October was a month of big moments for fashion on both sides of the Tasman. Christchurch wrapped its second Spring Fashion Festival, Auckland’s Queen Street gained a new luxury department store, Melbourne Fashion Week set the tone for summer, and Prada made a statement about craft in the age of AI. Here’s our October round-up.
Images: @megelizabethstudio
Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival Brings the City Together
The second Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival has wrapped, leaving the Garden City buzzing. Held at Te Pae, the festival saw The New Guard Show sell out and The Spring Edit prove so popular that a second show was added. Beyond the runway, Behind the Edit at Westfield Riccarton opened up the creative process to the public, while the Fashion Forward panel put emerging designers in conversation with Untouched World’s Peri Drysdale. Friday night’s Fashion For A Cure gala raised more than $136,000 for breast cancer research, and the In Motion show, created with Sport NZ, brought athletes to the runway to celebrate 100 years of unity in sport between Aotearoa and India.
Faradays Gives Queen Street a Reason to Return
Since opening, Faradays has become a symbol of Auckland’s CBD revival. The three-level department store at 131 Queen Street brings together around 220 brands across fashion, beauty, wellness, jewellery, homeware and more, giving the street the scale it has been missing since the closure of Smith & Caughey’s. With the City Rail Link now running and the roadworks finally clearing, the timing couldn’t be better. Add the top-floor restaurant Lottie’s from hospitality duo Josh and Helen Emett, and it has all the makings of a Christmas shopping destination where you can browse, gift, dine and linger in one spot. Even Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson has backed it as a driving force in the city centre’s comeback.
Melbourne Fashion Week Embraces Contrast
Melbourne Fashion Week 2026 was a week defined by contrast. Across the runways, romance met a darker edge and understated silhouettes met bold detail, with established names like Clea Galerie and Elya the Label showing alongside graduate designer Mu Chaw Klay. Gotham’s Arcana collection and Amelia Hull’s ethereal showing offered very different takes on fantasy, while Chris Ran Lin made a statement with UV light-reactive designs. It was a week that celebrated emerging and established talent side by side, and a fresh look at the summer ahead.
Prada Goes Hand-Drawn, and the Industry Takes Notice
Prada’s Holiday 2026 campaign, Drawing Prada, pairs Glen Luchford’s photography with hand-drawn illustrations led by former Disney animator John Pomeroy, surrounding a cast that includes Maya Hawke, Sadie Sink and Kelvin Harrison Jr. It lands at a telling moment: a January study from IAB and Sonata Insights found that 30 percent of Gen Z and Millennial consumers feel negatively about AI-generated ads, up from 18 percent in 2024. With Hermès also spotlighting handmade art on its social channels, luxury brands are making human craft visible, a shift that’s likely to ripple through how fashion tells its stories.
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