Africola’s Duncan Welgemoed steps into the spotlight for ADL Fashion Week

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One of Adelaide’s most recognisable chefs has stepped out of the kitchen and into the spotlight as the second face of ADL Fashion Week’s new campaign.

Glam Adelaide can exclusively reveal Africola owner and head chef Duncan Welgemoed as the latest identity featured in “The Threads Between Us”, ahead of ADL Fashion Week’s return from October 7 to 11.

Now in its fifth year, the festival’s 2026 campaign explores the people, places and creative relationships that shape Adelaide’s fashion culture beyond the runway.

It brings together five Adelaide identities, five well-known city locations, five runway-inspired looks and five individual stories. SAFM breakfast host and media personality Bel Sloane was unveiled as the campaign’s first face, with three more identities still to be announced.

For his portrait, Duncan was photographed at Lucia’s in the Adelaide Central Market, connecting two of the city’s best-known hospitality names in a location deeply tied to Adelaide’s food culture.

Styled by ADL Fashion Week Creative Director Chris Kontos, Duncan wears a combination of contemporary pieces from Adidas, M.J. Bale, Calvin Klein and Oscar Hunt, finished with his own sneakers.

The look also draws on the sense of performance that sits behind a busy restaurant service and the uniform Duncan steps into each night at Africola.

“People see the room when it’s full. Six o’clock — it’s showtime. Loud, hot, everyone performing a little,” Duncan said.

“What they don’t see is everything around it — the dancing, the care, the private lives. Then there is the clean-down after, when everyone eats together like family.”

For Duncan, even something as simple as a tea towel can signal the beginning of that nightly performance.

“A tea towel is almost like armour,” he said. “As soon as I put it over my shoulder, I’m back in character. A reminder of who I am, and what I’m here to do.”

Each of the campaign’s five portraits takes inspiration from one of the festival’s runways, which will be staged at Adelaide Town Hall throughout the week.

Archival garments, contemporary fashion and unexpected styling have been used to reflect the personality and creative world of each subject, while offering an early look at the themes audiences can expect from the 2026 program.

Adelaide Economic Development Agency Executive Manager of Marketing and Tourism Michael Rossi said ADL Fashion Week offered an opportunity to experience the city’s fashion community up close.

“ADL Fashion Week provides opportunities to discover local designers, the creative process behind their work and experience Adelaide’s fashion ecosystem up close,” Michael said.

“In Adelaide, we know that fashion goes beyond the runway, and highlighting this is testament to how the city operates with multiple creative industries side by side.”

ADL Fashion Week is presented by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, a subsidiary of the City of Adelaide, in partnership with the designers, retailers, venues and hospitality businesses involved in the festival. It is also supported by the South Australian Fashion Industry Association.

The full 2026 runway program, associated events and ticketing details will be announced in September.

What: ADL Fashion Week 2026
When: October 7–11, 2026
Where: Adelaide Town Hall and participating venues across the city