In Sydney’s bustling CBD, Anna Hoang was overcome by an unexpected moment of calm. At a food court in Martin Place, the fluid movement of water amid the chaos of the lunchtime rush offered a respite that would inspire Anna Quan’s Resort 2025 collection.

Showing at Australian Fashion Week, presented by Pandora, Hoang recreated this contrast of energies with a soft lilac carpet runway that housed an array of bold looks.

“The inspiration was a skylight feature of water bending light and the reflective movement I saw in the MLC centre food court,” she told GRAZIA. “I’ve been able to translate it into ocean textures, print, hardware, custom colours and creating surface manipulations on fabric.”

We saw this movement in silks printed with watercolour tones and looser silhouettes than we’ve seen from the designer, as well as buckle-like pieces on dresses that were reminiscent of molten metal.

But it’s not just her own experiences that inform her creations. Hoang’s uniquely pragmatic approach to design is often rooted in her customers’ needs and what she sees as gaps in their closets, as well as what the data tells her they want more of.

“Totally unromantic, but it always starts with reviewing the assortment plan that I get from the sales team,” she explained. “I review the numbers and learnings from last season, about what people want, and then sourcing fabrics and think about ideas based on that. From there, I can work on silhouettes when I have a set number of SKUs I must design and know what fabrics are available.”

Continuing a story of accessible refinement and versatile luxury, it seems Hoang is only getting better and better at serving her loyal fans. With Resort 2025, the Anna Quan woman is armed with her trademark conviction and ready to take on the night. Without deviating from her signature codes, Hoang introduced a wider range of eveningwear and transformative pieces that could fit virtually any occasion this season.

Fresh off the back of her ten-year anniversary runway last year, the designer is revelling in a new-found freedom.

“Early on in my career, there were a lot more creative constraints because of access to fabrics, minimum quantities, and even suppliers who didn’t want to work with me because they didn’t know the brand,” she said of this stage of her career she finds herself in. “It’s nice to be in a privileged position financially and resource-wise to actualise what you would like creatively.”

As for her favourite looks? The denim pieces in Resort 2025 have been a pipedream in the making for a while—one that was all too satisfying to come together. “I’ve been wanting to do it for years but lacked the resources and connections to feel like I could confidently execute it well,” she said, making us wonder what other glorious fantasies she might have in store for us in seasons to come…

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