From hand-beaded couture and armour-like corsetry to painted denim, plant-based jewellery and barely-there swimwear, Spring Summer Soirée 2026 brought eleven distinctly different labels into sharp focus. This wasn’t a runway dictated by one trend or aesthetic — it was a celebration of designers with identity, craftsmanship and something to say.
Fashion is at its most compelling when designers are given the freedom to speak in their own language.
At Spring Summer Soirée 2026, The Emerson became the backdrop for eleven distinct points of view, romantic couture against sculpted corsetry, painted denim beside plant-based jewellery, barely-there swimwear, tactile outerwear and eyewear crafted with an almost obsessive attention to form.
The runway, produced by Melinda Sullivan and Vicoola Popovski, was less about prescribing a look for the season and more about celebrating contrast. Craftsmanship met experimentation; glamour sat comfortably beside sustainability; pieces designed for the red carpet shared the runway with those destined for the beach, the bar and everywhere in between.
What emerged was a portrait of Australian fashion that felt wonderfully unrestricted, individual, confident and increasingly comfortable with doing things its own way.
These are the Spring Summer Soirée designers you need to know about.
AURELLE THE LABEL
Aurelle The Label has mastered the art of effortless dressing with a distinctly glamorous edge.
High-trend, sleek, and sexy, its fluid silhouettes and magical prints move easily from beach to bar. The collection feels effortless, but never at the expense of impact.
Think relaxed resort dressing with an after-dark sensibility: clothes that feel uncomplicated on the body while still commanding attention. https://aurellethelabel.myshopify.com
BUNLUV
Bunluv takes the everyday hair accessory and gives it a luxurious rethink.
With silk sleep bonnets and silk scrunchies at the heart of the label, the collection is designed to care for hair while fitting effortlessly into real life, from poolside and activewear to school and bedtime.
Practicality is elevated through fabric and finish, turning familiar essentials into considered accessories that work around the clock. https://bunluv.com.au/
ÉLARA PRIVE
ÉLARA PRIVE makes a compelling case for statement outerwear.
Specialising in fur and faux fur, the label moves between perfectly cropped jackets and dramatic longer silhouettes, bringing tactile luxury and instant glamour to cold-weather dressing.
Designed to layer effortlessly over everything from eveningwear to more relaxed looks, these pieces are also made for travelling — equally at home on Melbourne streets, in European cities, or on an après-ski escape. https://elaraprive.com
G EYEWEAR
With G Eyewear, designer Katerina K approaches eyewear with the precision usually reserved for fine jewellery.
Spanning statement sunglasses and designer optical frames, each piece is handmade with meticulous attention to every curve, detail and finish. Sculptural shapes and carefully considered proportions give the collection an architectural quality.
Rather than completing the look, these frames command it, eyewear designed to become an extension of personal style. https://g-eyewear.com
HEY BEACH SWIM
Hey Beach Swim is for those who dare to bare — confident, striking and deliberately sensual.
Bold silhouettes celebrate the body rather than conceal it, bringing a fearless attitude to swimwear while maintaining a chic, contemporary edge. Yet beneath that confidence sits a considered design philosophy, with sustainability at the heart of the label.
The result is conscious swimwear without compromise: sexy, directional and made to be noticed. https://heybeachswim.com
HOUSE OF ERA
House of ERA is couture in its most romantic form — handmade, bespoke and grounded in an unmistakable appreciation for glamour.
Intricate hand beading, soft flowing silks and breathtaking silhouettes define the label’s design language. Embellishments catch the light, silk moves effortlessly against the body and dramatic proportions bring a sense of theatre to each creation.
It is couture that celebrates through movement, detail and the enduring beauty of craftsmanship. https://www.instagram.com/houseoferacouture/
JULAY COUTURE
For Julay Couture, occasion dressing remains an art form.
Award-winning designer June Lay specialises in tailor-made bridal and evening wear, creating pieces for Spring Racing, weddings, soirées and the moments when the dress needs to be every bit as memorable as the occasion.
A refined understanding of fit and femininity runs through the label, balancing timeless elegance with contemporary glamour and the intimacy that only bespoke dressing can offer. https://www.julaycouture.com.au
KIRIAKI SWIMWEAR
Kiriaki Swimwear takes a polished, high-end approach to dressing for the water and beyond.
Luxurious detailing and considered silhouettes allow each piece to move seamlessly from pool to beach to bar, occupying that increasingly desirable space between swimwear and resort dressing.
The aesthetic strikes a careful balance between classy and sexy — sophisticated enough to style beyond the water while retaining the confidence and sensuality at the heart of great swimwear. https://kiriaki.co/
MALAN ART STUDIO
At Malan Art Studio, denim becomes the canvas.
The label transforms custom-made denim pieces into wearable art, allowing painting, clothing and craftsmanship to occupy the same space. Each garment carries the mark of its maker, giving an otherwise familiar fabrication an entirely individual identity.
With every piece custom-made with purpose, Malan sits comfortably somewhere between a fashion studio and an artist’s atelier — expressive, personal and inherently one of a kind. https://www.malanartstudio.com
NEO3DT
Neo3DT brought colour, craftsmanship and a little Nashville spirit to the runway.
Specialising in plant-based jewellery and bespoke Western boots, the label embraces a zero-waste philosophy, marrying conscious design with an aesthetic that refuses to disappear into the background.
Bright, colourful and individual, Neo3DT reworks the codes of Western dressing for a contemporary wardrobe — statement jewellery, custom boots and just enough Nashville swagger to make things interesting. https://www.neo3dt.com.au
SEPIDEH
Sepideh has become synonymous with Melbourne’s social set, dressing many of the city’s recognisable WAGs for Brownlow Medal nights and creating gowns destined for highly photographed occasions.
Its signature is unmistakable: structured corsetry with a hard, almost armour-like shell that contours and sculpts the body. The effect is architectural, commanding and deliberately sensual.
The Sepideh silhouette has strength— a tension between femininity and structure that transforms the corset from an undergarment into the look’s centrepiece. https://www.instagram.com/sepidehcouture/
From fluid silk and hand beading to armour-like corsetry, plant-based jewellery, painted denim, sustainable swimwear, and meticulously crafted eyewear, Spring Summer Soirée 2026 celebrated designers with distinct points of view.
The eleven featured labels — Aurelle The Label, Bunluv, ÉLARA PRIVE, G Eyewear, Hey Beach Swim, House of ERA, Julay Couture, Kiriaki Swimwear, Malan Art Studio, Neo3DT and Sepideh — each brought their own design language to one Melbourne runway, creating a snapshot of Australian fashion confident enough to resist a single definition.
But a runway is only the beginning. Seek out these labels, discover the craftsmanship behind them and invest in the designers creating fashion with something to say. Whether your next statement is bespoke couture, a sculpted corset, a pair of handcrafted frames, or the perfect poolside piece, these are names worth remembering—and wardrobes worth watching.
The next time someone asks what you’re wearing, make sure the answer is Australian.
Runway produced by Melinda Sullivan & Vicoola Popovski
Photography: Fred Zinggl and Joe Sait.
Written by Melinda Sullivan.
