All the designers making their debut at Australian Fashion Week in 2026
photography by Sonny Vandeveld
words by daisy henry
“I want people to feel disgust.”
Each year, a collection of fashion labels takes to the runway as part of Australian Fashion Week (AFW). Whether it’s part of a group showcase or a solo presentation, it’s one of the best opportunities to see local fashion spotlighted on a national stage.
What’s especially exciting this year is the number of designers making their debut. As a proud media partner of the event and a longtime supporter of emerging talent, we know that AFW has long served as a launchpad for the names that go on to define Australian fashion.
For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.
Starting Monday, May 11, 14 designers will take to the AFW stage for the first time, starting May 5. Van Ermel Scherer presents a solo showcase on Monday, followed by The Frontier group runway on Tuesday, featuring both debut and returning designers. On Wednesday, The Innovators will see four students from Tafe NSW Fashion Design Studio present their work, before the New Generation Showcase on Thursday. In anticipation, we asked each debut designer to share what they have planned.
Van Ermel Scherer
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Showing: Solo runway, Monday May 11
Based in Coledale on Dharawal Country, Van Ermel Scherer is a luxury swim and resortwear house founded by proud Larrakia woman and designer, Verity. This year, Van Ermel Scherer will present its first solo show as part of AFW.
Featuring 24 looks, the forthcoming collection is named, Mattie, after Verity’s late grandmother. “She was Stolen Generations, and my label reflects her beauty and the spirit she left behind,” Verity explains. “Expect beauty, intention, and a moment that will stay with you long after the lights go down.”
Paris Jade Burrows
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Showing: The Frontier, Tuesday May 12
Paris Jade Burrows is a multidisciplinary designer, known for merging futuristic elements with avant-garde tastes. Paris’ forthcoming collection, Doré, comprises 50 looks total, presented on Saturday, May 16 at Mothership Studios in Marrickville, however eight looks will be presented as part of The Frontier group showcase.
“Without revealing too much, the show is quite political and we want it to act as a reflection of humanity,” Paris hints. “These clothes don’t serve to please your eyes but to tell a story that is quite grotesque… I want people to feel disgust.”
Rose Guiffre
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Showing: The Frontier, Tuesday May 12
The recipient of the National Graduate Showcase Award at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Rose Guiffre is also presenting as part of The Frontier runway. “My process is textile-led, shaped by material research and my love for slow handcrafts,” she says. “I’ve combined hand techniques like beading and embroidery with digitally developed structures, allowing materials to behave in ways that feel both controlled and organic.”
Presenting an eight-look collection, Rose has used both wool fabrics and donated bridal offcuts to ensure her practise feels both local and ethical in its sourcing and production.
Ouse
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Showing: The Frontier, Tuesday May 12
Founded by designer Samantha Diorio, Ouse is a slow fashion label that uses deadstock and recycled materials. Debuting at AFW this year, Ouse is gearing up to present an eight-look seasonless collection titled Kiss Me You Fool!. Placing an emphasis on versatility, it will feature form-fitting dresses that transform into voluminous gowns, leotards that can become bags, and underwear that turns into scrunchies, all crafted using deadstock and recycled materials.
Suzaan Stander
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Showing: The Frontier, Tuesday May 12
A graduate of University of Technology Sydney, Suzzan Stander is a Sydney-based designer whose work was featured at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival and in Powerhouse Museum’s ‘Future Fashion’ exhibition. Also debuting at AFW as part of The Frontier, her new eight-look collection is titled Darlings of the Opera Cassette.
“I was inspired by the book Bitter Water Opera by Nicolette Polek [in which the] protagonist becomes obsessed with an eccentric abandoned opera house in the desert, and is entranced by the characters that once dwelled within it,” she explains. Her forthcoming collection offers a peek into this world, giving her the opportunity to delve back into leatherwork and corsetry.
Edition x Sarrita King
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Showing: New Generation, Thursday May 14
Alice van Meurs is the designer behind Edition, an ACT-based label presenting at the New Generation runway. For the past few years, Alice has collaborated with Gurindji Waanyi artist Sarrita King, having shown their work at Melbourne Fashion Week, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, and Country to Couture.
Their forthcoming 10-look collection, In Motion, draws on Sarrita’s Flow and Trails stories, with seven of the pieces featuring her artwork, refined for fabric and screen-printed by hand onto linen. The result pairs Alice’s zero-waste patternmaking and sculptural silhouettes with the intricate detail of Sarrita’s artwork.
@edition.label @sarritaking_artist
Van Brussel
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Showing: New Generation, Thursday May 14
Earlier this year, designer Rachel Van Brussel took home the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival National Designer Award for Sustainability — a fitting recognition for a label built on slow fashion. At AFW, Van Brussel will present a curated edit of 10 to 12 looks from its most recent collections. Expect “classically driven, slouchy tailoring”, made between Melbourne and Adelaide and crafted using deadstock designer fabrics.
Alberta Bucciarelli
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Showing: New Generation, Thursday May 14
Sydney-based knitwear designer Alberta Bucciarelli will present Oceana, an 11-look collection at the New Generation show. Inspired by sea life and coastlines, all the textile prints featured originate from Alberta’s hand-drawn oil pastel studies of aposematic fish species, with them later translated into jacquard knit.
The collection pushes the boundaries, offering an innovative knitted puffer jacket, made using a special expandable yarn which allows the filling inside to be knitted at the same time as its outer shell. “Anything woven fabrics can do, knitwear can do so much better, and more sustainably,” Alberta says.
By Gloria Chol
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Showing: New Generation, Thursday May 14
Gloria Chol is an emerging designer and founder of the South Sudanese eponymous label, By Gloria Chol. Featuring eight looks, their AFW collection is titled Lines of Power. Sitting within the language of tailored streetwear, it’s made using printed organza, georgette and scuba, contrasted with denim and wool crepe.
“Ultimately, I want people to leave feeling empowered,” Gloria says of the upcoming runway. “I also want to represent that a South Sudanese-owned Australian luxury brand belongs on the global stage. We are worthy of sharing our stories with the world.”
KingKing
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Showing: New Generation, Thursday May 14
KingKing is a Blak-owned fashion label, led by Gurindji/Waanyisisters Sarrita and Tarisse King. Presenting as part of the New Generation runway, each piece in their 10-look collection, Calling From Country, began as an original artwork by the sisters. “We then carefully translate those stories into fashion,” Tarisse explains. Attendees can expect bold, contemporary fashion that’s grounded in thousands of years of culture.
Attè
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Showing: The Innovators, Wednesday May 13
The Innovators spotlights four graduate designers from Tafe NSW’s Fashion Design Studio. Among them is Tate Boswarva, designer and founder of Attè. Tate will present Vestige a 12-look collection constructed entirely from recycled materials. This includes 16 pairs of denim jeans, recycled glass, hundreds of discarded plastic garment bags, deadstock fabrics and seven upcycled Dissh pieces, finished using a natural dye process.
Luke Rubén
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Showing: The Innovators, Wednesday May 13
Tafe NSW student Luke Rubén’s AFW collection, Book of Janus, features 12 looks, each a direct caricature of a historical figure, drawing on references from medieval Europe and ancient mythology. “Janus, the two-faced Roman deity who can see forwards and backwards through time, represents my method of juxtaposing ancient and modern concepts in this collection,” Luke explains. Blending historical and streetwear sensibilities, the collection is made entirely from deadstock, natural fibres or upcycled materials.
Zoe Markopoulos
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Showing: The Innovators, Wednesday May 13
For emerging designer Zoe Markopoulos, materials come first. Her 12-look collection for The Innovators works primarily in leather, heavy canvas, copper and waxed organza, with an eye for the unexpected. Take the cord ends, for instance, which are made from discarded copper offcuts and scrap piping pulled from her dad’s air conditioning business, finished with recycled marine rope.
Oliver Parry
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Showing: The Innovators, Wednesday May 13
Rounding out the list of fashion students presenting as part of The Innovators is Oliver Parry. With a practice grounded in craftsmanship, his work leans conceptual, exploring fashion as both ritual and language. Having also worked with Sydney-based label Nicol and Ford, he brings a collaborative sensibility to his practice.
Find the full 2026 Australian Fashion Week schedule here.
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