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With just five days until Melbourne Fashion Week 2026 takes over the city, the excitement is building. This year's theme, Wear the Moment, celebrates the self expression, individuality and inclusive spirit that make Melbourne style so distinctive, inviting everyone to engage with fashion both on and off the runway.
It's a theme that speaks to the Australian College of the Arts community, which is why we're so excited to once again be partnered with M/FW for 2026. This year, we’re the presenting partner for M/FW Conversations, a series of panel discussions with people working at the sharp end of the fashion industry.
We’re also holding Atelier COLLARTS:COLLCEPT, part of the Independent Program, bringing the people shaping Australian fashion together for conversations and hands on workshops across the week.
Before the first look hits the runway, we asked three members of our community for their predictions: Fashion Consultant and Collarts Fashion Lecturer Thea Basiliou, Collarts Fashion alum Callum Amor of Amend Amor, and current student designer Sumayah Kampe.
From the trends Australia will be talking about to the local creatives worth watching, here's what our Collarts community think Melbourne Fashion Week has in store.
What can we expect at Melbourne Fashion Week 2026?
If Thea Basiliou is right, it's time to dress up.
One of the biggest trends, thanks to minimalism, is a return to dressing with more polish and dressing for occasion. Think chic!” she says. “Thankfully, full athleisure looks are finally off the street and back in the exercise space only.
She also points out how global style has become.
Style is so global now that there's not a huge difference in what fashion fans are wearing in cities like Melbourne, Paris, London or New York. The main difference is the season or the climate and the tribe that they run in.
For Callum Amor, the designer behind Amend Amor, Melbourne's spirit of self expression is what he's most excited to see.
I love the playful fashion that's happening in Melbourne. Lots of bright colours and fun patterns,” he says. “I love seeing freedom in fashion and a blend of art, so I hope to see more of that.
Student designer Sumayah Kampe, who creates under her label Miss Thing, expects this year's collections to feel personal.
In the world of Melbourne creatives, I feel like there will be a real appreciation for evidence of hand seen on the runway,” she says. “Beading, embellishments, pleating and personalised touches that help connect the audience to the maker in a very human way.
The Australian fashion trends our community is spotting
Thea also gave us the full rundown on what to wear this season, beyond Melbourne Fashion Week.
Silhouettes: skirts, suiting and the return of the skinny
“There are quite a few ideas still continuing, which is a comfort! Shirting, tailoring, sheer, lace and vintage lingerie looks,” she says.
“The midi skirt is a hot topic at the moment, particularly the pencil skirt, while the A-line is still strong, as well as the skirt suit.”
When it comes to trousers, there's plenty of choice. “Trousers are either tailored but relaxed and slouchy, statement or ballooned, or easy slim and straight like 90s suiting silhouettes.”
The skinny is also making a comeback, just not the way you might remember it. “The skinny is here in the form of cropped capris or leggings worn in a dressed, fashion way. Again, think 90s minimalism with reference to Prada and Jil Sander. The low rise is still trending, but there are no rules, with mid and high rise also across the field.”
Colour: from classic neutrals to 80s brights
“Neutral colours are still our go-tos: black, white, grey and nudes, with navy rising, especially when paired with black,” says Thea.
There's plenty of room for colour too. “There's a lot of colour around, with the turquoise blue of last summer still trending, as well as cobalt and Yves Klein blue, red and other hits from the 1980s: purple, orange, yellow and fuchsia. Picture vintage Yves Saint Laurent. All the pastels are also here: baby pink, mint, lemon, blue and lilac.”
Her tip for wearing it is to go tonal. “We've seen a lot of tonal neutrals, and this is now extending into tonal colours, like wearing shades of red or shades of blue together.”
Prints and texture: subtle, never garish
“Prints are slowly edging their way back, but not big and bold,” she says. “Small checks, ginghams, plaids, florals and tweeds, 60s- and 90s-inspired geometrics, and still animal prints, with some of these mixed together. But think subtle chic, not garish or maxing.”
If you've been living in fringe, it might be time to soften things up. “We've seen a lot of fringing and tassels over the last couple of years. Texture and embellishment is still continuing, but softening out into ruffles and embroidery.”
Local creatives to watch at Melbourne Fashion Week
Wear the Moment is all about the people shaping Melbourne's fashion identity, so we asked our community who's on their radar.
For Callum, it's all about backing the people around him. “I love to support my friends and people around me: Yuma Cochrane of YumaVerse, Steph Troiana of Whole Hearted and Loz Jones of Loz Jones Knitwear. They're all amazing young designers doing incredible work!” he says.
“I also need to shout out Ant from AntHill Workshop. His work is beautiful, and the skill and craft that goes into it is insane to me. Seeing other people be creative is always so inspiring to me!”
Sumayah has her eye on designers pushing materials in new directions. “Wilson Jedd Adams has some really interesting pieces that play with multimedia, like cardboard and corduroy. I love to see inventive and camp addition to fashion,” she says. “My personal graduate collection is about finding a solution to plastic based wearable art for performance fashion, so manipulating cardboard for fashion is very interesting to me.”
For Thea, it's about how something is made, not who's shouting the loudest. “I'm really looking out for people making well and responsibly, including the use of deadstock or natural textiles, as well as thoughtful production,” she says. “I also like brands that don't look so desperate to be seen and that have solid design concepts. It's nice to be surprised by new proposals in clothing that keep me excited about fashion.”
Join the conversation with Collarts
Want to go beyond the runway? Collarts is proud to present M/FW Conversations, two panel discussions on Tuesday 20 October at the State Library Victoria Conference Centre.
Invest in Your Fashion Business explores how to build a resilient, future focused fashion business, with Athena Savvas (DISSH), brand strategist Oliver Smith, Collarts lecturer Vonne Yang and moderator Sally Mackinnon.
Visible and Valued asks why women over 50 remain one of fashion's most overlooked audiences, with Kate Keane (KateCo. PR), Sally Mackinnon (Styled By Sally), Laura Thompson (Clothing The Gaps) and moderator Virginia Trioli.
If you'd rather get hands on, Atelier COLLARTS:COLLCEPT runs from Friday 23 to Saturday 24 October at Fractal Gallery as part of the Independent Program, including Callum Amor’s Healing Stitch Mending workshop, proudly sponsored by ELK and Thread Together.
The trends above don't just appear on runways. Someone has to forecast them, tell their story and get them in front of the right people, responsibly. That's where Fashion Marketing comes in, with sustainability at the heart of how our students learn to think about brands, consumers and the future of Australian fashion.
Grab your tickets to M/FW Conversations or explore Fashion Marketing at Collarts to start shaping what's next.