The Year Ahead in Fashion

The story that stuck from 2025

Lauren nominates the "great reset" in luxury fashion - a wave of new designers debuting at major fashion houses. Chanel unveiled Matthew Blazy, Dior introduced Jonathan Anderson, and several other big names got new creative directors, all around the September shows.

The anticipation was huge. The results? Mixed…

Lauren Sams: It's really hard to show everything that you want a brand to be in one collection. We expect so much of designers now - they have to have an Instagram moment, whether that's an elaborate set or stunt casting or someone famous in the front row. And they have to have a great collection, and have something to say, and have really commercial pieces that will sell. That's a lot to expect from one collection.

And some houses aren't giving their new designers time to find their feet. Versace's new designer was fired after just two collections.

Closer to home, Lauren points to Mecca's new Melbourne flagship - 4,000 square metres on Bourke Street, the biggest beauty retailer in the Southern Hemisphere. She dropped in on a cold Saturday night expecting it to be quiet. It wasn't.

Lauren Sams: I would estimate there were about 800 people in that store. It's a big risk for Mecca to build something like this. But it says a lot about the risk, the ambition and the execution.

The big story for 2026

Cost of living concerns will reshape the fashion landscape this year.

At the top end, luxury brands keep hiking prices - about 80% of their recent growth has come from price increases, not volume. At the other end of the spectrum, Shein and Temu are exploding into new categories like homewares, beauty and everyday basics.

But Lauren sees opportunity in the middle - brands like Uniqlo, which has quietly been on the rise, now with former Givenchy designer Clare Waight Keller as creative director.

Lauren Sams: Uniqlo only releases about 500 new pieces a year. Zara releases about 10,000. Shein - you wouldn't even be able to guess. I think there's an opportunity for brands that are sort of fast fashion but not, that still use good materials.

She's also watching Australian brands finding a new market: the Middle East. At Australian Fashion Week, the majority of international buyers were from Saudi Arabia and Dubai. Australian resort wear - think Zimmermann, Rebecca Vallance, Aje - works perfectly for the climate, and at $700 a dress, it's the "affordable" option for a market used to French and Italian luxury prices.

Lauren Sams: A couple of years ago, it would've been like, maybe we'll open in Japan or Singapore. Now, we are going to the Middle East.

The story bubbling away to keep an eye on

Dupe culture is alive and well - and getting more sophisticated.

Lauren points to MCo Beauty, which openly copies the packaging of high-end brands like Dior and Charlotte Tilbury. The company's new owner, Dennis Bastas, claims there are two distinct markets - the people who will always buy Chanel, and those who want the look but can't afford it. Lauren's not entirely convinced - but she knows where it's heading.

Lauren Sams: It's been Zara's model forever. They're probably looking at those designer debuts of September 2025 going, right, we're going to get the Dior shoe and the Bottega Veneta skirt. They're probably in production right now - and Shein's probably already made them and sold them.

She's also watching what happens at American Vogue under new editor Chloe Malle, who's flagged potentially moving away from 12 issues a year to focus on digital and special editions.

Lauren Sams: She's got a good sort of wryness to her writing. Maybe special editions three or four times a year, with the focus on digital - which is maybe a really canny way to think about publishing.

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