Afterpay Australia Fashion Week Trends 2023
Australian style can mean many things, including lots of good things to wear.
How to define Australian style? Judging by the fashion week that just was, it’s many things — and that is exactly how it should be.
The best of Australian fashion is often associated with an easy, breezy kind of elegance — great cossies, linen sets, languid tailoring and colourful dresses to take you from beach to bar. All of this was, happily, represented and especially in some of the highlight shows of the week such as Alameis, which opened the proceedings, Aje (which introduced swimwear this season) and Bondi Born.
But as evidenced by the swell of emerging designers such as Alix Higgins, Nicol & Ford, Caroline Reznik and Nathaniel Youkhana – not to mention the sensory explosion that was the collaboration between Australian design stalwart Akira Isogawa and Jordan Gogos – at Australian Fashion Week there’s plenty of room for new takes on creativity, and getting dressed. This is resonating globally, too — the likes of singers Doja Cat and Rozalia and model and reality star Kendall Jenner have already worn Caroline Reznik’s intricate, body-baring designs, while Alix Higgins also has a celebrity following for his digital prints and fresh take on logos.
Meanwhile, there was the kind of gothic romance Wednesday Addams would definitely love in the dark frills and witchy lace details at Gail Sorronda, voluminous drama at Mariam Seddiq, a focus on inclusiveness and body diversity at the likes of Gary Bigeni and a celebration of First Nations fashion and design at Ngali (which staged the first First Nations stand-alone runway show in the event’s history) and the Ikuntji Artists show.
Libby Page, the London-based market director of Net-a-Porter, who notes that Australia is the luxury retailer’s second biggest market in the APAC region after Hong Kong, says she was impressed with the week.
Her favourite shows of the week included the likes of St Agni, Michael Lo Sordo and Aje, and she says other Australian brands particularly resonating for the retailer include Matteau, Esse Studios, Beare Park and powerhouse Zimmermann.
“It‘s been a really great fashion week, I have to say. I’ve been really impressed with even just the overall setup of it and the way that the schedule has been compiled … My general impression is that everything has been really considered and put together, the designers have been really inspired by this idea of nature, and that’s been quite a thoughtful message that’s been running throughout,” she said.
Australian designers and consumers are particularly evolved when it comes to sustainability, Page says, noting that many of the Australian brands stocked on the site are part of its “Net Sustain” edit.
Page, who says the “effortless sensibility” and wearability of Australian brands stocked on the site resonates with its audiences, also believes there’s an opportunity for designers to push further into directional fashion.
“My observation is that there’s two quite distinct aesthetics within Australian style. So you have your more feminine, exuberant dresser and then you’ve got your more minimalist crowd.
“And actually I think it’s nice to see that the designers are trying to push the boundaries out here and do something more directional,” she says.
“I still think there’s room for more of it.”
Page says brands such as Christopher Esber and Michael Lo Sordo (which this year celebrated its 10th anniversary with a high-octane and typically glamorous show) are examples of brands that “embrace ideas of Australian fashion, but they’ve pushed the boundaries a little bit more with their design”.
Staying true to your brand while expanding its DNA is a delicate dance, and it’s something Page says brands such as Esber and Lo Sordo do particularly well.
Pushing along a brand’s identity is something Bridget Veals, general manager of womenswear, footwear and accessories at David Jones, says she would like to see more of.
“A lot of the collections had really good elements to them of the established designers that will ensure that they continue to have a good resort season. Not everyone I think had enough newness in their collection and maybe relied on how they’ve had success before,” she says.
One designer who Veals says did introduce new elements was Bianca Spender, who is celebrating her 15th anniversary in the fashion business, with her soft tailoring such as the drawstring skirts and jackets.
“The more relaxed tailoring that Bianca did was really beautiful,” she says.
The most recent international collections have had a focus on wearable fashion and wardrobe essentials, and this was reflected at fashion week, too with plenty of good wardrobe basics such as the shirts at Blanca and the pared-back, ’90s influenced tailoring at St Agni.
As Veals noted, it was a season big on “separates”, from shorts to skirts, that can be mixed and matched together.
“Tailoring goes from strength to strength, but more relaxed tailoring,” says Veals.
Meanwhile, a rising star put on her radar, if not her purview, is the Savile Row-trained menswear designer Christian Kimber who made his fashion week debut this year. Kimber was one of several menswear designers to debut, while genderless pieces were highlighted at the likes of Erik Yvon and Gary Bigeni.
Other key trends? Plenty of sparkle, spied at Maggie Marilyn (who also brought back the “jeans and a nice top” combination that reigned in the early 2000s), Michael Lo Sordo and more.
Shades of green, from Granny Smith to chartreuse at Anna Quan, Aje and Gary Bigeni, as well as a softer take on the hot pink that’s dominated recent seasons, were key colour palettes.
Highlights were the sheer, luminous and beaded dresses that draped about the body at the likes of Karla Spetic and Albus Lumen (perfect for the modern bride).
Fresh takes on bubble hems, the ’80s classic, popped up at Alameis, Verner and the sustainability-focused New Zealand brand Maggie Marilyn (whose show at a sailing club at magic hour was another highlight on the schedule).
Layering, essential to Australia’s climate, was a key trend too, with longer line tunics and vests worn with trousers to add texture and dimension to an outfit.
Belts and scarfs were on high rotation, easy ways to make an outfit look entirely different with one good cinch or drape.
Given some of the collections shown won’t arrive into stores for a few months, and as the cooler months descend here, Libby Page says key trends to look for this winter include soft leather coats and blazers – “something really sleek and streamlined” – slouchy wide-leg pants and oversized long-line cardigans.
To join the conversation, please log in. Don't have an account? Register
Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout