet.
Australian Trend Week At A Look
Based in 1996 by Simon Lock, a public relations marketing consultant 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 thing from {industry} skepticism to logistical chaos. In its earliest iteration, the occasion was often called Mercedes Australian Trend Week, because of the posh automaker’s backing—a strategic transfer that aligned Australian model with international luxurious branding. The affiliation with Mercedes-Benz lent fast 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 best way, the equipment wanted to evolve.
In 2005, Lock offered the occasion to IMG, the worldwide powerhouse that now produces trend weeks in New York, London, and Milan. With that sale got here construction, status, and entry to an enormous worldwide community. Since then, AFW has grown into a elegant, 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 enhance, lending European gravitas to a scrappy newcomer. Because the inaugural naming rights sponsor, Mercedes-Benz made it clear: Australia was now not trend’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 trend fused with indulgence. Below the Rosemount Australian Trend Week banner, the occasion leaned into native attraction with a world wink.
With Afterpay, the runway grew to become immediately shoppable. This was the age of trend meets fintech, the place digital democratization allowed viewers to “see now, purchase now” in real-time. It marked a paradigm shift towards consumer-first trend.
The jewellery large introduced emotional resonance to the runway. By means of themes of identification and self-expression, Pandora’s involvement mirrored a need for extra private storytelling in trend, each on and off the catwalk.
The most recent 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. Count on salon-quality styling lounges, digital activations, and a brand new dialog round magnificence and efficiency.
Briefly, every sponsor has not solely funded the style occasion—they’ve reshaped the runway’s cultural forex. In 2025, Shark Magnificence indicators a polished, tech-driven future for AFW that blurs the boundaries between model, 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 important 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 trend occasion was unsure. Nevertheless, 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 trend {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 trend whereas making certain the occasion continues to supply an important 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 trend.
By empowering native designers, fostering {industry} collaboration, and selling sustainable practices, the AFC’s management indicators a extra inclusive and forward-thinking strategy to AFW.
So, Again to the Current: Australian Trend Week 2025
When and The place Is It Taking place?
Venue: Carriageworks, Sydney
Dates: Might 12 to 16, 2025
Count on a full week of runway exhibits; rising designer-showcases, magnificence activations, and cultural conversations—all set in opposition to 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 trend company IMG. They oversee all facets of the occasion—from curation and designer choice to sponsorship and manufacturing—making certain a world customary of execution.
The Route 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 fancy new trend panorama that calls for creativity and commerce.
AFW serves two distinct functions for designers:
- Shopper-Centered Exhibits: These are tailor-made for audiences buying public tickets, pushed by immediacy and digital engagement. Assume see-now-buy-now trend moments.
- Trade-Solely Showcases: These invite-only exhibits goal consumers, stylists, editors, and different insiders. The main target right here is on long-lead affect 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—might be prohibitive, usually muting a few of trend’s most daring new voices. Right here, the position of sponsorship turns into much less about branding and extra about equitable entry and artistic survival.
Was the Australian Trend Week 2025 Nearly Cancelled?
Earlier this yr, whispers of a possible AFW cancellation despatched tremors by 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 get pleasure from front-row experiences and backstage entry like by no means earlier than.
- First Nations Trend + 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 trend, 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 trend with efficiency artwork, activism, and future-facing themes.
Rising Trend Tendencies from AFW 2025
Based mostly on early showings and press previews, count on:
- Desert-Core: Impartial tones, uncooked textures, and sun-faded hues.
- Techno-tailoring: Modular clothes and good supplies.
- Draped Minimalism: Clear traces with motion and quantity.
- Nature Punk: Darkish florals, recycled materials, and insurgent power.
- Inclusive Design: Genderless cuts, adaptive put on, and dimension growth.
How one can Attend or Watch Australian Trend Week
Attend in Particular person
Public tickets can be found for choose exhibits and occasions. Go to the official web site australianfashionweek[dot]com to order.
Watch On-line
All main runway exhibits are live-streamed in excessive definition through the AFW web site and YouTube channel.
Social Protection
Comply with real-time updates, seems, and backstage moments utilizing hashtags like #AFW2025 and #SharkBeautyRunway.
What Australian Trend Week Means for the International 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 get away at AFW usually safe worldwide stockists, superstar 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:
- Submit-show buzz drives searches and demand for present and classic items by AFW designers.
- Runway standouts usually turn into extremely wanted on resale platforms, particularly when stock is proscribed.
- As sustainability and round trend turn into central themes, pre-owned luxurious sees a halo impact—shoppers need items with a narrative, a objective, and long-term worth.
What’s Taking place on the Floor
Highlights of Day 1:
Day 1 kicked off with a strong mix of emotion and magnificence 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 a good time 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 trend stays indelible.
Highlights of Day 2:
Day 2 noticed Lee Mathews mark 25 years in trend 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 prime 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 targeted on creating a direct connection together with her viewers by luxe leather-based separates and stylish silhouettes.
Widespread 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 offered relaxed menswear separates.
Farage wrapped up Day 2 with a extremely anticipated present marking its return to AFW after 30 years.
Road Model & Cloth Tendencies at AFW 2025
Greatest Road Model
Whereas AFW 2025 showcased excessive trend on the runway, the road model outdoors Carriageworks was equally fascinating. Trend-forward attendees, together with creatives and influencers, embraced daring, eclectic seems—highlighting an appreciation for individuality. From assertion equipment to casual-chic combos, the road model mirrored a seamless mix of luxurious and laid-back Aussie aptitude.
Sheer Materials
Sheer materials had been a key development this yr, making their presence identified on a number of runways. Mild, 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 attire at Lee Mathews or dramatic sheer panels at different exhibits, these materials dominated the 2025 collections, including texture and visible intrigue.
Trend’s Timeless Edge: The place Craftsmanship Meets Innovation
AFW 2025 isn’t only a showcase—it’s a cultural barometer, capturing the place trend, sustainability, and innovation intersect. Because the Southern Hemisphere’s premier trend week, it fuses uncooked creativity with forward-thinking design, spotlighting every thing from reimagined resortwear to Indigenous excellence.
From Carla Zampatti’s iconic tailoring to Lee Mathews’ easy silhouettes, this season affirmed a core fact: nice model endures. Simply because the runway revisits and reinvents the classics, in the present day’s trend lovers are rediscovering the lasting attraction of high quality—whether or not contemporary off the catwalk or revived by 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 model.
