Backstage & Front Row: Purematcha at Australian Fashion Week 2024 (Preview)

Australian Fashion Week is always electric — one of the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest fashion events, and a fixture on the Australian calendar. In 2024, Purematcha was proud to bring a little calm to the creative chaos as official drinks sponsor for Australian designer Karla Spetic.

We fuelled backstage hair and makeup, runway crew, and VIP guests with cold-brew matcha waters and warm traditional matcha — no milk required, just premium Japanese powder doing what it does best.

At a glance

Backstage buzz

Hair and makeup was a frenzy — everyone working hard and having fun. We kept models, stylists, and crew going with two bottled cold-brew options:

• Iced matcha with coconut water
• Iced matcha with a hint of maple syrup

Both disappeared equally fast. Matcha has gone mainstream in cafés, but for many backstage it was their first time trying matcha without milk. The reactions — surprise, then delight — are exactly why we do what we do. Good ceremonial-grade matcha does not need to hide behind sweetness.

Between sets we talked with lighting and sound crews, photographers, stylists, and set builders. More people than ever know matcha, have opinions on quality, and want to understand where theirs comes from. In quieter moments, guests came back to the stand for a traditional warm bowl — the full ritual, not just a grab-and-go.

Putting on a runway show takes serious coordination and manpower. We were thrilled to keep everyone hydrated and energised through it all.

Watch the recap

Who is Karla Spetic?

Karla Spetic is known for soft tailoring and a playful mix of feminine and masculine energy — design rooted in philosophy, power, mysticism, and fantasy.

Born in Dubrovnik, Croatia, she migrated to Australia in 1993 and has been a fashion trailblazer since 2008. Her pieces have been worn by Solange, Rita Ora, Natalie Joos, and many more.

IKIGAI Resort ‘25 — reason for being

The spellbinding thread in Karla’s IKIGAI Resort ‘25 collection is female strength and perseverance. Inspiration came from iconic Japanese cinema — Shohei Imamura, Kenji Mizoguchi, and even the Ju-On horror franchise — films where women endure hardship and quietly take control where they can.

The palette is bold and sensual: raven black, deep reds, stark white, azure and soft blues. Silhouettes ranged from seductive lace to soft-knit tailoring that moved freely on the runway. Some suits looked carefully reassembled after battle; bows tied sections together like medals.

A standout moment: a tongue-in-cheek nod to eroticism — lingerie prints over sheer fabric, women reclaiming the gaze — and sexologist Chantelle Otten closing the catwalk with Lovehoney’s Heart Throb vibrator. IKIGAI Resort ‘25 celebrates self-expression, empowerment, and personal freedom.

View the Karla Spetic collection →

Thank you

Witnessing Karla’s vision on the runway was inspiring. Huge thanks to our Purematcha team who ran the stand all week, and to Karla Spetic and her crew for having us.

Special thanks

• Passout Media — videography, photos, and media
• Bamboozel Projects — signage and print

We cannot wait to see what Karla does next.

Try the backstage serve at home: Easy iced matcha coconut water · How to make matcha in 5 steps

— The Purematcha team