Emotions were running high backstage after the Liandra resort 2025 show. It was designer Liandra Gaykamangu’s first solo showing on the official Australian Fashion Week calendar, after taking part in group shows including the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway in 2021 and 2022, and the New Gen show in 2023. The second ever First Nations designer to show on the calendar.
“Showing our first standalone show is such a pivotal moment for the brand,” she said, still visibly emotional after celebrating with family members who were full-on cheering from the front row. “We’ve been in a number of group shows and now the brand is really ready to tap into an international market.”
Gaykamangu, a Yolngu woman from East Arnhem Land, in Northern Territory Australia, founded her label six-and-a-half years ago as a swimwear label —swim still makes up the bulk of her collection—but the big news this season (other than her solo debut, that is,) was the introduction of ready-to-wear. Her resort lineup cleverly mixed her swimwear basics with beach-ready linen trousers, cleverly doubled-up on the runway for an added dose of cool, along with breezy tunics and dresses in cotton and silk chiffon. The diverse cast of models anchored the breezy looks with socks and sneakers, which added a modern feeling to the clothes. “People were probably expecting sandals since this is a resort collection; but this really encapsulates who the Liandra girl is. She’s chic, she’s walking around, she’s practical,” Gaykamangu added.
Liandra is known for its bold prints, which the designer often utilizes as a vehicle for storytelling; this season Gaykamangu honed in on the bee. “Culturally, it’s a very important animal and a totem for us,” she explained. “The bee is a community animal but it’s also solitary, hardworking, and it’s such a foundational part of life. I find it to be such a great global symbol that we are all able to relate to and to connect with.” Her bee print was layered with foliage and geometric shapes that embodied its “chaotic buzzing and noise.”
“I loved being able to play with different textures for this particular collection; linen, satin spandex—which I love because it feels very expensive but it’s nice and light, easy to wear, and it shows the prints beautifully,” she said. “I feel like we were really able to showcase what people can expect from our brand moving forward.”
She continued, “I used to dream about being an overnight success—but now I feel like everything is in its right place.”
