It feels particularly significant that, in the midst of another busy Cruise season dominated by storied luxury houses, fashion’s cool girls instead descended on Marrakech this week in honour of a relative newcomer to the scene. The occasion? Alémais’ Resort 2026 show—the Australian brand’s international runway debut, and the cherry on top of its most successful year yet.
Held in the spectacular surroundings of the Culinary Art Museum, and attended by the likes of Alva Claire, Princess Olympia of Greece, Leandra Medine, Lindsey Holland, Laura Jade Stone, and Hollie Mercedes—as well as top buyers and editors from all over the world—the event sent a message loud and clear: fashion industry, “look out”.
Alémais founder Lesleigh Germanus is only half-joking when she tells me this backstage, post-show. “I do feel like our trajectory has been very fast—I never would have expected this growth to happen so quickly,” explains the Sydney-based designer. “The international market is our biggest, and we’ve never really touched the sides when it comes to showing the world who we are outside of Australia. It felt like the right time to do that, and create a brand moment that felt really special.”
Founded in 2020 at Germanus’ kitchen table during the height of COVID lockdowns, the idea behind the brand was to “create something that brought some joy and magic to the world in a time that was challenging for so many”. The response was immediate, and immense—and it wasn’t long before Alémais was stocked at every major department store and e-tailer, worn by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Hudson, Lashana Lynch and Nicola Coughlan, and given the opening slot at Australian Fashion Week.
(Image credit: JAMES COCHRANE, courtesy Alemais)
It was the recent third season of The White Lotus, however, that propelled the brand into the hearts, and wardrobes, of the masses. “The costume team reached out in November 2023 with selections from our Resort 2024 collection. Naturally, we jumped at the chance but didn’t know exactly which styles were featured until about a month before the release,” explains Germanus.
She continues: “When I saw the first trailer of Leslie Bibb as Kate in the dress, my jaw hit the floor! She looked incredible! Due to demand we’ve re-released the styles on our website worn by Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb and Michele Monaghan’s characters. The so-called ‘White Lotus Effect’ is real—we’ve really seen it in the demand for the styles.”
Leslie Bibb wears Alémais in The White Lotus season 3
(Image credit: HBO)
No doubt that if the next season of The White Lotus were to take place in a glamorous Moroccan resort—the legendary La Mamounia, for example, where the brand put up a number of lucky guests for the show—the best-dressed characters would be wafting around in Alémais’ latest collection.
But Resort 2026 felt like a distinctly elevated step forward for the brand—and not just because it was styled by British Vogue‘s Julia Sarr-Jamois, and featured supermodel Adot Gak on the catwalk.
“The nature of putting on such a big show really challenges you and encourages you to try new things,” says Germanus. Taking inspiration directly from the streets of Marrakech, and working closely in collaboration with local artisans including multidisciplinary artist Laurence Leenaert of buzzy design studio LRNCE, the collection acted as a full-scale immersion into traditional Moroccan culture, colour, and techniques—but with a high-fashion edge.
(Image credit: JAMES COCHRANE, courtesy Alemais)
Think dresses and prints resembling tiles, billowing kaftans, harem-style trousers, rich embroidery, woven details, beaded fringing, sculptural silhouettes inspired by undulating doorways, and raw raffia aplenty. The colour palette, meanwhile, offered a beautiful blend of the local landscape’s earthy tones and vibrant hues of the eclectic, sun-drenched city.
The meticulous craftsmanship and savoir-faire that went into designing each piece is also apparent to see. Germanus tells me that one particularly detailed dress took an astonishing 317 hours of seed beading alone, but unlike couture, Alémais’ pieces are very much on the more affordable end of the spectrum.
For the first time in my fashion career, I could actually make a realistic, mental shopping list as each look came down the runway—despite the fact I’m usually entirely colour- and print-averse. That alone speaks volumes about the aesthetic prowess of Germanus’ designs, as well as the powerful allure of the Alémais world and community.
(Image credit: JAMES COCHRANE, courtesy Alemais)
Clearly, this is a brand that has tapped into how women want to dress, and feel, today. “The feedback we receive again and again is that people feel good wearing Alémais,” explains Germanus. “We design for the spirited individual. She’s a modern romantic with a spirit of adventure, but above all she’s looking to build her wardrobe with pieces that bring a little bit of magic to getting dressed.”
Ultimately, in such turbulent times, we are all seeking something that sparks joy—and that’s precisely what Alémais has perfected. So long, all-black, pared-back, quiet luxury wardrobe: I know what I’d prefer to be wearing this summer.