Australian Fashion Week holds a place in the calendar unlike any other. It is the culmination of months of hard work and collaboration that goes into every collection and presenting it to an audience. A considered moment to gather with friends of the brand and industry to share in something deeply personal.
For Bianca, the week extends well beyond the show itself. It is an opportunity to connect with designers and creatives, and to show up for the industry.
This season, we invite you into that world. Step inside a week in the life of our Creative Director, Bianca Spender. From the final days of preparation to the moments post show that contribute to making fashion week what it is.
Scroll on to discover how Bianca spends Fashion Week.
DAY 1:
"There is something about the way this week begins that I always love. The Australian Fashion Week Breakfast at Kirribilli House felt like a genuine moment to pause and connect with fellow designers before the pace of everything sets in. Its easy to get caught up in your own world in the lead up to a show, so mornings like this serve as a reminder of the community that surrounds it all.
From there we travelled straight to our runway venue for a final site walk through and bump-in of the set design elements. Watching Lauren Brincat’s fabric installation come to life was one of those moments that stays with you. The work suspended from the ceiling and the space transforming around us into something that we had been creating for months. We spent time working through the movement of the models through the space, the path they would take and how they would exist within the artwork rather than alongside it.
From there I closed the day at the Carla Zampatti show. There's always something special about seeing this collection come to life in a runway setting."
DAY 2:
"Show day. There's an energy to a morning like this that I barely have the words for! Call time was early and the hours that followed moved quickly. Pieces are prepared, interviews happen in-between, everything converging towards the 12pm show.
Watching Resort 27 meet its audience felt emotional in the most beautiful way. All those moments of work and creation stepping into the light. I could feel the room connecting to the concept of the collection - A Quiet Rebellion."
DAY 3:
"Attending the FDS: The Innovators show was something I had been looking forward to for the week. It's always one of my favourite shows to experience. There's something special about watching emerging talent at the start of their creative journey and the ideas they are bring into the world. It's a reminder of why this industry continues to excite me. One designer who really stood out was Zoe Markopoulos. I loved her use of unexpected fabrications like leather, copper and canvas to create pieces that felt sculptural and dramatic.
From there I sat down with Anika Joshi Smith and Naima Fatema from Styleish Podcast, reflecting on the show, collection and what fashion week feels like from a designer’s perspective. An opportunity to reflect on the week so far and connect with people who got to experience the show from the other side of the curtain.
The day closed at the Vogue x Soho House Designer Dinner, connecting with the broader design community."
DAY 4:
"Today was a quieter day. We visited the Catinella showroom to see the merchandising of the Resort 27 collection. Walking through the space and seeing the collection presented in that context, away from the runway and in a more intimate setting, was a chance to see it with a different set of eyes and in a new light."
Australian Fashion Week is many things. Discipline, craft and months of quiet work finally meeting the world. This season served as a reminder of everything that makes it so significant, not just as a moment on the calendar, but as a celebration of the industry, the talent within it, and the collections that continue to move us forward.