Trends from AAFW 2021 — Trendii

As Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2021 wraps up in Sydney we wanted to bring you some of the key trends and highlights from the runways. Before we get into the wearable trends and highlights its worth looking at what we picked up from Australian Fashion week when it comes to diversity and scope.

Cultural diversity has definitely been embraced and we are seeing this influence not only in models but through the designers and in the designs themselves. Australia is a beautifully multicultural place and we are finally embracing all that means for our fashion. It was wonderful to see the inclusion of a First Nations Fashion and Design show this year and the stunning looks that took to the runway.

Sadly size, hight and age diversity are still sorely lacking overall. While we see rare token appearances its not quite enough for 2021 and there is still so much potential for growth in this area within all aspects of the Australian industry. While we are grateful to have or live runway shows back this year, there’s no better time to take them to a new level.

While you might not have seen yourself represented on the runway, that’s no reason not to strut these trends down the street. This should give you lots of inspiration for the year ahead.

FLOW

Beautiful flowing designs and fluid fabrics were an emerging trend across many shows. Beautiful silks and satins, grecian draping and ethereal silhouettes flowed down the runway. Designers like Ginger & Smart, Anna Quan & Beare Park featured beautiful examples.

GREEN

In particular a rich leafy or emerald green appeared in shows across the festival. It was a prominent colour in patterned looks but also very popular as a colour blocking option right across design aesthetics.

RELAXED SUITING

The relaxed suit or suit inspired sets were also popular across a range of designers. The tailoring of the suits were softened by a variety of fabrics such as linens and silks to create one on the hottest emerging trends.

BROWNS

Earthy tones of rusts and browns also featured heavily across most shows and will be a beautiful base colour for staple pieces and daily wear.

VOLUME

Fullness and playing with shape gave us some of the stand out looks of the week. While some of these may be a little too extreme for daily life, you can take the idea on board and opt for ruffles, full skirts, puff sleeves and in general have fun with fabric and proportions.