This Is Where The Fashion Crowd Stays During Australian Fashion Week

The Iconic Archways

The EVE Hotel had quietly become one of the go-to Sydney hotels during AFW this year, and I was among the crowd checking in for the week too. Between runway shows, fittings, coffee meetings, after-parties and late-night dinners, the hotel became a home base throughout the week for guests moving across Sydney’s busy Fashion Week schedule. After staying there myself during AFW, it was easy to understand why.

Shanina Shaik & Effie Katsaounis

Tucked inside Wunderlich Lane between Redfern and Surry Hills, the hotel has quickly cemented itself as one of Sydney’s coolest boutique stays since opening in February 2025. And during Fashion Week, the energy suited it perfectly.

Upon arrival to get hotel, you immediately get a clear sense of luxury. It knows exactly who it’s designed for. The lobby is bright and calm, layered with deep burgundy and rich blue sofas, silver accents, sculptural furniture, natural stone and playful artworks throughout the space. One piece that immediately catches your attention is The Moon by Perth artist Tarryn Gill — a sculptural installation made from Lycra, sequins, foam and light that adds another layer of personality to the room.

Hotel Lobby

Soft lighting welcomes you in, while guests move back and forth through the hotel’s iconic archways between fittings, meetings and outfit changes throughout the day. Some worked quietly from corners of the lobby, while others stopped downstairs for coffee meetings between shows. There was a constant sense of movement, but somehow the space still felt calm.

Main Entrance

One of the things I noticed most during my stay was how easy everything felt. The service was exceptional. The team accepted Fashion Week parcels for me throughout the week, helped arrange returns, remembered my name every time I walked back through the doors and made the entire stay run smoothly from beginning to end.

My room, the Sunset Balcony King, quickly became a little reset point between runway shows, fittings, coffees and late-night dinners. The interiors balance earthy tones with elevated finishes, while the oversized bed, soft lighting and plush rugs made it incredibly easy to switch off at the end of the day.

Sunset Balcony Suite

Even the soundtrack has been carefully considered. Sydney creative Harry Staub developed the hotel’s musical identity, with the mood subtly shifting throughout the day depending on the energy of the space. It sounds minor, but it completely changes the feeling of the hotel. Dinosaur Designers co-founder and Australian artist, Louise Olsen‘s hanging artwork currently graces the lobby hallway.

Lobby Hallway

Downstairs, Bar Julius quickly became my go-to spot throughout the stay. Mornings started with coffee and either a croissant or avo toast while planning out the day ahead, usually followed by a second coffee once the inbox properly kicked in. By evening, I’d somehow end up back there again. This time with a dirty martini in hand, decompressing and mapping out the following day’s shows and appointments.

Bar Julius

The bar itself has this old-world European energy mixed with a classic New York hotel bar feel, with burgundy leather seating, marble tables, silver accents and a large Louise Olsen artwork stretched dramatically across the ceiling overhead. In the mornings, it filled with coffees and laptops between meetings, while at night the space shifted into something moodier, packed with hotel guests, locals and the Fashion Week crowd hanging out across the room.

Bar Julius

The hotel sits within Wunderlich Lane, a design-led precinct connecting Redfern and Surry Hills that now houses restaurants, bars, wellness spaces, retail and hospitality woven throughout the historic site. It’s one of Sydney’s best new neighbourhood developments — walkable, energetic and genuinely enjoyable to spend time in.

Hotel Exterior

One of my favourite discoveries within the precinct was Saardé, the beautifully designed boutique sitting right beside the hotel. Inside, shelves are lined with elevated homewares, body products and travel pieces in soft neutral tones, while the brand’s signature amenities also appear throughout the rooms at The EVE. It made the entire hotel experience feel thoughtful and cohesive right down to the smallest details.

Saardé

Upstairs, the rooftop pool is just as good in person as it looks online. Textural natural stone, retro-style umbrellas, bespoke cabanas and imported green Sukabumi tiles somehow make you forget you’re in Sydney altogether. With a quietly perfect soundtrack playing in the background, the space feels more like a boutique Bali resort than an inner-city hotel — calm, tropical and slightly removed from the city below.

Rooftop Pool Area

Beside the pool sits Lottie, the hotel’s rooftop restaurant serving contemporary Mexican-inspired dishes and mezcal cocktails overlooking the skyline. From afternoon drinks through to dinner, it stayed busy throughout the week and quickly became one of the hotel’s standout spots during the stay.

Lottie

A highlight of the trip was dinner at Olympus, located just steps from the hotel lobby within Wunderlich Lane. The restaurant had already built a huge reputation in Sydney, and after eating there, I completely understood why. Inspired by Greek village dining, the space is warm, loud in the best way, and designed around long lunches and shared plates with friends. An enormous 50-year-old bougainvillea tree grows through the centre of the restaurant, framed by an open charcoal kitchen and a constant energy that makes the entire room feel alive.

Olympus

What impressed me most was how effortlessly the team accommodated everyone at the table. I’d flown in from Brisbane and met up with a friend based in Sydney alongside another visiting from London, and despite all having completely different tastes and dietary requirements, the menu worked seamlessly across the group. I’m vegetarian, one friend is gluten-free, and the other happily ordered his way across almost the entire menu, yet everything felt thoughtful and easy from start to finish.

Over a bottle of crisp Greek white wine shared between the table, the evening quickly settled into the kind of long, relaxed dinner nobody wanted to end. Plates arrived thoughtfully adjusted without fuss, recommendations felt considered, and the atmosphere carried that warm, energetic feeling Olympus has become known for.

Dinner at Olympus

What I liked most about The EVE Hotel is that the hotel has a very clear point of view. From the architecture and interiors through to the restaurants, soundtrack and atmosphere, every part of the experience connects naturally to the creative energy of the neighbourhood around it.

A year on from opening, the hotel has properly found its place as one of Sydney’s best stays. Whether you’re heading down for Fashion Week, a creative weekend away or simply want a hotel that actually feels inspiring to spend time in, this is very much where the fashion crowd is staying.