Who’s shaping Australian fashion and style in 2026?

What conversations are fashion people – the designers, the creative directors, the photographers, the model agents, the publicists – actually having right now about their industry? Do the old rules still hold?

Guest edited by Megha Kapoor, creative director, writer and former editor of Vogue India, our annual fashion issue looks beyond fashion’s glossy veneer and towards the people, ideas and convictions shaping Australian style from within. “The most interesting stories in fashion are often the ones happening just out of frame,” Kapoor writes.

We gathered fashion insiders for aperitivo and candid conversation about the state of Australian style at the appropriately stylish Sean’s Panaroma. Godsway Williams spotlights three Australian labels that have built loyal audiences and thriving businesses outside the fashion week apparatus, revealing how a new generation of labels is rewriting the rules of visibility and growth.

We also take a look at the wardrobes of industry insiders to get a sense of what fashion people really wear, and style editor Gitika Garg looks at the rise of Courtney Zheng, one of the country’s most exciting designers.

Plus, shopping editor Simone Richardson homes in on the leather jacket, with styling insight from creative director Carlos Mangubat, whether it’’s a bomber, funnel-neck or trench coat on your mind this winter.