Your guide to Melbourne Fashion Week’s 2023 program

The must-see Melbourne Fashion Week events, according to the Fashion Journal team.

At Fashion Journal, we love nothing more than getting immersed in Australia’s vibrant fashion scene. A hub of fledgling and culture-defining creatives alike, Melbourne is widely considered to be the country’s fashion capital. And what better way to celebrate the city’s diverse fashion community than with a week of runways, pop-up moments, industry talks, exhibitions and more?

It’s that time again. Melbourne Fashion Week (M/FW) is back for its 29th year, with a packed seven-day program spanning October 23 to 29. This year, runways and fashion experiences will take place in unusual, unexpected places – like an abandoned warehouse, hidden laneways and the illustrious Regent Theatre.

• Melbourne Fashion Week’s 2023 program runs from October 23 to 29
• There are nine premium runways and 100 events and sessions, 300 participating designers and 300 involved retailers
• Tickets are on sale from September 20 at 12pm

The 2023 campaign theme, For Curious Hearts, is championing the creatives who help bring Melbourne Fashion Week to life. The week will spotlight the people helping to make magic behind the scenes – the stylists, photographers, designers and industry insiders who bring the community together in anticipation of Melbourne Fashion Week.

As previous attendees may know, every year, Melbourne Fashion Week highlights a combination of emerging, independent and well-established designers, with a focus on sustainability and inclusivity. The week will also platform Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives, as well as other cultural pockets within Australia’s fashion industry.

For more fashion news, shoots, articles and features, head to our Fashion section.

As part of Melbourne Fashion Week’s commitment to highlight sustainable fashion initiatives, this year will deliver another certified carbon-neutral event. Throughout the program, you can find discussions around supply chain transparency and circular fashion and from every ticket sale, one dollar will go towards carbon offset.

Heartbreak High star, actor, musician and creative rising star, Ayesha Madon, is the 2023 Melbourne Fashion Week ambassador. A lover of the Melbourne fashion scene (and a star attendee last year), Ayesha will be supporting some of her favourite local designers throughout the week. As an official media partner of this year’s event, we’ve put together some of our top picks from the program. Read on to start planning.

Runway ready

This year’s runways will be taking place in a diverse range of spots across Melbourne, from inconspicuous alleyways to sun-soaked rooftop settings. Kicking the program off with a splash is the Le Meridien Pool Deck Runway, which will feature slow fashion favourites like A.bch, Bul, Collective Closets, Kuwaii, Liandra Swim, The Social Studio and more. You can enjoy city skyline views while enjoying a live performance from Naarm DJ, Soju Gang.

A must-see for me is the Ganbu Marra runway, which will fittingly take place at the expansive digital art space, The Lume. Running concurrently with The Lume’s celebration of First Nations art and music in Connection, the Ganbu Marra show will spotlight fashion excellence from the oldest living culture on earth.

Another unmissable event is the Fashion x Theatre runway, taking place under the gilded roof of Melbourne’s Regency Theatre. Created in collaboration with Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Fashion x Theatre will draw on themes from Greek mythology and ideas of truth, beauty, freedom and love. Expect innovative designers like J’Aton Couture, Mariam Seddiq, Paul McCann, Posture Studio, Wackie Ju and Youkhana.

For FJ readers, the Underground Runway presented by Collarts will likely be a standout. Spotlighting emerging talent like Briar Will, Clothing the Gaps, Erik Yvon, HoMie Reborn, Karla Laidlaw, Maroske Peech and Toile Studios (to name a few), will embrace the gaudy glitz of the ’00s.

The Student Collections Runway is another Fashion Journal community favourite, featuring collections by student designers from Box Hill Institute, Holmesglen Institute, Kangan Institute, RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles and Whitehouse Institute of Design Australia. You can catch the show on the Friday night, followed by the presentation of the Melbourne Fashion Week Student Award.

If you’re looking to wine and dine while taking in the show, secure your ticket for The Commons Collective Dining Runway. A melting pot of fashion and food, designers like Asiyam, Elk, Perple and Van Der Kooij will feature, and Karinda Mutabazi will be styling the looks.

As the only standalone runway on the program, the Strateas Carlucci show is another must-see. Discover the label’s new transseasonal collection, exploring themes of human connection, artificiality and the balance between creativity and the environment. The runway will hero the designer’s collaboration with Future From Waste Lab, an initiative turning landfill into renewed garments.

Throughout the whole week, pop-up runways will be taking place across the city, bringing vibrancy to some of Melbourne’s most colourful streets and laneways. You can catch all three for free, and take in a visual treat of bold textures, clashing patterns and vibrant colours.

Talk the talk

My expert advice? Don’t skip the Melbourne Fashion Week Conversations, hosted by Creative Victoria. Each one will be ticketed for live in-person attendance, or you can catch them online afterwards for free. On October 25 at the Wesley Business Hub, three talks will take place exploring topics like fashion waste, artificial intelligence and technology in supply chain management.

If you’re a Melbourne fashion student or just a lover of local design, the Circular Fashion in Melbourne chat is for you. Motivated by the harmful environmental impacts of the clothing industry, this panel will pose the question: how is our city creating a fashion industry based on circular economy principles?

For those interested in the intersection of fashion and tech, check out the second conversation, Fashion Tech Careers: VR, AI, Gaming and Beyond. Learn from experts in the fields of virtual reality, gaming and technology about how tech can help expand traditional fashion industry skills and careers.

Capsule collections and independent events

Presented by Creative Victoria, Fashion Capsules is a series of five exhibition displays located across the city. From Collins Square to the Queen Victoria Markets, each capsule will celebrate some of the country’s most innovative creative talents. While moving from event to event, grab a coffee and peruse the free displays from fashion designers, artists, stylists and more.

The Fashion Capsules will run from October 1 to 29. Standouts include the Australian Ballet Exhibition, which will offer a glimpse into the company’s glittering costume archives, and the First Nations Showcase, which will celebrate the history and joy of Yarrenyty Arltere artists.

There will also be a selection of independent events for you to attend. Naarm-based label Ngali will be throwing a high tea at the Pullman Melbourne on the Park, while vintage clothing boutique Vault will be hosting an upcycled runway. You can also take a historical look back at military fashion at an exclusive exhibition at the Shrine of Remembrance.

Have a browse of the full program, mark your calendars and secure your tickets. We can’t wait for another week dedicated to celebrating excellence in the Melbourne fashion community. We’ll see you there!

To view Melbourne Fashion Week’s full program, head here.