Grounded yet Groundbreaking: Nagnata’s “Return to Earth” at AFW 2025
- Tumelo Bopape
- May 17
- 2 min read
Updated: May 19
At this year’s Australian fashion week, Nagnata delivered a powerful yet thoughtful presentation with their Return to Earth collection. The show balanced bold artistic expression with a clear message of responsibility and connection to the planet, blending style, storytelling, and sustainability into one seamless experience.
Founded on the principles of sustainability and longevity, Nagnata has long been at the forefront of the fashion industry, creating collections that prioritize both aesthetics and environmental responsibility. Known for their use of innovative fabrics and thoughtful designs, the brand continues to redefine what it means to create fashion that lasts.
As a proud media delegate for Australian Fashion Week, TrendsettersOnly Magazine was thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking moment in the fashion world. Our role as a trusted voice in fashion allows us to shine a light on the significant steps brands like Nagnata are making in sustainability. We recognize the importance of this collection and its potential to shift the industry’s thinking. Nagnata’s Return to Earth showcases photographed by Julinallesphotography was not just a commitment to eco-consciousness, but a clear vision of fashion’s future; one that blends innovation with purpose.
The show introduced R2E Denim, a new category from Nagnata designed with the end-of-life cycle in mind. This isn’t just another eco line; the garments are built to eventually break down and return to the soil. The brand wants you to think about what happens to your clothes after you're done with them, not just how they look when you wear them.
Before the models even walked the runway, the audience was shown a short film starring long-time Nagnata collaborator Jessica Gomes. In the film, she walks barefoot through mud and cuts the waistband off a pair of jeans. a symbolic gesture meant to challenge conventional ideas about design details that hinder compostability, like metal rivets. It's a subtle but clear message: sustainability requires letting go of old habits.
The presentation was set to an original score in G major by Gary Sinclair, echoing the Earth’s natural rhythm through looping, circular patterns. A reflective runway designed by Felix Jerome Grech helped create an immersive space where sculptural silhouettes, seamless knitwear, and R2E Denim came together.
The collection itself stayed close to the earth in more ways than one. It featured knitwear and sculptural silhouettes alongside the new denim, all in natural, muted shades. The dyes, derived from plants like lutein and matthiola, produced beautiful tones of faded gold, bone white, and ruby, giving the clothes a grounded, lived-in feel rather than looking too polished or artificial.
In an industry often obsessed with the new, Return to Earth asks us to consider the end. Nagnata’s Return to Earth marks a new step in the brand’s journey toward circular design. With R2E Denim, they continue to explore how fashion can be simultaneously stunning, sustainable and enduring.
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