Spread across Sydney, day two of Australian Fashion Week saw designers explore contrasts of softness and structure, and nostalgia and futurism—sometimes within the same look. Beginning with some dramatic weather at COMMAS‘ early seaside presentation, the day was abuzz from sunrise to sunset.

If the opening day established a renewed sense of confidence in Australian fashion, Tuesday’s packed schedule proved that designers, both veteran and emerging, have so much more to offer.

From fluid tailoring and sculptural silhouettes at Bianca Spender that floated through an industrial warehouse installation to Aje’s powder-pink runway in the heart of the city, and Courtney Zheng’s triumphant solo debut, the day was a testament to the spectrum of creativity and craft of local labels.

Read on for the full runway reports from Day Two of Australian Fashion Week 2026.

 

AFW DAY TWO

Bianca Spender

For Resort 2027, Bianca Spender presented a collection steeped in subtle drama. Staged within a raw industrial warehouse softened by Lauren Brincat’s suspended parachute installation, the show explored the tension between structure and surrender.

Prior to the show, Spender described the collection as an exploration of “quiet rebellion”, and there was something deeply appealing about the restraint of it all, where movement, proportion and texture spoke for themselves. Tailored column silhouettes dissolved into liquid organza; crisp suiting softened against chiffon and parachute nylon; sculptural funnel necklines framed the body without ever restricting it. Clothes either delicately hugged the body or seemed to ethereally hover over it. But whether it floated, shifted or billowed, the intention behind it was palpable.

What made the collection particularly persuasive was its balance of conceptual intrigue and genuine wearability. Even the more architectural pieces, such as bubble hems, wrapped faux-leather necklines, and sheer dresses, retained an ease that felt entirely modern. Primed for real wardrobes and real lives.

In Spender’s hands, fluidity became less an aesthetic choice than a philosophy, one where vision and engineering converge with flawless execution.

 

 

Courtney Zheng

After last year’s turn within The Frontier, Courtney Zheng marked a milestone by staging her first standalone show during day two of AFW. Titled Beauty as Resistance, the Resort ’27 collection drew heavily from the Sydney designer’s memories of queer nightlife, live music and the creative communities that shaped her early twenties. Beyond its aesthetic allure, it’s a world, Zheng explained, defined by “carelessness and rebellion”.

That spirit ran through the collection with a cohesion that solidified Zheng as a force of Australian fashion. Kicking off with lace-up, club-ready minis plucked straight from Y2K moodboards, the runway demonstrated a bold evolution of her signature fluid tailoring. With sheer chiffon gowns disrupted by distressed denim, heavy silver hardware, and dramatic silhouettes that effortlessly jumped between decades, the result was a wardrobe that balanced romance with grit. There was a lived-in sensuality to the clothes, as though each look already carried stories from a long night out. Bridie Gilbert’s styling sharpened that mood further, layering moto references and vintage-inspired pieces with an instinctive looseness that made the collection feel inhabited rather than something overly constructed.

“I wanted the runway to feel like a cast of characters,” Zheng said prior to the show, and it did exactly that. Models included friends of the brand, and moved through the space with cinematic nonchalance, including an expanded unisex offering—a creative shift Zheng described as “refreshing”.

With her solo debut, Courtney Zheng offered a portrait of community, celebrating the people and places that inspire us.

 

 

Aje

Down the road from the MCA grounds, Aje transformed The Lands by Capella into a rose-tinted fever dream, where everything from the plush carpet to the walls was washed in soft pink hues. Apty named Siren, the brand’s Resort 2027 collection, was inspired by the shifting moods and textures of the Australian landscape and evoked the same awe.

Rather than leaning into the more obvious Australiana, founders Adrian Norris and Edwina Forest approached the idea with a lighter touch, exploring the interplay between ruggedness and romance through fabric and silhouette. Sculptural draping curved around the body in waves, sheer organza floated in airy volumes, while sequinned separates and tassel detailing brought a sense of whimsy with every step. Elsewhere, vegan leather and suede added weight and sharpness, grounding the collection’s softer moments with a subtle toughness.

After nearly two decades in business, what Aje continues to do particularly well is make occasionwear feel relaxed rather than contrived. Even the more dramatic dresses retained a sense of ease and play, styled with the kind of polished nonchalance and irreverent spirit that keeps global audiences flocking to Aussie brands.

 

 

Hansen & Gretel

At the Museum of Contemporary Art, Hansen & Gretel brought a slice of the South Coast to Sydney Harbour, sans the travel. For Resort ’26, titled TIDE, creative director Ainsley Hansen looked to the ocean rhythms and surf culture of her beachside upbringing, translating them into a collection that felt breezy, tactile and casually seductive.

The set quite literally leaned into the theme: ice sculptures embedded with shells and starfish lining the runway, while Gary Sinclair’s immersive soundscape ebbed and swelled like distant waves. But the collection avoided veering into costume territory thanks to its easy confidence. Ombré silk gowns shifted from shell-pink to deep mauve like the sky at dusk, washed denim came scattered with mother-of-pearl appliqué, and airy broderie pieces captured that specific feeling of throwing something on after a late-afternoon dip.

There was a softness running throughout, though not without edge. Hansen & Gretel’s signature “femininity with bite” appeared in slinky cuts, oversized accessories and crystal embellishments. The overall effect was less mermaid fantasy, more beachside nostalgia translated with a grown-up sensibility.