Stylist Stuart Walford’s guide to this year’s Melbourne Fashion Week
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SAM WONG AND DAN CASTANO
WORDS BY IZZY WIGHT
“A festival that celebrates the Melbourne community just as much as it celebrates fashion.”
The Melbourne Fashion Week (M/FW) 2022 theme, ‘Everyone to the Front’, is a reminder to apprehensive attendees that this event is a come one, come all celebration. As an official media partner of this year’s M/FW, it’s our civic duty (not an exaggeration) to help you navigate the expansive, colourful and talent-filled program. As always, there’s something for everyone: fashion futurists, DIY enthusiasts and beauty lovers alike.
Australian stylist and creative consultant, Stuart Walford, is no stranger to a fashion week. Having spent the last decade immersing himself in the industry, Stuart’s worked in New York, Tokyo and Paris producing editorial work for a range of international publications. But as a born and raised Melburnian, the city will always hold a special place in his heart.
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“I love this city so much and it truly feels like home,” Stuart says. “Over the last decade, I’ve thought about leaving a few times to live and work elsewhere but I can’t bring myself to leave.” While he does most of his work in advertising, when the seasons tick over, he dives back into the runway world.
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‘This year [at M/FW], I’m excited to be back mentoring the fashion students from Kangan, RMIT, Holmesglen, Whitehouse and Box Hill as they prepare for their annual Student Runway showcase,” Stuart tells me. “It’s always a yearly favourite of mine and such a joyful project to be involved in. I’ll be styling the Closing Runway too, which is a celebration of Australian womenswear designers.”
Below, we’ve enlisted Stuart’s professional help to get the lowdown on what this year’s event has to offer and how to make the most out of your time in the city.
In your opinion, what makes Melbourne Fashion Week (and Melbourne fashion more broadly) special?
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Melbourne Fashion Week continues to evolve each year and has become, at least in my opinion, a festival that celebrates the Melbourne community just as much as it celebrates fashion. Aside from the major runways, the schedule also promotes a lot of free pop-ups, installations, talks and other events that cover a broad span of topics all related to the local fashion industry.
M/FW is also the first fashion event I volunteered at when I turned 18. I remember my mum dropping me off for the volunteer interview, which was held on Collins Street at the time. I was so excited to venture into Melbourne and see the big city, it really was electrifying to me as I was an impressionable and eager teen at this time. Now when I style these shows, I still remember all the early experiences. It’s become a very circular moment for me when I work on these events now.
Are there any events you’re particularly excited about?
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The Student Runway is a personal favourite because you just never know what’s about to turn the corner. It’s such an exciting show because you can really see the next wave of young designers before they’re pushed out into the industry. Another student-focused event is the Collarts Capsule (Fashion Capsule four) at the Victoria State Library forecourt, which promotes collaboration and circularity in design.
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I’m really excited to see what Joseph Romano does with his Fashion x Art project this season, which is also at the State Library. I think this is one of the most exciting new events in the M/FW program and I’m sure it’s going to be unmissable.
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The Kuwaii x Imakestagram event is another exciting project that has a large focus on waste and sustainability. I’m excited to see what Rachel can create from the Kuwaii offcuts and remnants.
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Vault Block Arcade is a newly opened store operated by the National Trust of Victoria that sells pre-loved vintage garments and accessories. They have teamed up with nine Melbourne-based designers to upcycle a garment of their choosing from the stores’ collection as they put on a lunchtime runway as part of their own runway show series!
Explore more of the Melbourne Fashion Week program here.
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