Celebrity Stylist Joseph Mourad's 7 Standout Hair Moments from Melbourne Fashion Week 2025

Melbourne Fashion Week just wrapped its 31st year, and if you were paying close attention beyond the clothes, you witnessed some genuinely transformative hair moments. As someone who's spent three decades backstage at fashion shows around the world, I can tell you: not all runway trends translate to real life. But this year? Several looks stood out as both aspirational and achievable.

The theme "Come As You Are" created space for authentic self-expression, and the hair followed suit. Let me break down the seven looks that caught my professional eye—and more importantly, show you how to recreate them without booking a celebrity stylist.

Why This Year's Hair Narrative Matters

Here's what the fashion press won't tell you: runway hair in 2025 finally caught up to what I've been advocating for decades. The era of fighting your natural texture with excessive heat and outdated tools is over.

Melbourne Fashion Week 2025 showcased everything from sleek, polished elegance to intentionally undone texture—but the common thread? Working with your hair, not against it.

The event featured over 600 designers and retailers across 100+ events, with six premium runways at iconic Melbourne venues. Each show told a different story, but the hair consistently demonstrated one truth: the right technique matters more than the right product.

Let's dive into the looks that defined the week.

LOOK #1: The Effortlessly Undone Wave

The Runway Inspiration:

The ganbu marra opening night runway featured space buns and finger waves adorned with gold and silver eye makeup, celebrating First Nations creativity with textured, personality-driven styles.

My Professional Take:

This "lived-in" wave is deceptively complex. What appears effortless on the runway actually requires precise technique. The difference between "chic undone" and "forgot to style my hair" comes down to one thing: controlled texture with intentional structure.

Most women make the mistake of adding too much product at the roots, which kills the natural movement. The key is working product through the mid-lengths and ends only.

How to Recreate at Home:

1. Start with damp (not soaking) hair
2. Apply a lightweight mousse or salt spray to mid-lengths only
3. Section hair strategically—this isn't a "run through it once" situation
4. Create gentle waves by applying minimal tension while styling
5. Let the wave cool completely before touching
6. Finish with fingers—never a brush—to separate and soften

The Secret Most Stylists Won't Tell You: Your tool needs to create both smoothness and movement simultaneously. Traditional curling irons give you defined curls that fight this aesthetic. Old-school blow dryers create frizz, not texture. This is why I invented the DCS, to precisely deliver smoothness and movement all at once.

LOOK #2: The Sculptural Drama

The Runway Inspiration:

Several shows featured high, architectural styles with unexpected sculptural moments—minimal from the front, dramatic from behind.

My Professional Take:

This is modern elegance with an edge. The technical challenge? Creating height and structure that lasts through an entire event without looking stiff or dated.

I've created versions of this for red carpets countless times. The difference between a polished result and a pageant look comes down to the foundation. You need volume that's set properly—not teased into oblivion and shellacked with hairspray.

How to Recreate at Home:

1. Work with completely dry hair (damp styling won't hold)
2. Create a strong, smooth base—this is where most home attempts fail
3. Section strategically: crown separate from sides
4. Build height through proper teasing and setting, not excessive product
5. Use pins to secure—bobby pins are your architectural support
6. Set sections with cool air before moving forward
7. Finish with a light-hold spray, not cement

Pro Tip: The secret to structure that lasts? Cool air to set after each section. Heat opens the hair cuticle; cool air seals it. Most women skip this step and wonder why their style falls flat.

LOOK #3: The Sleek, Tucked Elegance

The Runway Inspiration:

Multiple runways featured hair pulled back into chic buns or ponytails, allowing glamorous necklines and embellishments to shine.

My Professional Take:

Sleek doesn't mean flat. The biggest mistake I see women make with pulled-back styles is creating a surface that's too smooth—ironically, it ages you and looks harsh under natural light.

Professional sleekness has subtle texture and natural shine, not a helmet-like finish. The challenge most face? Their tools create frizz at the root line while they're trying to achieve smoothness. You're literally working against yourself.

How to Recreate at Home:

1. Start with a smoothing cream (not oil—too heavy)
2. Create tension while styling, pulling hair taut
3. Work in sections no larger than 2 inches
4. Focus on the root area—that's where frizz shows most
5. Use a boar bristle brush for the final gather
6. Secure with elastic at the desired height
7. Wrap a small section of hair around the elastic to hide it

The Temperature Truth: Most women use heat that's too high, which creates more frizz in the long run. Lower heat with proper technique outperforms aggressive heat every time.

LOOK #4: The Extra-Length Drama

The Runway Inspiration:

The "New Again" runway showcased extra-long hair with elastics throughout, playing into themes of reworking and repurposing.

My Professional Take:

Length adds drama, but only if it's in good condition. There's nothing chic about long, damaged hair. This runway look worked because the length was intentional—used as a design element, not just "I haven't cut it in years."

For women considering length, my professional advice: quality over quantity. Shoulder-length hair in excellent condition looks more expensive than waist-length hair that's fried.

How to Achieve Healthy Length:

• Reduce heat frequency (2-3 times per week maximum)
• Use lower temperatures consistently
• Never style damp hair with hot tools
• Trim every 10-12 weeks minimum
• Deep condition weekly
• Protect from sun damage and chlorine

Real Talk: If your hair breaks easily or feels straw-like, you need to cut before you grow. There's no product that truly repairs damaged hair—only techniques that prevent damage in the first place. The DCS was designed specifically to prevent damage and minimise the amount of heat the hair is exposed to while being supported by negative ions and titanium plates leaving hair super smooth and healthy looking.

LOOK #5: The Textured Bob Movement

The Runway Inspiration:

Some shows featured loose hair strands pulled forward for a messy, "just-got-out-of-bed-but-still-look-cool" aesthetic.

My Professional Take:

The modern bob is all about movement and texture. Forget the precise, one-length bobs of the past. This year's elevated version has subtle layering and intentional piece-y texture.

What makes this work? The cut has to be right first. No amount of styling can fix a poorly executed cut. But assuming your foundation is solid, this is one of the most wearable runway trends.

How to Style at Home:

1. Apply texture spray to damp hair
2. Rough-dry with fingers—no brush yet
3. Once 80% dry, work in small sections
4. Create subtle bends and movement (not curls)
5. Let pieces fall naturally around the face
6. Finish with a texture paste on the ends only

The Anti-Trend Trend: This look deliberately avoids perfection. A few flyaways are intentional. The challenge for perfectionists? Knowing when to stop.

LOOK #6: The Polished Curl

The Runway Inspiration:

Structured waves and soft curls appeared across multiple runways, but with a modern, polished finish—not pageant curls.

My Professional Take:

The curl is back, but it's evolved. Today's version has more natural movement and less rigid structure. Think "enhanced" rather than "created."

After 30 years in this industry, I can tell you: most women either over-curl or under-prep. The secret to polished curls is in the foundation—you need the right base before you ever pick up a styling tool.

How to Create Polished Curls:

1. Prime with volumising mousse on damp hair
2. Section into a brick pattern (not straight rows)
3. Work with 1-2 inch sections maximum
4. Create the curl, then pin it to set while cooling
5. Let cool completely (15-20 minutes minimum)
6. Remove pins and gently separate with fingers
7. Set with cool air one final time

Temperature Control is Everything: Consistent, moderate heat outperforms high heat every time. Most home tools either don't maintain steady temperatures or run too hot. The DCS let’s you set the perfect amount of heat on the plates and the air to let you style faster and more effectively.

LOOK #7: The Natural Texture Celebration

The Runway Inspiration:

The ganbu marra runway showcased natural textures with cultural influences, from cowboy-esque styles to floor-grazing drama, all celebrating authentic hair diversity.

My Professional Take:

This is the trend I'm most excited about: the celebration of natural texture. Whether you have curls, waves, or coils—the focus is enhancing what you have, not transforming it into something else.

The challenge? Most women have been fighting their natural texture for so long, they don't know how to work with it. Learning your hair's natural pattern is the first step to looking polished with less effort.

How to Enhance Natural Texture:

1. Start with hair's natural pattern—don't fight it
2. Use products designed for your specific texture type
3. Apply gentle heat to enhance, not transform
4. Define sections strategically for polish
5. Let natural movement dictate final shape
6. Embrace your hair's personality—imperfection is the new perfection

The Common Thread: Better Tools, Better Results

Here's what I observed across every standout look at Melbourne Fashion Week: the women with the best hair weren't using the most products—they were using the right techniques with the right tools.

After three decades styling everyone from celebrities to everyday women, I've learned that most hair frustration comes from one source: tools that fight your hair instead of working with it.

Traditional flat irons create temporary smoothness but long-term damage. Standard curling irons give you defined curls when you want soft waves. Basic blow dryers add frizz while you're trying to create sleekness.

The future of hair styling isn't about more products or more time—it's about smarter tools that work with your hair's natural texture. This is precisely why I was driven to invent the DCS and bring it to market as a professional salon tool that’s also for home use.

Your Runway-Ready Action Plan

This Week:

• Identify which runway look matches your hair type and lifestyle
• Assess your current tool situation honestly - consider adding the DCS, it's a game changer as you don't need other tools and you can try risk-free for 30 days
• Practice one new technique (not all seven at once)

This Month:

• Master your chosen signature look
• Reduce heat styling frequency
• Book a proper cut with a skilled stylist

This Season:

• Build a capsule collection of quality tools
• Learn to work with your natural texture
• Stop fighting your hair—start enhancing it

The Bottom Line:

Melbourne Fashion Week 2025 proved that the best hair isn't about following trends blindly—it's about finding looks that work for your individual hair type, lifestyle, and personal style. The runway gives us inspiration; technique gives us results.

Ready to transform your hair routine? The looks are achievable. The techniques are learnable. The only question is: which Melbourne Fashion Week moment will you make your own?

For more hair styling tips and techniques from Joseph Mourad, explore our blog for step-by-step tutorials and professional insights. Transforming your hair routine and Straightening thick curly hair