This season’s style story isn’t one single trend – it’s a Pinterest-esque mood board. Nostalgia is colliding with technical utility, minimalism is giving way to colour maximalism, and heritage houses are proving that 50 year old silhouettes can still feel new. From a beloved comic strip landing on varsity knits to Copenhagen’s street style setting the tone for handbags everywhere, here are nine brand moments worth watching right now – and the bigger trends each one is quietly anchoring.
1. Tommy Hilfiger x Peanuts: Nostalgia Gets a Prep-School Makeover
Character collaborations are having a moment again, and Tommy Hilfiger’s tie-up with Peanuts is a master class in doing it with restraint. The 12 piece kids’ capsule folds Snoopy and the gang into the brand’s signature varsity language – think character-print puffers, cable-knit sweaters, rugby shirts and wide-leg chinos – rather than plastering cartoons across everything. It’s a reminder that the most successful nostalgia plays right now aren’t loud; they’re woven into classic silhouettes so the reference feels earned rather than gimmicky. Expect more comic-strip and archive-character crossovers as brands lean into comfort-driven, feel-good dressing for back-to-school season.
The detail: Available from 19 August at tommy.com, sized for ages 3–16.
2. Birkenstock Boston: The Anti-Trend Trend Turns 50
Few shoes have earned the right to be called an institution, but the Birkenstock Boston clog – turning 50 this year – has done exactly that. Designed by Karl Birkenstock in 1976 as a functional alternative to clunky wooden-soled clogs, it’s since moved through medical wards, the Britpop scene, Julia Roberts’ wardrobe in Notting Hill, and design collaborations with the likes of Rick Owens and Manolo Blahnik. Meanwhile, its anniversary lands at a moment when “quiet longevity” is arguably the biggest counter-trend to fast fashion – shoppers gravitating toward pieces with real provenance rather than manufactured hype. The Boston’s staying power lies in its refusal to change: same cork-latex footbed, same brutalist-leaning silhouette, five decades on.
The detail: Boston styles from $298–$430 at birkenstock.com.au; a complimentary shoe bag and pin comes with purchases from 17–30 August.
3. Fjallraven: Gorpcore Grows Up for Australian Spring
If last year’s Gorpcore boom (high performance outdoor and hiking gear is worn as everyday urban street wear) was about the look of adventure, this season’s Fjallraven edit is about the logic of it. Built around layering pieces – a wind-resistant Vardag Anorak for cool mornings, wool-cotton knits and lightweight fleeces for the midday warm-up, a waxed-cotton jacket for the evening chill, and a pretty pastel backpack to store it all – the Swedish label’s spring range treats Australia’s notoriously changeable weather as a styling brief rather than a problem.
Essentially, It’s utility dressing shedding its purely outdoor context and settling into everyday city wear, with earthy, muted tones standing in for seasonal colour trends. This is gorpcore in its more wearable, less costume-y phase.
The detail: Available at fjallraven.com.au and in stores on York Street, Sydney, and Melbourne Central.
4. The Copenhagen Handbag Effect, via Mark Foy’s
Scandi style has spent years being short hand for restraint, but Copenhagen Fashion Week’s street style set has quietly flipped the script on accessories. Two-tone shapes, playful mini bags and saturated colour are now doing the work that a head-to-toe neutral outfit used to do alone – the bag, not the coat, is the statement. Mark Foy’s curated edit, spanning Prada, Jacquemus, Balenciaga and Gucci, captures that shift for local shoppers who won’t be front row in Denmark but can still borrow the formula: keep the outfit pared back, let the bag do the talking.
The detail: Pieces range from roughly $945 (Jacquemus) to $4,815 (Balenciaga), available through mark-foys.com.
5. Farm Rio x Rip Curl: Surf Culture Gets a Colour Injection
Following a well-received first drop, Brazilian label Farm Rio and Australian surf institution Rip Curl have reunited for round two – technical surfwear meeting print-led, joyful design. The collection spans performance pieces, swim wear and accessories built to move from the water to everyday beach dressing, and it taps into a broader trend of surf and resort labels partnering with print-forward fashion houses to soften their technical edge.
In short, it’s a strong signal that “coastal” dressing this season means colour and pattern, not just neutral linen.
The detail: Launched 3 August, available at ripcurl.com, farmrio.eu and select stores.
6. Ugg Express and the Rise of “Modern Goth” Footwear
Charli XCX and Jenna Ortega have helped push a darker, moodier aesthetic back into the mainstream, and footwear is catching up fast – Maison Margiela’s Tabi and Prada’s black loafers leading the charge at the top of the market. Likewise, Ugg Express’s more accessible take, including leather boots with silver hardware and chunky black boots, shows how quickly a runway-and-red-carpet mood filters down to everyday wardrobes. Expect black leather, gothic detailing and moody textures to keep edging out the “clean girl” palette that’s dominated the last few seasons.
The detail: Styles include the EverAu Morix Boots and Mia Loafers, and the Australian Shepherd Mina Chunky Boots at uggexpress.com.au
7. Van Heusen: Tailoring Learns to Multitask
Van Heusen’s new “Tailored for Life” collection marks a shift for the century-old shirting label – namely a stronger push into smart-casual knitwear and separates alongside its tailoring core, plus a wrinkle resistant wool blend travel suit designed to pack into a laptop bag. It’s a men’s wear response to a very current problem: fewer clean lines between commuting, working and socialising.
Rather than chasing trend cycles, the collection bets on performance fabrics and adaptable pieces that hold up across a demanding, overlapping schedule – a quieter but increasingly influential thread running through modern tailoring.
The detail: Available from August 2026 at vanheusen.com.au, Myer, David Jones and Van Heusen stores nationally.
8. Blunt x Adam Lester: You Can Stand Under My (Arty) Umbrella
The humble umbrella is getting a very Australian makeover – with Blunt teaming up with Australian artist Adam Lester (best known for his sun-drenched, nostalgia-soaked artworks and collaborations with fashion label Alemais), to turn its Metro umbrella into something that feels far removed from the emergency brolly you usually abandon in a café.
Lester’s signature Northern Beaches aesthetic – think dawn-pink skies, beach walks, native flora and fauna – comes to life across the umbrella’s six panels. The artwork was hand-painted before being cut and reconfigured across the canopy, meaning each angle reveals a slightly different piece of the composition.
The detail: The limited-edition Blunt Metro x Adam Lester launches 27 August at bluntumbrella.com.au.
9. Commas x Woodford Reserve: The Host Tux Makes Staying In a Style Occasion
The dinner-party dress code is getting a rethink. As entertaining moves from restaurants and formal dining rooms into our own homes, the host has a new sartorial dilemma: how do you look pulled together when you’re also pouring drinks, setting the table and answering the door? Commas and Woodford Reserve have answered with The Host Tux, a limited-edition piece that sits somewhere between a tuxedo and a robe. Crafted from premium linen twill in a refined dune hue, it borrows the notch lapel of traditional tailoring and the relaxed front tie of Commas’ signature robe, creating a new kind of uniform for entertaining. It’s part of a broader shift towards clothes that blur the line between dressing up and winding down – polished enough to make an entrance, relaxed enough to actually live in.
The detail: The Host Tux is available in strictly limited numbers exclusively through commas.cc for $500. Each purchase also unlocks an exclusive offer on a bottle of Woodford Reserve.
