Everything You Missed From the Australian Fashion Week Resort 2025 Collections (2024)

Next Gen
The Next Gen show at Australian Fashion Week is actually a prize awarded to emerging designers who apply to show their collections a year prior. This year, the winners were Amy Lawrance, House of Campbell, Emily Watson, and Potirakis; four very distinct labels that capture the essence of contemporary fashion. House of Campbell, established in 2019 by Abby Potter, who hails from the city of Adelaide, showed a clever mix of tailoring with feminine details—like a coquette heading to work. Emily Watson, who soundtracked her presentation with electro hits from the early aughts, channeled a party vibe with swim and resort wear that featured sexy experiments with drawstrings and gathers—it’s not surprising it’s already been spotted on Bella Hadid. Chris Potirakis, who designs under his last name, showed aggressively masculine clothes inspired by contemporary sportswear and workwear.

Asiyam
Asiyam’s Asia Hassan has always made her own clothes, and her business was born around five years ago, when she began sharing her designs on Instagram and people began inquiring about orders. Her resort collection was inspired by the butterfly. “They’re a symbol of growth, and this is my second year as a designer so I feel like I am just spreading my wings,” she said backstage after the show. “I found this beautiful butterfly fabric and I kept seeing butterflies everywhere and I thought—this is meant to be.” She complemented the theme with bold saturated fuchsias and grass greens in fluid shapes that hugged the body without revealing too much underneath.

Michael Lo Sordo
For resort, Michael Lo Sordo was inspired by parties. “It is about the after-party becoming the main event,” he said after his show, where in fact, the designer turned the after-party into the pre-party, with guests milling around drinking Champagne before the show began. His vision for nighttime was glamorous with come hither textures and details including high slits, slinky satins, and sensual leathers. “The runway collection, to me, is all about layering textures; mixing silk velvet with smooth nappa leather and chainmail felt effortless,” he added. “Being in a club environment where the light catches you through the smoky haze is what I find seductive.”

Speed
For Speed’s latest collection, designer Alvi Chung took us to the Sydney Aquarium. “I wanted to create a sunset under the ocean,” she said via email after the show. “There needed to be a strong experiential moment of nature, beauty, and strength and a moment for the creative community to continue despite the devastation of the current state of the world. I yearn for humanity to live on with the rise of AI technology and environmental devastation.” Her show took place in the “Shark Tunnel” where sharks, stingrays, and other ocean life had a front row-view of her opulent jacquards and twisted tailoring. A few pieces which seemed to have been awash in bold color were created in collaboration with the Egyptian-Australian artist Taylah Hasaballah, who developed a custom dyeing technique that combines “industrial dyes and chemical reactions with ancient encaustic (wax) painting” and as a result each piece is unique.

Acler
Kathryn Forth and Julia Ritorto, the duo behind Acler, were celebrating their 10th anniversary this year; no small achievement for an independent label. “We knew we were going to do a runway show and really amplify all the elements of motion and sound,” they said backstage after the show. As such, they were inspired by soundwaves; there were curvilinear shapes in jackets and dresses that stood in contrast with the pleating the designers are known for. “We are always trying to mix up the masculine and the feminine, we’re all about the yin and the yang,” they added. Swingy fabrics and bright sherbet colors were a further burst of energy, indeed a celebration for a decade in business.

David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway
Founded in 2020 by the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, the Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway presented by David Jones, one of Australia’s biggest luxury department stores, has played an important role in supporting and developing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designers. This season, the runway featured a mix of labels including sustainable swimwear from Ihraa Swim founded by Nat Dann in 2021, and Gali Swimwear designed by David Leslie, and lingerie from Cassandra Pons’s Lazy Girl Lingerie. On the ready-to-wear front, Joseph & James designer Juanita Page showed a confident menswear collection in easy fabrics and silhouettes and bold colors, while Melissa Greenwood and Lauren Jarrett, who design under the name Miimi & Jiinda, showed a strong collection of colorful printed dresses and shearling coats.

All Is a Gentle Spring
Isabelle Hellyer was born in San Diego, California, but left for Australia, where she grew up, at the age of three. Recently, she spent a year in Los Angeles, and back in Sydney, as she began to work on the resort collection, it all came rushing back. “I was obsessed with Hollywood, and this building in Los Angeles [the art deco site of the former Bullocks Wilshire department store], so the woman of the show is a little more ‘not of this world.’ Although her inspiration was lofty, it manifested with simple and sleek silhouettes, like jersey tanks with bateau necklines, creased trousers that hung extra-low on the hips, delicate princess sleeved blouses, and boned dresses with elegant rounded hems in the back.

Nicol & Ford
Nicol & Ford paid homage to the life and work of Rosaleen Norton, or “Thorn” as she was known, an artist and occultist that rose to prominence in the 1950s. Appropriately, Katie and Lil Nicol-Ford leaned into theatricality. Their show opened with a modern dance sequence by the performer Fetu Taku—although each model embodied their own character and was involved in a performance of their own. From the first look, where a model walked with their body completely bound in what looked to be plastic wrap, it was clear this was not going to be the average Australian Fashion Week presentation. Leather, chain, and metalwork all played a pivotal role in the lineup, but the designers also produced wearable—and even romantic clothes; like a nude silk organza trench coat with lace appliqués, or a bias-cut gown in silk yoryu. And just when you thought there was no more drama left, out came their finale look, a slinky gown made entirely from “350 sourced, cleaned, sanded, drilled, linked, and draped” oyster shells. Bravo!