Brisbane Fashion Festival turns 20 with daring bridge runway, ballet banquet and star designer line-up

A catwalk over the Brisbane River, fashion powered by ballet and more than 550 new-season looks. This is how Brisbane Fashion Festival will celebrate 20 years.

Model Lily Rendall wearing Camilla at Government House. Picture: Richard Walker

A fashion show suspended over the Brisbane River will open this year’s Brisbane Fashion Festival, as the city’s premiere fashion event unveils its most spectacular program yet.

To mark its 20th anniversary, the 2025 festival will kick off on August 24 with a runway show on the new Kangaroo Point Bridge, transforming the striking piece of infrastructure into a floating catwalk with sweeping skyline views.

Brisbane Fashion Festival model Lily Rendall at Government House. Picture: Richard Walker

The bold opener will showcase resort collections from some of the country’s leading designers, including Camilla, Rebecca Vallance, Pamela Easton, M.J. Bale, Samantha Ogilvie and Millyzu.

“In celebration of our 20th anniversary, we are proud to unveil our program for Brisbane Fashion Festival 2025, with a strong line-up of designers and retailers,” festival director Lindsay Bennett said.

“Each year tickets across all events sellout immediately and I’m certain with what we have planned to celebrate our 20th anniversary, that demand will be at an all-time.”

Festival director Lindsay Bennett. Picture: David Kelly

The festival runs until August 29, featuring more than 50 designers and more than 550 spring and summer looks across a mix of shows, boutique experiences and glamorous off-site events.

Runway highlights at King George Square include the W Brisbane Group Show, the Hancock Prospecting Next Gen Showcase, and a special retrospective of the inaugural 2006 event, with designs by Easton Pearson, Juli Grbac and George Wu.

Off the runway, fashion fans can indulge in a ballet-meets-couture dinner party with Queensland Ballet, an exclusive designer salon brunch, and a one-night-only Q&A with design icons Easton Pearson at the Museum of Brisbane.

Shayna Jack (centre), with Mikeayla Smith and Reidel Smith, modelling Gina Rinehart’s reimagined Driza-Bone collection at the 2024 festival. Photo: Steve Pohlner

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the festival was a pillar of Brisbane’s cultural calendar.

“For 20 years, this festival has brought the best of Australian fashion to Brisbane, and this year’s anniversary promises one of the best shows yet, creating so much to see and do,” he said.

“Brisbane has one of the best creative arts scenes in the country because of festivals like this, and we are incredibly proud to support it.”

Tickets go on sale on June 2, from $60.

One dollar from every ticket will support the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Trust, with early events expected to sell out quickly.

Originally published as Brisbane Fashion Festival turns 20 with daring bridge runway, ballet banquet and star designer line-up