Views: 20
One day before Chanel brought its much-anticipated Cruise 2026/27 replica show to Sydney, the Maison released a video. It starred three Australian models: Julia Nobis, Josephen Akuei and ELLE cover star, Latahlia Hickling, dressed in the collection and milling around on a Sydney beach. Nobis and Akuei walked in the original Chanel cruise 2026/27 show in Biarritz, but for Hickling, Chanel’s replica presentation in Sydney was her first time walking in a cruise show. Hickling wasn’t the only one for which the collection marked a first, though. It was Matthieu Blazy’s debut cruise collection for Chanel, but bigger than that, it was the first time Chanel, or any luxury maison, for that matter, had staged a show in Australia.
Related: In Sydney, Chanel’s Cruise 2026/27 Replica Show Makes History
The magnitude of the moment wasn’t lost on Hickling, whose dizzying rise to fame has seen her experience numerous firsts in a comparatively short period of time. She was scouted on TikTok during covid, and within a few years made her runway debut at Matthieu Blazy’s first show for Chanel, walked for Off-White, was crowned ELLE’s Next Gen Model of the Year in 2026, and just last week, was the first Aboriginal model to attend the Business of Fashion’s 500 Gala.
Related: Everything You Need To Know About Chanel’s Cruise 2026/27 Replica Show In Sydney
“I’ve worked really hard to get to this point,” Hickling said in her cover interview for ELLE’s September issue. At just 18, walking in Chanel’s cruise 2026/27 show marks another notch in a belt that’s notched beyond its years. She travelled overseas for the first time to debut for Chanel in 2025, and since then, has returned to the hallowed grounds of the Grand Palais twice more — for March’s autumn/winter 2026 presentation and October’s spring/summer 2027 one.
At her debut, she walked alongside fellow First Nations model Tatyana Perry, and at Chanel’s replica show in Sydney, models Charlee Fraser, Cindy Rostron and Tarlisa Gaykamangu took the runway too. Hickling’s Githabul and Bundjalung heritage is something she wears proudly, but also something she wants to see more representation of in the fashion industry at large. “We need more recognition for our own country,” she said. With Hickling’s star already on a speedy ascent, it’s something she hopes to set an example of. “I’m excited to keep learning, growing and seeing where this takes me,” she said. “Most of all, I hope it shows other young girls that if you work hard, stay true to yourself and keep going, those opportunities really can come.”
The post ELLE Cover Star Latahlia Hickling Is Right At Home On Chanel’s Cruise 2026/27 Sydney Runway appeared first on ELLE.
