Karla Špetić AFW 2025: Captivating Exploration of Femininity and Identity

Karla Špetić’s Resort 2026 runway, presented at Australian Fashion Week 2025, was a poetic and introspective journey titled  AERIS. Inspired by the Latin word for "air", the collection explored the idea of drifting between worlds - seen and unseen, internal and external, weightlessness and grounding, clarity and mystery - and finding harmony within movement and stillness.

In her show notes, Špetić described  AERIS  as being about “lightness and alignment,” offering pieces that reflect the feeling of being suspended in transition, yet grounded in self-awareness. The collection embodied this theme through gentle tailoring, flowing silks, and semi-sheer layering that created a sense of weightlessness. Lingerie-inspired details such as delicate straps, translucent fabrics, and subtle corsetry were translated into wearable day pieces that felt effortlessly elegant.

The colour palette leaned into cool and muted tones - smoke grey, pearl, icy blue and pops of pink - evoking a dreamlike calm. Movement was central to the collection’s design: garments shifted and floated with the model’s walk, enhancing the ethereal quality that has become a signature of Špetić’s work.

The overall presentation felt like a meditation in motion. With silhouettes that whispered rather than shouted,  AERIS celebrated quiet strength, feminine ease, and the beauty of stillness.

Karla Špetić continues to carve out a unique space in the Australian fashion landscape, delivering collections that are emotionally resonant, stylistically refined, and always deeply personal.  AERIS  was no exception: a collection that offered lightness, not just in fabric, but in feeling.

Photographed by Paul Dear

Written by Sophie Burley