This Emerging Designer’s Brisbane Show Was A Provocative Feast For The Eyes
a fashion degustation
By Victoria Lewis | 24th July 2026Local emerging brand Also Known As’ recent A/W 26 show was a masterclass in tailoring, storytelling, and thought-provoking performance art. A sign that the creative scene in Brisbane is alive and well, although busy playing dead (pun intended).
Part food, part interactive theatre, part bare skin, Being Naked, Playing Dead was a solo debut show equally as unexpected as expertly evocative, the official coming-out party for a Brisbane brand that’s been quietly on the up for years. With local design talent Ayla Anderson at its helm, Also Known As (AKA) has already garnered international recognition for androgynous streetwear, but with this latest show and accompanying collection, the brand further pushes the boundaries, redefining the scale at which small brands can showcase their collections – and it’s safe to say, we absolutely devoured the whole thing.
We chat to the mastermind behind the operation, Ayla Anderson, to hear what went into planning her groundbreaking debut show, how she is navigating the creative industries, and what’s next on the horizon for AKA.
From QUT graduate to global exposure
Ayla Anderson has been a name that has quietly buzzed around the Brisbane fashion scene for a few years now; the former stylist and QUT design student, now an exciting design prospect pulling off the near impossible with her latest production.
Her creative journey has seen her go from success to success, culminating in a feature on every fashion insider’s favourite IG channel @upnextdesigner. Having admired Albert at @upnextdesigner for his commitment to supporting emerging designers and the volume of coverage of the global emerging designer landscape, Ayla simply decided to slide into his DMs with her graduate collection. “Since he sees so many emerging designs and I really respect his point of view, I thought he might have some constructive criticism for me! To my surprise, he featured my collection straight away, and that felt very special to be recognised on such a world stage.”
“I remember at this moment really feeling the potential for AKA to grow into a global brand.”
Her core design inspiration is the idea of a tuxedo, subverting the age-old silhouette into something unconventional and androgynous, while still maintaining impeccable tailoring standards. “My design aesthetic is heavily influenced by and directly as a result of suiting. I love to unpack the rigidity of tailoring, taking the rules that have been concreted since the 1800s and twisting them to suit the concepts and stories that I like to base the collection around,” Anderson says.
Not conforming to trends and staying true to her core design vision has given her an aesthetic and technical edge, but it’s been putting herself out there that’s got her where she is today. She says after nearly three years of AKA, “I’d have to say that my biggest takeaway is that you have to ask for what you want, and take opportunities. You can’t wait for someone to offer you the golden ticket; you have to go and make it happen for yourself. The most exciting aspects of the show have come about because I just reached out to people I really respect, and the worst that someone can say is no! You may as well ask and see what can come of it.”
Setting the table
Also Known As staged their show at the Old Museum, the sun setting beneath brick archways and models encircling long dining tables piled high with abstract tablescapes – pears pricked with sewing pins, square loaves of bread, antique dishware. Playing with the idea of elitism and greed by leaning into excess with the set design by AKA’s Creative Director (and Anderson’s best friend) Yel Stear, the models walked the runway grabbing fistfuls of grapes and interacting with the audience in what was arguably the most genius form of fashion performance art Brisbane has seen all year.
It was the perfect setting – equal parts architectural, old-school, and avant-garde – for a collection that was inspired by the 1989 film ‘The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover’ by Peter Greenaway. The food motif also carried onto the ‘menu’ show program, with each look being assigned a course – entree, main or dessert – and a cheeky title of its own, much like a degustation for fashion. So let’s dig in.
Image: @jaamescaswell
The collection
The looks themselves fluctuated between debonair and risqué with ease, each look with unexpected details to be discovered up close. Inspired by the idea of subverting the traditional tuxedo silhouette, Anderson pulls it apart using her provocative film reference point. This resulted in cufflink detailing on trousers, wax stamps emblazoned on suit ties, and feathered cumberbunds that married luxury and brutality.
“A tuxedo to me very much represents wealth, elitism, and being held to a certain standard by society, and it felt necessary to push against this by taking these tuxedo details and making them our own.”
With dark undertones and haunting live music bringing the looks to life, the collection felt playful, tormented, and raunchy all wrapped up in one, slightly misshapen, bow. Nothing was clean (aside from the tailoring and intricate pleats); to me at least, it seemed the idea was to get a little messy. Where one look presented immaculate pleating on a buttoned dress shirt and trousers, other looks saw lingerie unexpectedly emerge from structured coats, diving in and out of different aesthetics under one cohesive narrative thread.
This collection was an unexpected evolution for Anderson. She says, “I’ve always started from a very masculine standpoint, and I think what has surprised me the most is how this collection has evolved with a lot more femininity than I’m used to.”
A collaboration between 70 creatives
What was so striking was not only the silhouettes and staging, but the fact it took a small army of almost 70 creatives to bring the whole thing together – and they all did it for the experience. From food styling to PR to hair and makeup, the production was a true testament not only to the close-knit and uplifting nature of Brisbane’s creative community, but to Anderson’s overarching vision (and incredible networking ability).
Tapping into her extensive network, Anderson brought together everyone from food stylists and videographers to makeup artists and seamstresses to pull off a production of such scale, rare for an emerging brand. “It’s been really inspiring to see the Brisbane creative community come alive for a project that is built purely off inspiration, creativity and the desire to create something for ourselves without being given permission.”
“As an emerging designer and especially being based in Brisbane, I would have never expected to be presenting a solo collection less than a year after graduating.”
But these were connections Anderson has been cooking up for a while now, born during her days at Queensland University of Technology. “When I was in university, I found that what I was going to get from my course was less about technical knowledge, and more about the people around me. Getting into styling assisting, then very quickly into styling through my second and third year of uni meant that I expanded this network from university into the local creative landscape, and it’s really come through when it comes to developing this collection.”
“Our models, the hair and makeup team, our production team, lighting, media, etc have all come from these relationships.”
On exploring visceral subject matter through art
With her firm creative integrity and unique point of view, Anderson strikes the balance between modern-day streetwear and crisp tailoring that makes you feel something. She doesn’t shy away from exploring sometimes taboo topics of sex, brutality and greed in this collection. But this isn’t something unknown to Anderson. “I think I’ve always found it easiest to pull inspiration from the most painful parts of ourselves and society,” she says.
“I always start from a storytelling standpoint, layering in conceptual themes, thoughts, and ideas until we get to a point where we can use that to twist and reshape the idea of traditional tailoring.”
“I think in this way fashion and art itself can play such a powerful role in re-contextualising these visceral subject matters. I also think that if we can’t discuss such matters in art, how do we fight against them?”
What does the future of Also Known As look like?
Off the bat of a highly successful debut show, Also Known As shows no signs of slowing. Scaling her business at a “slow, sustainable rate” is the next step. “We’re at a very exciting time in our small business right now,” Anderson says, “We’ve just started local production as we’ve gotten to a place where we can’t sew everything in-house anymore.”
Hoping to dive more into custom suiting and commissions space alongside her streetwear offering, AKA is also in the process of getting a shopfront in the next few months where clients will be able to book in-person appointments. “Supporting the creative community is really important to me, and starting to produce locally is exciting for us. By keeping production local, we support local production facilities, support smaller designers with starting their businesses, and can grow Australia’s design industry.”
“I’m finding it personally to be a very exciting time in creative industries at the moment. I think that a lot of young designers and creatives in general aren’t feeling supported by the traditional structures that support our industries anymore, and I think the only solution is to take matters into our own hands! That’s what I’ve tried to do with this show: just do the work, present it as well as we can, and give everyone a really good insight into our intentions when it comes to approaching the industry as a business.” Safe to say, Anderson has done just that, and I for one can’t wait to see where the wind takes her next.
Imagery: Gabe Brown / @jaamescaswell
