All are magical memories of stardust that compels light as wonder. Celebrating 20 years, a lifetime of romance that was born with Anna Plunkett andLuke Sales. Forever clever. Breathing in breathing out. Backstage, a moment with them both in their world following Romance Was Born’s smash hit Resort 2026 show.

Luke Sales: “In a way, the Romance Was Born conversation has always been consistent. We explore similar themes but with different expressions. This collection, It’s in the Trees [named after a sample of film dialogue in the Kate Bush song Hounds of Love], marks our 20th anniversary. It feels like a culmination of all those creative chapters. The brand has matured, but we’re still chasing wonder, still telling stories and still playing with scale, texture and emotion.

The initial spark came from a trip to the National Gallery of Australia to view its Ballets Russes archive, one of the largest in the world. We’ve always loved Léon Bakst’s work, but seeing the actual garments and learning more about the Ballets Russes’ collaborative way of working struck a chord. There was something about their approach to performance and costume that mirrored how we work together. That was the starting point and, from there, the collection unfolded into something deeply personal.

The collection lives in that blur between reality and imagination, where beetles, butterflies and birds aren’t just symbols but emotional motifs. There’s also joy, chaos and a bit of longing, the kind of layered emotion that comes with looking back. We used vintage fabrics again this season. We always return to them because they carry stories.

There’s a huge sense of nostalgia and fantasy. Growing up in regional Australia, we were surrounded by nature and toys, and those memories are sensory and surreal. The set was made from dead avocado trees, rescued from clearance and reimagined as sculptural forest forms. And the snow was created entirely from recycled plastic bottles. For us, renewal is both literal and symbolic, it’s about finding magic in what already exists.

We worked with so many incredible people. Working with Laura Jones, of course, has been such a joy. Her hand-painted gowns are genuinely one of a kind. They sit in that beautiful space between fashion and fine art, and they carry the weight of collaboration and care. Art always sustains us and drives us, and we want to use our platform to keep celebrating creative voices, not just our own. Collaboration helps keep the world of fashion from feeling repetitive. It’s about building community, making space for others and showing that fashion can still be emotional, intimate and surprising.

Our set designers Chantel Covey-Lane and Peter Simon Phillips helped us create this magical woodland stage from the rescued trees. Carla Zimbler brought the projections to life. Tyoow composed a score that felt like a heartbeat; it was cinematic, atmospheric and had this hypnotic pulse. It helped shape the emotional rhythm of the show: it wasn’t just background, it was part of the storytelling. And the beauty team of hair directors Jason Fassbender and Dee Parker-Attwood, plus Pinky doing make-up, were just really incredible. Everyone brought something vital.”

Photographs by Ruby Hawley.

romancewasborn.com