Schwarzkopf Professional Style Romance Was Born’s 20-Year Celebration at AFW 2025

Jason Fassbender and Dee Parker Attwood, styling for Schwarzkopf Professional, created three distinct looks to complement and celebrate iconic fashion house Romance Was Born’s 20-year runway celebration at Australian Fashion Week 2025. With a Resort 26 collection titled It’s in the Trees, the aesthetic was defined by concepts of childhood nostalgia, Australian wilderness and fantasy in a trademark bold, theatrical style. Vibrant colour, emotional texture and collaborative artistry was at the centre of the show.

Alongside the collaboration with Schwarzkopf Professional, the fashion line collaborated with famed toy brand Mattel, reimaging five of their iconic products and brands – Barbie, Polly Pocket, Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, and Fisher-Price – to also celebrate the company’s 80^th anniversary and showcase the show’s inspiration points of play, toys and imagination. Other creative motivations of joy, chaos, nature and transformation were showcased in motifs such as butterflies, beetles and birds. The show also took inspiration from the iconic twentieth century Ballets Russes.

“Growing up in regional towns, we were surrounded by nature and toys, which became a huge inspiration for us,” said Romance Was Born Co-Founder Luke Sales. “We imagined these fantastical Mattel toys in the starkness of the Australian bush.

“This collaboration highlighted the exciting ways Mattel is expanding beyond toys into fashion, entertainment, and culture,” added Paul Faulkner, Managing Director APAC, Mattel. “[Co-founder] Anna [Plunkett] and Luke’s incredible creativity brought our brands to life in a nostalgic and original way.”

Other major collaborations included Australian artist Laura Jones, who hand-painted her hyper-saturated landscapes onto the gowns, turning the garments into wearable art, also in the style of the costume-driven Ballets Russes. Show creative directors Chantel Covey-Lane and Peter Simon Phillips built a dreamlike woodland stage carefully filled with rescued dead avocado trees from a farm near Peats Ridge beneath snow created from recycled plastic bottles, as an eerie winter wonderland. Digital artist Carla Zimbler added immersive projections, with choreography by Amé Delves adding to the theatrical presentation through hypnotic movement that evoked the shifting moods of the collection. Music direction by Tyoow was comprised of a cinematic original score.

Schwarzkopf Professional’s hair looks teamed up with PINKY for Make Up For Ever in soft, expressive beauty looks and subtle detail and sparkle in nails by Dazzle Dry. Hats by Phoebe Hyles and shoes by Charles & Keith finished the extensive production.

“We were thrilled to partner with Romance Was Born for Australian Fashion Week 2025. Their fearless approach to fashion aligns perfectly with our commitment to creativity and self-expression,” shared Elizabeth Tran for Schwarzkopf Professional. “Our aim was to push the boundaries of hairstyling, creating looks that elevate the brand’s breathtaking designs.”

Sculptural, ethereal hair looks added to this mystical world, thanks to key Schwarzkopf Professional products backstage.

“We created three different looks. One look is very polished, very simple. Then we’ve got two really high end looks that are straight off the European catwalk,” Dee shared. “There’s a wet, polished finish that would not be possible without the Silhouette range or Session Label The Mousse, to saturate the hair. “We also used the OSiS+ shine spray, Sparkler – the best on the market – that gives the hair this luminous, wet look.”

For more information visit www.schwarzkopf-professional.com/au/en.html

Images via Daniel Boud and New Moon

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