Afternoon Headlines | Mayor Wayne Brown and Government clash over second harbour crossing | Wednesday May 13, 2026. Video / NZ Herald, Getty Images
A Sydney man stole the show at Australian Fashion Week after he strolled on to a beach runway for a swim.
The swimmer, identified as David Handley, descended the stairs at Tamarama beach on Tuesday, unaware he had walked into COMMAS’ fashion show.
The moment was captured on video andposted on social media, showing Handley wearing casual beachwear, appearing completely unbothered by the spectacle around him.
He removed his shirt, did some stretches and eventually jogged into the water for a leisurely swim, all while models in designer clothing passed within metres of him.
David Handley in the background (left) during the COMMAS show at Australian Fashion Week in Sydney. Photo / Getty Images
A day after footage of the moment spread widely online, Handley broke his silence on Wednesday by speaking to the Today show. He also re-enacted the now viral moment on the staircase, recounting the moment he realised he had inadvertently joined a fashion show.
“When I got to the top of the stairs yesterday, I saw the model, and I thought, ‘Well, surely someone’s going to be controlling the stairs’. If the show’s begun, they must be coming down here together,” he told Today.
“And when I got to about here, I suddenly went, ‘I’m the lead model’.”
Handley is a well-known entrepreneur and founder of Sculpture by the Sea, Australia’s largest annual outdoor sculpture exhibition that has run since 1997.
Users online were fans of his casual attitude in the midst of the catwalk.
“That’s something my dad would 1000% do and he would be oblivious the whole time too,” one user commented on TikTok.
“I mean it’s a public beach. What do you expect,” said another.
David Handley walks in front of a model during the COMMAS show on his way down to Tamarama Beach. Photo / Getty Images
The catwalk incident came after a chaotic start to Fashion Week’s beachfront programming. The night before, torrential rain had derailed Carla Zampatti’s outdoor show, leaving glamorously dressed guests and influencers scrambling for cover mid-runway, the Daily Mail reported.
“Some people laughed and used a Carla Zampatti flyer to protect themselves, umbrellas were flying up, and everyone was desperately trying to shield their outfits,” an audience member told the newspaper.
