The hair looks we’re still thinking about from Australian Fashion Week

Main character hair was everywhere.

With Australian Fashion Week 2026 wrapped, it’s clear this season’s most influential beauty statement started with the hair. Across Sydney’s runways, we saw texture, movement and individuality, with looks ranging from salt-soaked waves and sculptural volume to sleek, noughties-inspired silhouettes.

As the official presenting partner of AFW, Shark Beauty helped shape the season’s defining aesthetic across shows including Hansen and Gretel, Commas, Carla Zampatti, Mariam Seddiq, Alix Higgins and AFW The Edit Runway.

For more haircare reviews, check out our Beauty section.

From windswept texture at Commas against Tamarama’s coastline to the glossy green marble surrounds of Hansen and Gretel at the MCA, this season’s hair looks balanced polish with personality. Across the week, designers embraced everything from classic volume and sleek Y2K glamour to romantic, punk-leaning shapes, all with an effortless edge. Read on for a closer look at our favourite looks from the week.

Holiday skin and ocean-dipped hair

At Hansen and Gretel, models walked down the runway as if they’d stepped out from a beach resort. Gleaming skin, sun-flushed cheeks and hair that looked as though it had dried naturally after a salty swim. As Shark Beauty Hair Director, Madison Voloshin tells us, it was really the result of gliding the Shark Glam Hot Tool Air Drying & Styling System with the Silki Ceramic Straightener attachment over soft plaits to create subtle, irregular waves.

Noughties nostalgia

Poker-straight, Y2K-inspired locks complete with heavy side parts made a statement at Mariam Seddiq. Hair was glossy and sculpted, paired with jawline bobs and matte (but still glowing) skin. “The hair needed to feel sleek, expensive-looking and slightly rebellious at the same time,” Madison explains. “We started by using the Shark Glam Hot Tool with the Glossi Ceramic Styler attachment to stretch and smooth the hair, before refining the finish with the Silki Ceramic Straightener attachment.”

Lived-in curls

Waves, kinks and curls were celebrated at Commas and AFW The Edit, with hair teams focusing on enhancing texture instead of controlling it. “For Commas, the Shark Glam Hot Tool with the Defrizz Diffuser attachment helped refine natural texture while keeping the finish authentic and touchable,” says Madison. “The overall effect is polished but still very real, like the hair has been sitting in the ocean air all day.”

Classic volume

The queen of timeless luxury and refined design, Carla Zampatti kept the beauty look polished but still effortless. Models walked with the undeniable confidence of a professional blow-dry, achieved using the Shark Glam Hot Tool Styling Concentrator attachment for natural volume and glossy shine. Hair was swept off the face in a nonchalant side part à la Carolyn Bessette.

Undone romance

At Alix Higgins, hair director Daniel Jianing created a romantic, undone Gibson girl-inspired bouffant, sculpting the hair into voluminous styles. Tailoring the style to each model, the hair team relied on grippy product, back-teasing and the Shark Glam Hot Tool’s Silki Ceramic Straightener attachment – “used unconventionally, not to flatten the hair, but to pre-set movement and create soft structure before deconstructing it again,” Daniel explains.

Discover Shark’s Glam Hot Tool Air Drying & Styling System here.