In an Australian Fashion Week special, ragtrader.com.au asks key buyers about trade, trends and what's on their agenda. Next up is Kristine Humbert, buying manager at Abu Dhabi’s Tryano department store, housed under Dubai’s luxury goods retailer Chalhoub Group.
What attracted you to visit Australian Fashion Week this year?
Australian Fashion Week has been on my radar for some time, especially as we’ve seen strong and consistent performance from Australian brands at Tryano, Abu Dhabi’s homegrown destination for curated luxury across fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. This year felt like the right moment to attend – both to deepen relationships with our existing brand partners, and to discover a new wave of emerging designers with a strong DNA and potential for exclusivity within our edit.
What brands are you looking forward to seeing?
Australia has carved out a strong position in contemporary fashion, and we’re fortunate to already partner with some key names, including the likes of Zimmermann. Right now, I’m especially focused on the eveningwear category, which is gaining significant traction for us: designers such as Maticevski, Carla Zampatti and Mariam Seddiq are particularly exciting in that space. And of course, I’m really looking forward to the Aje show: it continues to be an important brand for us.
It’s a long trip. Why is it worth the travel?
It’s definitely a journey, but one that is absolutely worth it. While we are already familiar with many of these brands through showrooms, being there in person offers a completely different perspective For us as buyers, that experience holds significant value. Seeing the collections come to life on the runway and experiencing them within their home market adds real depth.
Equally important is the opportunity to connect directly with designers, their teams, and producers, and to exchange perspectives with retailers from other regions. These moments of dialogue are essential to better understand the evolution of consumer trends and to continuously refine our point of view.
There is something very distinctive about Australian fashion: the balance between creativity and wearability, the ease of the silhouettes, and the attention to fabrication. Experiencing that first-hand allows us to build a more instinctive and informed edit for our clientele.
What do your consumers like so much about Australian fashion?
Our clients are drawn to the modern, effortless femininity that Australian brands embody. The silhouettes feel directional yet wearable, translating seamlessly into our market. What resonates is the balance between elevated design and considered pricing, combined with a sense of discovery: many of these brands are still relatively under the radar in the region, which gives them a certain exclusivity that our clients genuinely value.
Tryano stocks over 350 different high-end brands across the world, including Diro, Valentino, Fendi, Versace and Zimmermann. The company operates a major department store at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi and sells online.