Travel is the New Runway
In 2025, travel and fashion no longer orbit each other, they embrace. Instagram and TikTok feeds have turned into digital catwalks where every villa, foreshore or cobblestone street becomes a backdrop for sartorial storytelling.
According to Slojourn Studio Co-Director, Tess Willcox who is based in Barcelona, travel and fashion have always been bedfellows, but this year the relationship feels closer than ever, and suddenly, to travel well is to dress with intention.
“Recently, social feeds have been filled with a new kind of travel moment, where the outfit and the backdrop are equally important and where the view and the look are staged in harmony. Across Europe, couture pop-ups have turned coastlines into fashion playgrounds: Jacquemus in Mykonos, Totême on the remote Aeolian Island of Filicudi. Hotels are joining the movement too, curating boutiques and pop ups that feel like extensions of place rather than afterthoughts. Some chic examples are Ulla Johnson at the Quinta da Comporta resort in Portugal and Burberry at The Newt in Somerset,” she explained.
Yet beyond the spectacle of feeds and couture pop-ups lies something more enduring. The invisible thread between style and travel runs deeper than curated grids or seasonal collections. Travel isn’t just about where we go, it’s about who we become when we’re there. And often, that transformation begins with what we pack, or what we discover throughout our journey.
“Clothing is the first language we speak in a new place; it signals respect, expresses curiosity, and sometimes reveals new sides of ourselves we didn’t know existed. Across the globe, fashion becomes a silent dialogue with culture: slipping into a kimono during a tea ceremony in Japan, covering shoulders in Islamic countries, or donning local textiles at a village festival. Increasingly, resorts and hotels are shaping these moments of discovery, offering guests spaces where clothing and culture naturally meet,” Tess said.
At Zannier Bãi San Hô on Vietnam’s south-central coast, the story of clothing is a story of culture. The resort pays homage to Vietnam’s rich textile traditions by weaving them into its daily rhythm – staff uniforms inspired by indigo-dyed hemp and the intricate embroidery of the Hmong people become cultural expressions in motion. Guests tap into the same ethos, discovering how silhouettes and textures echo the land itself. Here, attire is more than fabric; it’s a way of honouring history and identity.
On Folegandros, Gundari channels the drama of the Aegean into a wardrobe of simplicity. Guests instinctively gravitate toward sun-bleached linens, toga-like drapes, and barefoot leather sandals that echo the cliffside villas and raw stone walls. Here they don’t need a suitcase of couture, as the island itself suggests the look: elemental, timeless, almost mythic.
Also in Greece, Andronis offers another kind of sartorial immersion. On Santorini and Paros, guests slip into airy whites and flowing silks that mirror the Cycladic palette – crisp walls, cobalt seas, and golden light. It’s a wardrobe of lightness, designed to move with the breeze, and a reminder that sometimes travel is the chance to inhabit a different silhouette entirely.
In Cambodia, Song Saa Private Island takes a more radical approach, staging an annual Recycled Fashion Show that turns ocean waste into high-fashion garments. Fishing nets, plastic containers and washed-up debris are reimagined as couture pieces, modelled on a shoreline runway beneath the palms. The show is as striking as it is symbolic, reminding guests that style and sustainability are not opposing forces but creative allies.
Back in Australia at Elements of Byron, the resort itself sets the palette. Spread across rainforest, wetlands, eucalypt forest and beach, it offers guests a natural mood board: sandy neutrals, ocean blues, and earthy greens. Wardrobes tend to mirror the environment via light linens, breathable fabrics, and a simplicity that feels in step with the Northern Rivers’ rhythms. The resort frames how guests show up, encouraging looks that are natural, grounded, and in tune with the elements that define the region.
At The Mysa Motel on the Gold Coast, style is shaped by nostalgia. The pastel colour scheme, breezeblock backdrops, and candy-striped umbrellas create an atmosphere that naturally nudges guests toward playful silhouettes and retro-inspired looks. High-waisted cuts, bold prints and sun-faded tones feel right at home here, not as costume but as a continuation of the motel’s distinctly 1970s mood. More than a place to rest their head, the boutique property immerses guests in an aesthetic era; one that’s as wearable as it is visual.
Finding Yourself in Fabric
Travel isn’t just about blending in – it’s often about trying on something new. Away from the expectations of home, many travellers experiment with different silhouettes, textures, and colours. Just as Princess Diana’s vacation wardrobe revealed a freer, more joyful side of her identity, so too do today’s travellers discover new versions of themselves through style. Think of Dua Lipa’s effortless Grecian summer looks – linen dresses, strappy sandals, gold accents – or the way stars descending on the recent Venice Film Festival leaned into the city’s cinematic drama with bold silhouettes, liquid silks and deep jewel tones. Travel becomes a catalyst for sartorial reinvention, with each destination setting the mood board.
The Evolution of the Travel Wardrobe
From the Grand Tour of Europe in the 19th century, where aristocrats collected silks and leathers as much as experiences, to today’s slow travel movement, clothing has always been part of the journey. Increasingly, travellers are choosing wardrobes that are not just stylish but sustainable, seeking pieces that support artisans, honour local traditions, and tread lightly on the planet.
From Vietnam to Greece to Australia, Slojourn’s portfolio shows how destinations are no longer just backdrops for style; they are the muse. Resorts and hotels invite guests to step into atmospheres where wardrobes echo the land, fabrics tell cultural stories, and style becomes a deeper form of connection with place.
Increasingly, even celebrities and influencers are choosing destinations with aesthetics in mind – seeking places that align seamlessly with their personal brand. A Mykonos villa, a Venetian palazzo, or a Byron Bay beach house is not just a setting but a statement, shaping how they are seen as much as how they experience the place itself.
In this sense, travel has become the new runway. Outfits and landscapes move in dialogue, each amplifying the other. What lingers after the journey is not only the memory of a view but the way a destination has subtly rewoven itself into the traveller’s identity, stitched into wardrobes, expressed in fabrics, and carried forward in style long after the suitcase is unpacked.
