Your comprehensive guide to PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s 2023 program
IMAGE VIA PAYPAL MELBOURNE FASHION FESTIVAL
WORDS BY CAIT EMMA BURKE
This year’s program is packed with must-see events.
PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival is approaching, and with it comes the opportunity to attend some particularly exciting fashion events. 2023 marks the festival’s 27th year, making it the longest-running consumer fashion event in Australia. Running from March 3 to 11, over nine days the hybrid program of fashion, arts and ideas will showcase the best that Melbourne has to offer.
- Melbourne Fashion Festival runs from March 3 to 11
- There will be over 100 events across 60 Melbourne venues
- Tickets are on sale now
As an official media partner of PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing the stories of designers, stylists and writers as they prepare for one of the biggest weeks of their year. You can also expect a rundown of the events, runways and talks our editors are most looking forward to, to help you navigate this year’s jam-packed program with ease. Below, we’ve rounded up the standouts from the 2023 program.
Runway ready
The 2023 program marks the return of the Premium Runway Series to Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. Running from Monday March 6 to Friday March 10, each runway has been curated with a considered theme in mind and features a selection of both established and emerging Australian designers.
The series commences with the Utopia Runway on March 6, which will be a celebration of contemporary feminine dressing. There will be voluminous silhouettes and vintage references reworked through a contemporary lens from an array of established local labels like Alice McCall, Maara Collective, Acler and Van de Kooji, among others.
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The Envision Runway on March 7 is focused on re-energising the way you think about your wardrobe and features a curation of sustainably-minded Australian labels like Lee Mathews, Arnsdorf, Bassike, Anna Quan and Viktoria & Woods.
We’re particularly looking forward to the Urban Oasis Runway on March 9. A celebration of leading and emerging First Nations designers alongside established street and conceptual designers, it’s set to be a bold and vibrant show. Expect looks from much-loved Melbourne brands HoMie and Moss Tunstall, alongside First Nations labels like Nungala Creative, Amber Days and Gammin Threads.
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And not to be biased, but we strongly suggest attending the National Graduate Showcase, which Fashion Journal is co-presenting with Oppo on March 9. Featuring the top 10 designers hand-picked from Australia’s leading fashion design schools, the finalists have been selected by an impressive judging panel featuring our very own Managing Editor Giulia Brugliera, designer and founder of Error4040, Kacy Heywood, and the founder of Harrolds, Mary Poulakis, among others.
The National Graduate Showcase is widely regarded as one of the most exciting shows in the program, and the creativity of these fashion students knows no bounds.
Explore the independent program
The Festival’s reinvented Fashion Culture Program, running from March 3 to 11, sees independent and emerging creatives given the chance to share their work via runways, exhibitions, film screenings, performances, live talks and workshops. There will be more than 90 events across 60 venues, so there’s sure to be something for everyone.
We’re looking forward to the F.A.T. Runway (Fabulous And Trendy), which will showcase size-inclusive, Melbourne-based, emerging fashion labels that cater to a plus-size audience, with diverse models ranging from size 16 to 24.
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If you’re in the mood for something hands-on, there are a host of workshops on offer, from fashion drawing, upcycling, knitting, ring making and more. We’ve got our eye on The Social Studio and Ugly Cute Collective’s Materials and Making Workshop, where you’ll be taught the basics of how to crochet and get to make a sling pouch bag from scraps sourced from The Social Studio’s cutting room floor.
And if you’re after something both hands-on and free, then the Fashion Fix Workshop might be the event for you. This free event is all about extending the lifespan of your clothing by inviting you to bring in any garments you have that are in need of mending or alteration. Sewing supplies will be provided, and you’ll be taught a variety of repair techniques.
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If you’re keen to do some light shopping but would rather not buy new, the Trashie Clothing Exchange event could be up your alley. Running over a three-hour window, you can relinquish items you no longer wear and exchange them for ones that others have brought in that catch your eye. Swapping clothing minimises both overshopping of op shops and the amount of clothing that will end up in landfill – it’s a win-win, really.
Talk the talk
There are a whole host of talks on offer at the Festival. If you’re after something sustainability-focused, Fashion Talk: Sustainability Update, hosted by Dr Harriette Richards on March 7, will be an in-depth discussion between some of Australia’s most innovative figures in the fashion industry. Featuring Courtney Holm from A.BCH and Charlotte Hicks from Esse, among others, the conversation will span ethics within fashion and the challenges we’re facing, focusing on fibres and materials like linen, cotton and vegan leather.
If you’re a fashion student in Melbourne, we’d recommend checking out the Fashion Student Networking Night on March 10. The free event will give students the chance to network with each other and pick the brains of experts in the field.
The In/Visible Bodies In Conversation panel on March 9 will feature a panel of artists and advocates like Frances Cannon and Persephone Thacker sharing their perspectives on fatphobia, pride, visibility and the role of art and fashion in the reclamation of self.
To explore the full PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival program, head here.
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