Chanel mobilized an estimated team of 300 in Sydney to stage a replica presentation of its Cruise 2026/27 collection. The event drew a star-studded guest list featuring Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, and Kylie Minogue, alongside 800 clients at the harbourside venue the Cutaway.
Industry estimates place the cost of the bespoke event between $10m and $20m, excluding travel, accommodation, and hospitality expenses, as reported by The Guardian.
The fashion house brought its first-ever official runway presentation on Australian soil to Sydney on November 5, 2026, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. The production was a re-staging of creative director Matthieu Blazy’s debut cruise collection, which was originally unveiled in Biarritz, France, in April. To execute the undertaking, the brand shipped original baroque armchairs from France for the front row. The brand also installed steel barricades wrapped in house-signature beige fabric, and deployed sniffer dogs for all suitcases entering the Barangaroo venue, according to The Guardian.
Global superstars and Australian talent filled the front rows across two separate runway presentations at 2:30 pm and 6 pm. Nine noted that the guest list brought together Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, Baz Luhrmann, and Kylie Minogue. Kidman attended alongside her 15-year-old daughter Faith Margaret, wearing a black tuxedo-style suit, while Robbie wore a white slip-style dress. Additional high-profile guests included Joel Edgerton, Vogue Australia Editor-in-Chief Christine Centenera, DJ Dom Dolla, Olympic champion Cathy Freeman, and Mia Hewitt with Cherise Combrink of the band Father’s Favourite. Guests received personalized invitations featuring a silver necklace with a clamshell pendant and the Sydney show name engraved inside. Ahead of the Barangaroo presentations, Chanel hosted events including a private VIP dinner at Manly’s Shelly Beach on November 4 and a welcome gathering at Justin Hemmes’ Vaucluse mansion, The Hermitage.
The runway itself featured Australian models Julia Nobis, Josephine Akuei, alongside fresh faces Latahlia Hickling and Tatyana Perry, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald. According to The Guardian, the event accommodated 800 VIP clients, with crown headquarters stationed at Crown Towers Sydney.
Chanel Invests in Australian Luxury Market
Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel’s fashion division, explained the motivation behind the Australian stop to The Sydney Morning Herald. Pavlovsky noted that the brand wants to offer the best of the brand directly to clients. Pavlovsky also highlighted the historical inspiration behind the collection, noting that Biarritz is where Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel set up her first couture atelier in 1915.
WWD reported that Chanel operates eight stand-alone stores across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, alongside 14 stand-alone Fragrance & Beauty boutiques. This footprint includes a new two-story, 10,764-square-foot flagship on Market Street and a pop-up boutique at Chatswood Chase, which serves as a prelude to a permanent store scheduled to open in 2028. According to IMARC Group data cited by WWD, the Australian luxury goods market reached $8.5 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow to $15 billion by 2034, registering a compound annual growth rate of 6.37 percent over the 2026–2034 period.
Whether future international cruise collections will return to Australia on this scale remains unstated by the fashion house.
