Bite-sized style news to know what’s happening in menswear this March
Everything you need to know that's happening in menswear
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WELCOME TO ‘Bite-sized style news’, a monthly dispatch where we discuss the news, rumours and conversations that are dominating the men’s style discourse, and therefore, our Esquire water cooler chitchat.
Scroll on for this month’s edition.
Australian Fashion Week line-up revealed
The annual designer breakfast for Australian Fashion Week returned this morning, with the Australian Fashion Council confirming the 2026 lineup and programme details ahead of Fashion Week, 11-15 May.
On schedule this year are Aje, Alix Higgins, Bianca Spender, Carla Zampatti, Christian Kimber, COMMAS, Common Hours, Courtney Zheng, ESSE, Farage, Gary Bigeni, Hansen & Gretel, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, L’IDÉE, Mariam Seddiq, Nagnata, Ngali, Nicol & Ford and Toni Maticevski, with further names to be announced.
The New Gen showcase will feature Alberta Bucciarelli, EDITION Alice Van Meurs x Sarrita King, Gloria Chol and KingKing Creative, while The Frontier group runway, developed with Create NSW, brings together Haluminous, madre natura, Ouse, Paris Jade Burrows and Suzaan Stander.
Returning as a presenting partner is beauty tech behemoth Shark Beauty returns as presenting partner. It’s big news venue-wise, too. The event has left the industrial embrace of Carriageworks for the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, which will now serve as the central hub, supported by activations across Sydney.
Two First Nations runway shows, from Buluuy Mirrii and van Ermel Scherer, are also confirmed. Beyond the runway, the programme will include industry talks, workshops and a series of ticketed events open to the public, alongside selected see-now-buy-now presentations.
Delegate registrations are now open, with further programme details to be released in the lead-up to Fashion Week.
Oroton launches a new men’s accessories capsules
Australian fashion and accessories brand Oroton literally said, yeah the boys.
The heritage label today released a 22-piece men’s capsule built around the practicalities of daily movement, from commuting to short-haul travel. The focus is on utility without fuss, with structured work bags, weekenders and totes designed to hold their shape while accommodating laptops, documents and in-transit essentials. They’re making sure you look good on the way from A-to-B.
Smaller accessories follow the same logic. Wallets, zip cases and key holders are pared back and compact, intended to sit neatly in pockets or carry-on bags without excess bulk. Organisation is considered but not over-engineered.
Material and colour do most of the talking. Pebbled and smooth leathers sit alongside suede, while finishes range from softly embossed to high-shine crackle. The palette stays grounded in dark chocolate, black and husk brown, with restrained hits of emerald and pistachio adding contrast.
It’s a collection that reads as practical first, with just enough variation in texture and tone to keep it from feeling uniform.
Check the full collection out here.
Return of the GAP
The quintessential “staples” brand that summed up 90s utilitarian minimalism, GAP, is returning to Australia.
This marks the third time that the American brand has ventured into the local market, first with a Chadstone store in 2010 and then online. Now, it comes with the backing of local apparel group Fashionata.
From this week, a curated selection of men’s and women’s pieces will be available in select Myer stores and online, with a dedicated Australian e-commerce site set to follow in August.
For a brand that helped define American casualwear, the return feels timely as the decade of denim is sparking interest. Through the 90s, GAP was everywhere. Clean denim, logo hoodies, white tees, and campaigns soundtracked by everyone from Daft Punk to The Wallflowers made it a cultural fixture rather than just a retailer.
The new rollout leans into that legacy, a smart move considering the power that nostalgia has over the culture right now. The focus is on familiar staples, cut to suit a local market but still recognisably GAP.
We’re digging Prada’s new digs
Truthfully, Prada could open an envelope and I’d call it art but a revitalisation of a whole new boutique is always exciting news
This weekend, the Italian brand reopened its Westfield Sydney boutique, expanding the space into a two-level, 1,000-square-metre flagship that leans as much on architecture as it does product. The redesigned store houses the full breadth of men’s and women’s collections, alongside a tightly edited selection of lifestyle pieces and the exclusive in-store presence of the Prada Fine Jewellery Eternal Gold line.
The exterior shifts the tone immediately, with a white steel façade engineered to produce a subtle kinetic effect, while inside, the brand’s green-lit triangle lattice acts as a threshold between mall and maison. The interior stays close to Prada’s Milan codes: black-and-white marble flooring, green walls, rosewood fixtures and velvet seating. It’s so tastefully Prada I could weep.
If you were also wondering what that thumping bass was on Friday night, it was the official in-store opening party. Laurent-Perrier was on pour, margaritas running in both classic and red grapefruit while Tim Phin warmed things up before Nina Las Vegas took over the decks. Gusts included Maia Mitchell, Philippa Northeast, Marlo Kelly and Thomas Cocquerel, Tim Draxl and Heartbreak High graduates Bryn Chapman and Will McDonald. Sore heads galore on Saturday, no doubt.
Prada Westfield Sydney
188 Pitt Street
Words Benjamen Judd
John Galliano is making his fashion return
When it was announced that John Galliano was leaving his position at Maison Margiela two years ago, it was met with an enormous sense of loss. But Galliano, fashion’s cat with more than nine lives, is back courtesy of a two year partnership with Zara. Not quite what we expected, but it’s good to have him back.
The designer has signed a two year partnership with the Spanish retailer, unveiled during Paris Fashion Week, marking his first major project since exiting Margiela in 2024. Rather than producing a conventional capsule, Galliano has been tasked with reworking Zara’s archive, revisiting decades of past garments and reshaping them into new collections.
It is a curious brief. Zara is defined by speed and volume, while Galliano’s reputation rests on narrative, construction and a certain theatrical precision. Bringing those two ideas into alignment is the point.
The first collection is slated for September and is expected to lean into fluid, seasonless dressing, with an emphasis on reinterpreting existing forms rather than introducing entirely new ones.
For Zara, the move comes across as a continued push towards some sort of design credibility. What it offers to Galliano is perhaps scale. And no doubt a healthy bank balance.
Whether the result feels considered or conflicted will come down to execution.
Words Cayle Reid
R.M. Williams celebrates 60 years of the Craftsman
R.M.Williams has launched a new campaign centred on the longevity of its best-known boot, the iconic Craftsman. Aptly titled Timeless Craftsman, the project examines how the brand’s signature design has endured over decades of wear and continuous production.
First introduced in the mid-20th century, the Craftsman has remained largely unchanged for more than 60 years. Each pair is still made in Adelaide, where the boots pass through 88 pairs of hands as they are cut, shaped, lasted and finished using traditional techniques.
The design begins with a single piece of leather and is constructed using Goodyear welt methods intended to support long-term repair and wear. Over time, the leather softens and develops a patina unique to the owner.
The campaign also features heroes who wear the product, with the story of one Craftsman pair belonging to “Mouse”. The project highlighting how each pair wears the story of their owner as equally as the owner wears their boots.
Words Benjamen Judd
Troye Sivan named as new creative partner at Penfold’s
Vinyl to vineyard. . . Australian musician and cultural figure Troye Sivan has partnered with Penfolds as the winery’s new global Creative Partner, launching the collaboration with a limited edition presentation of its Bin 389 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz. The announcement was made during Paris Fashion Week and marks the beginning of a multi-year partnership that will explore the intersection of wine, culture and design.
The first release, Bin 389 Designed by Troye Sivan, includes a 750ml gift box edition and a rare 1.5L magnum collector piece. Each standard bottle is wrapped in tissue paper printed with one of 20 photographs selected from Sivan’s personal camera roll, turning every bottle into a small collectible object tied to moments of inspiration and memory. The magnum version, handcrafted by South Korean artist Rahee Yoon, is limited to just 20 pieces and available by expression of interest.
Often referred to as “Baby Grange”, Bin 389 remains one of Penfolds’ most recognisable wines, blending Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz to combine structure with richness.
The 2023 vintage blends 51 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon with 49 per cent Shiraz. On the nose it leans into dark fruit aromas of blackberry and plum layered with hints of dark chocolate, warm spice and subtle oak. The palate opens with red currant and cranberry before moving into vanilla and savoury notes of olive, supported by fine tannins that carry through a long, structured finish.
Words Benjamen Judd
Polo Ralph Lauren drops F1-inspired capsule
Goodbye tennis preppy and hello rev head-ready kit courtesy of Polo Ralph Lauren. As Melbourne becomes ground zero for the high-octane week that is the Australian Grand Prix, American outfitter Polo Ralph Lauren has come up with the goods to keep you looking sharp in the paddock.
Their new Sporting Capsule, as it has been aptly dubbed, draws inspiration from sporting codes. Patch detailing and colours offer nods to the traditional race car aesthetic across the unisex line of clothing and accessories.
This capsule collection is available now at ralphlauren.com.au, as well at the Polo Ralph Lauren Boutiques at Chadstone and Emporium.
Words, Benjamen Judd
Burberry heads to the trenches
Think of Burberry and you’ll most likely immediately think of their iconic trench coat. Unless you grew up in the ’90s and then it’s probably the bucket hat.
But for most of us, it’s the trench coat that remains emblematic of the British brand’s heritage and focus on luxury as a pragmatic, lived-in quality that heroes endurance.
To pay homage to this legacy, Burberry creative director Daniel Lee invited friends of the brand to take part in their Portraits of an Icon campaign that would bring their Burberry Trench to life, their way.
Jonathan Bailey, Jack Draper, supermodel Agyness Deyn, Kid Cudi and Kate Moss were some of the names that have taken part in the intimate series of images, that also includes a documentary that captures unscripted moments between the cast.
Words, Benjamen Judd
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