What Does Australian Fashion Look Like Today?

From Indigenous storytelling and traditional craftsmanship to experimental silhouettes and contemporary couture, twelve Australian designers brought their different perspectives to Paris Fashion Week SS27.

What does the Australian fashion scene look like today? Which designers are shaping it, and how much do we actually know about Australian fashion beyond the familiar names?

When we think about international fashion, our attention usually goes towards Paris, Milan, London or Copenhagen. Australia doesn't always come first to mind, at least from a European perspective. Yet the country's creative scene is far more varied than the familiar associations with relaxed silhouettes, resortwear and coastal living might suggest.

During Paris Fashion Week SS27, we had the opportunity to explore this a little further, following an invitation from the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) to visit Australian Fashion Rooms at Galerie Poggi.

The initiative brought together twelve Australian labels, presenting different approaches to design, craftsmanship, cultural identity and contemporary fashion. Rather than trying to define a particular Australian aesthetic, the selection offered a look at how differently designers from the same country can interpret fashion.

Beyond the Familiar Australian Aesthetic

One of the first things worth mentioning is the variety of creative directions represented.

Caroline Reznik, for example, approaches clothing through movement and its relationship with the body. Her designs explore how garments respond to the person wearing them, rather than existing simply as beautiful objects.

HALUMINOUS, founded by Korean-Australian designer Hannah Teresa, takes a more sculptural direction. Fluid shapes, elongated proportions and body-led construction create a distinctive, dark-romantic interpretation of femininity.

Then there is Romance Was Born, the label established by Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales, whose imaginative, theatrical collections have developed a recognisable identity through colour, storytelling and unexpected references.

Quite a contrast to ESSE Studios, where the focus is on considered wardrobes, timeless pieces and a more restrained approach to consumption.

All four represent Australian fashion, yet there is little that visually connects them. And perhaps that's exactly the point.

Fashion as Cultural Expression

Another interesting part of the selection was the presence of designers whose work is closely connected to cultural heritage.

MAARA Collective, founded in 2019 by Yuwaalaraay designer Julie Shaw, celebrates Australian Indigenous art and culture through contemporary ready-to-wear. Collaboration is central to the brand, allowing fashion to become another way of sharing artistic traditions and cultural perspectives.

Miimi & Jiinda, founded by Melissa Greenwood, carries a personal history of painting, weaving and storytelling. Raised within her Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Dunghutti cultural heritage, Greenwood developed her creative practice alongside her mother. These experiences continue to influence the brand's visual language.

Meanwhile, BUAI explores the construction of identity through clothing, rituals, symbols and inheritance. Its creative practice extends beyond garments into objects, imagery and publications, questioning how we use fashion to communicate who we are.

What connects these different approaches is the understanding that clothing can carry much more than an aesthetic. It can communicate cultural knowledge, personal histories and the experiences of communities.

And perhaps this is one of the most interesting aspects of looking at fashion beyond the established European capitals: discovering different ways of thinking about what design can represent.

A Different Perspective on Craftsmanship

Craftsmanship was another recurring theme, although each designer approached it differently.

Melbourne-based Amy Lawrance, who launched her namesake label in late 2023, builds her practice around traditional skills and techniques passed down through generations of craftswomen.

ILIO NEMA also looks towards traditional making processes, with an emphasis on slower production, thoughtful sourcing and clothing that moves beyond seasonal trends.

Paolo Sebastian, founded by Paul Vasileff, represents a different side of Australian design. Beginning with a collection he designed and hand-sewed at seventeen, the label has developed into an established couture house, known for intricate construction and attention to detail.

madre natura, meanwhile, explores the balance between tailored structure and ease, combining sculptural silhouettes with natural fibres and a more relaxed approach to contemporary luxury.

These labels may serve different audiences, but they share an interest in the process behind the finished garment.

NGALI explores the space between structure and ease, bringing together tailored precision and fluidity. Designed for the modern woman, the Australian luxury fashion house combines sculptural silhouettes, distinctive fabrics and carefully considered natural fibres. Its approach balances elegance with informality, creating pieces that feel sophisticated without being overly structured.

At a time when fashion moves increasingly quickly, it's interesting to see designers returning to questions of technique, material and the value of making something well.

Why Bring Australian Fashion to Paris?

Beyond the collections themselves, Australian Fashion Rooms also offered an interesting perspective on how a national fashion industry can support its designers internationally.

Organised by the Australian Fashion Council, with support from Create NSW and Austrade, the initiative brought twelve labels together during one of the industry's busiest international weeks.

For independent designers, entering a new market involves much more than presenting a collection. There are buyers to meet, distribution opportunities to explore, relationships to establish and practical questions around production and commercial growth.

A collective showroom creates a platform for these conversations, giving participating designers access to an international audience while allowing them to maintain their individual identities.

It is also a reminder that supporting emerging fashion talent isn't only about visibility or runway opportunities. The business side of fashion matters just as much, particularly for smaller brands trying to build sustainable careers beyond their home markets.

Looking Beyond the Fashion Capitals

What I find particularly interesting about Paris Fashion Week is that, despite its strong French identity, it has become an international meeting point for designers from very different backgrounds.

The major runway shows naturally attract most of the attention. But outside the official calendar, there is an entire creative landscape worth exploring.

Australian Fashion Rooms offered a glimpse into a fashion scene that cannot easily be reduced to one style or cultural reference. From Indigenous storytelling and traditional craft to experimental design, minimalism and couture, the twelve participating labels represented very different creative identities.

And that's perhaps the most interesting discovery.

Australian fashion doesn't necessarily need a single recognisable aesthetic to establish its place internationally. Its strength may lie precisely in the fact that it has so many different stories to tell.

For those of us discovering these designers from Europe, Paris offered a good place to start.

Text: Lucine Ayanian

Photo: Naira Kosyan