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Melbourne Fashion Week: Fashion Journal’s picks

Words by Fashion Journal

Something for everyone.

Melbourne Fashion Week has revealed its full 2019 program, and there are plenty of events worth getting excited about.

This year, organisers have amped up the focus on sustainability, with presentations and workshops centred around ethical production and upcycling. The spotlight is also on the city’s history and diversity, particularly in terms of highlighting Indigenous design talent.

Old favourite runways and labels return, with some pleasant surprises thrown into the mix.

We’ve rounded up the runways, panels, exhibitions and workshops we recommend fitting into your schedule during the festival.

Runways

Town Hall Runway 2 – Student Collections

As always, Town Hall is the place to go for all the festival’s major runways. One of the most exciting shows to catch each year is the Student Runway. Designers studying at Melbourne’s top institutions – including RMIT, Box Hill Institute, Whitehouse Institute of Design and Kangan Institute – will present collections guaranteed to push boundaries. This year, the runway will also feature students from Melbourne’s sister city, Osaka, Japan.

Pop Up 5 – Maximalism (Free Event)

Continuing its successful citywide pop-ups, this year MFW is celebrating all the diversity and eccentricity Melbourne has to offer with its Maximalism showcase. The event will travel through a number of the city’s iconic sites, and features a performance by artists The Huxleys.

Poolside Runway

For something new and a little unconventional, the festival is taking over the historic Melbourne City Baths this year. This streetwear and athleisure-focused runway includes summer-ready pieces from brands like Converse, North Face and Up There.

Talks

Emerging Ethical Fashion

Whether you’re looking to get into fashion for the first time or make the switch to more ethical practices, there’s a lot you need to know first. Designers from emerging labels Remuse Designs, A.BCH, Vege Threads and Allora Capes share the stories of how they broke into the industry, as well as how they’ve stayed true to their values along the way.

Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood

Catch a film and learn something new at this two-for-one event. Prior to a screening of Taratino’s latest film, Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, gather for drinks and an informative panel discussion on fashion in the ‘swinging sixties’.

Exhibitions

Fashion Capsule 3 – First Nations Designers (Free Event)

As part of a series of six ‘fashion capsules’, number three centres on Australia’s First Nations designers. The showcase features Gundjitmara, Torres Strait Islander, Ngarigo, Wathaurung, Bardi, Wiradjuri, Meriam Mer and Noongar Peoples presenting womenswear, menswear, accessories and textiles.

Contemporary Fashion Photography (Free Event)

Get a new perspective on fashion through the lenses of the city’s best established and rising photographers. See how graduates, lecturers and students from Photography Studies College have captured pieces of contemporary fashion using experimental techniques and unconventional points of view.

Interactive events

Up-Cycling Techniques

Embrace fashion sustainability for yourself and learn how to make something new out of your old, pre-loved garments. Experts from the Masters Institute of Creative Education will guide you through simple deconstruction and sewing techniques to help you up-cycle your own clothes.

Mod Markit: Thrift Edition

Modest fashion shopping hub Mod Markit is hosting a sustainability-focused clothing swap. Over fifty stalls will be selling second-hand modest clothing, surrounded by food, workshops, live performances and henna art. 

mfw.melbourne.vic.gov.au

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