With the international shows now over, attention turns home. Melbourne Fashion Week (M/FW) returns from Monday 19 to Sunday 25 October, and its 2026 program is one of its most ambitious yet.
Owned, funded and delivered by the City of Melbourne, M/FW is built around a simple premise: put local design in front of the people who will wear it. According to the City, the week spans more than 100 events featuring over 300 designers and retailers, with most runway and exhibition looks available to buy from Melbourne retailers.
Here is how to make the most of it.
The shape of the week
Style Machine reports that seven premium runways will present more than 600 looks, staged at some of the city's best-known addresses, including the National Gallery of Victoria, State Library Victoria and City Square. Around them sit Fashion Capsule exhibitions, industry talks and a wide program of independent partner events.
One detail worth noting: the City of Melbourne says designers are encouraged to show trans-seasonal collections, in support of a more sustainable industry. It is a sensible approach for a city famous for four seasons in a day, and it means more of what you see can be worn now.
The runways to know
ganbu marra: the opening runway
The week opens with ganbu marra, meaning "one mob" in Woi Wurrung. According to the published program, it brings together First Nations designers and labels including Atyene Clothing, Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, Ebony Noire, Kaninda, Marnin Studio, OUT OF HAND x Lisa Waup, Rowland Vision, Saretta The Label, van Ermel Scherer and Yapa Mali. Opening the week this way places First Nations design at the centre of the conversation.
The Edit
For established Australian labels, this is the runway to watch. Listed names include Asiyam, Atoir, Bianca Spender, CLEA, EDITION x Sarrita King, ELIYA THE LABEL, Elka Collective, NGALI, Oroton and Third Form, alongside Raffaele Ciuca presenting Vivienne Westwood. Style Machine singles out Bianca Spender for her "signature refined tailoring", a fitting presence in a week that follows the launch of her new bridal range on 14 October.
Cult Status
Cult Status focuses on independent labels shaping Melbourne's fashion culture from outside the mainstream. The line-up includes Chris Ran Lin, Club Venus, Gotham, Hunter Gatherer x BSL, LIANDRA, PERPLE, R.SPORT, TOILÉ STUDIOS, WAH-WAH AUSTRALIA and Wilson Jedd Adams. If you are looking for the names that may define the next few years, start here.
Student Collections
An early look at emerging talent from Box Hill Institute, LCI Melbourne, RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles and Whitehouse Institute of Design Australia. Student shows are often where the most unguarded ideas appear.
The closing runway
The week closes with Wear the Moment at 1 Hotel Melbourne in Docklands, according to the official program. The line-up includes Alessandro Lorenzo Greco, AMISS, Amy Cottrell, BAAQIY, Corde Couture, Grace Lillian Lee, Lucinda Babi, Paris Jade Burrows, Posture Studio, Reseau, Saint Stella M, Sean Rentero and Suzaan Stander.
An afternoon in City Square
One day stands out for anyone who wants to experience M/FW in the heart of the city. As Ragtrader reports, City Square will host a full day of runways on Saturday 24 October. Street Style runs at 2pm and After Hours at 4pm, both spotlighting an all-Melbourne line-up of designers and retailers. Melbourne Point lists Gorman, Clothing The Gaps, ELK the Label and Kuwaii among the Street Style names, and Scotch & Soda, Mr. Cuff and Knickerbocker among those in After Hours.
Then, at 6pm, comes the AO Edit, a free runway presented by the Australian Open and styled by Jade Leung. It will offer an early look at AO27, including Tennis Australia's premium lifestyle range alongside AO partner New Balance, and a first preview of the Boss ballkids.
"The AO Edit brings together two of Melbourne's most iconic events," Lord Mayor Nick Reece said, as quoted by Ragtrader. Tennis Australia's merchandise and licensing manager Billie Spence described the collaboration as a natural fit, saying the runway "will highlight how fashion has become an integral part of major sporting events."
Why M/FW matters
International fashion weeks are trade events, largely closed to the public. M/FW is different. It is Australia's largest consumer fashion event, according to Style Machine, and councillor Mark Scott told Ragtrader that it brings more than 100,000 people into the city each year.
That openness is its strength. It is a chance to see Australian design up close, meet the people who make it and buy directly from local businesses.
The Casadi plan
If you only have one evening, choose The Edit for polish or Cult Status for discovery. If you have a spare afternoon, head to City Square on 24 October and stay for the free AO Edit. And whatever you attend, take the program's lead: look for pieces that will work across the seasons, not just this one.
Tickets, times and the full program are available on the City of Melbourne's M/FW website. Schedules can change, so confirm details before you go.