Fashion Week

I’m sure you’re aware of the recent shifts in consumer buying behaviour; our smaller boutiques and labels are suffering at the hands of international online rag-trader giants as Aussies turn to overseas markets for a competitive deal. Now more than ever, our independent designers need support to keep them afloat in this current retail crisis.

So what's the appeal in purchasing independent fashion? We discussed the difference in quality and exclusivity in Series One of our Independent Designer articles. But what about good old-fashioned shopping? I’m not talking about trawling through website after website, online store after online store. I know it’s rather convenient to shop online at times, especially when it means you don’t have to immerse yourself in a car-park battle or even get out of your pjs, but lets not forget the physical experience of shopping. Online shopping is a great way to browse products and help us quickly find what we are looking for, but the disconnection and lack of physical interaction only increases the difficulty choosing your product and post purchase dissonance.

Phoebe Garland, co-owner of Garland & Garland Fashion, a leading Sydney-based fashion agency believes we need to recognise the contribution independent fashion has made by reinforcing the personal service and the wonderful relationships you can have with the smaller boutiques and buying from Australian retailers.

“These smaller retailers have contributed significantly to building these multinational apparel companies. And, these are the retailers that are really suffering. They simply do not have the luxury of operating on the higher margins the chains stores and vertical operators do and they have quite often been lining the pockets of the big apparel companies for years,” she said.

Customer service is a notion most of us have consigned to oblivion now that we have the option of online shopping, but it plays a very large role in customer satisfaction and positive brand image. The physical connection between the consumer and a product is imperative, and it is the customer service that can help facilitate a positive outcome in the end.

It seems department stores and large fashion retailers pay little attention to customer service, which is interesting considering the vast competition from online stores and overseas e-boutiques. So if you are after knowledgeable and friendly staff who virtually live and breathe fashion, head to smaller boutiques and independent retailers.

There is nothing quite like stepping into your favourite boutique and knowing you will be greeted, assisted and treated like a friend rather than a potential buyer. You won’t have to search five floors and numerous un-manned counters, or have to deal with stroppy sales assistants who are more interested in simply making sales than helping you find the perfect garment. Although boutiques generally employ less staff, this allows more time for training and ensuring they employ the ideal candidate for the job.

Skill shortages are also not a problem as many independents employ ‘stylists’ as opposed to sales assistants, whose role is to assist the customer in finding the perfect garment using their broad knowledge of fashion and the particular brand.

Celebrity Stylist, Amber Renee agrees that stylists can drastically enhance the shopping experience by providing independent, educated advice to assist the consumer in selecting the best possible garment in the least stressful manner. She also notes that stylists advice is generally not biased as they are not pressured by sales targets or under any conflict of interest.

“If the stylist is educated on body shapes and skin tones they can provide advice that relates directly to that customer – rather than show what’s been the ‘best seller’ or ‘what everyone loves’.”

Words: Christie Sinclair

Australia has an extraordinary independent fashion scene. The young emerging designers we saw at MSFW recently did not disappoint, with many showing signs of promising careers. At a time when Aussie retailers are flailing within a market that shows no signs of budging, independent and emerging designers need our support now more than ever. It’s crucial the fashion community gets behind our independents, or risk loosing them to international retail giants such as ASOS, Zara, Topshop, H&M and Urban Outfitters.

Let us consider how some of our favourite designers began. Prominent labels such as Arnsdorf, Thurley and Dhini did not materialise overnight, and their success most certainly cannot be attributed to luck. Aside from devoting countless hours to the development of their labels, access to support networks and backing from industry professionals proved crucial in leveraging their brands. Keep in mind, many young designers lack access to funding, thus inhibiting their ability to reach out and connect with consumers. Without the support of third-party organisations, many of our favourite brands would cease to exist. But thanks to the rise and the current popularity of fashion festivals, events and online forums, our independent fashion community can now breathe a sigh of relief.

It sometimes seems as though fashion festivals such as MSFW, RAFW and LMFF exist for the promotion of established designers, for VIPs, celebrities and the fashion elite to swan around in their high-end designer ensembles. I’m not going to deny, this element of fashion festivals does interest. However did you know such festivals are strategically planned to help bridge the gap between our independent designers and the public?

Program Director of Fashion at RMIT and Former Director of LMFF, Karen Webster believes events such as LMFF have helped shape Australian fashion.

“The fashion industry here in Melbourne and in Australia is in a very different place now. I think we have a really buoyant and dynamic independent designer market. Now you can base yourself in Melbourne and sell to London and Paris. That can only happen if we win the hearts and souls of people in the street, if they feel good about fashion,” she said.

Making it within the fashion world is challenging enough, but to survive, flourish and stay afloat is another thing altogether. Fashion festivals and online communities such as Streetfash have helped spur a backlash against fast-fashion and the poor quality of garments manufactured by ubiquitous retailers. We have noticed a transformation in the local fashion industry in attempt to offset this movement. The quality of independent designers products is only increasing as backing within the industry and general community grows. The challenge is to steer consumers away from accepting inferior quality clothing and to stamp out that ‘disposable’ mentality of the fashion industry, by educating and promoting our diligent homegrown designers. Otherwise they will be completely overlooked.

We must applaud the independent fashion community and their support networks on their efforts in keeping the art of fashion alive within this country. Support your local independent fashion.

Words: Christie Sinclair

Today marked the opening of the RMIT Student Exhibition at the No Vacancy Gallery, as part of the MSFW Emerging Designer Series. The exhibition titled 3 ¾, puts the spotlight on the designs of 16 talented final year RMIT students, who have the opportunity to present their own experimental, theoretical and abstract expressions of fashion and design.

Rather than showcasing the final product of fashion design in the form of garments in a collection, the exhibition celebrates the entire design process, emphasising the need to challenge the ‘conventional’ representation of fashion. Students were encouraged to experiment with a range of design processes, which are documented in the spectacular installations, animations, images and sculptures on display at the No Vacancy Gallery.

It’s clear these students know their stuff; just listening them explain the purpose of their remarkable works was inspiring, let along having the opportunity to experience first-hand, the sheer merit of their work. You will be hard-pressed to find a group of students as passionate about their craft as these budding fashion designers.

Alana Hersh’s design statement titled, ‘Textilis’ explores the amalgamation of architecture and fashion from 2D to 3D, in the form of a stunning silk/organza installation.

“I’ve used a range of techniques such as weaving, crocheting, pleating, braiding and knotting to discuss the idea of decoration and surface, and to determine whether decoration is superficial or if it can be embodied,” she said.

Those who question the substance of the fashion industry and fashion design as a trade, will most certainly be proven wrong upon viewing the incredible student exhibits. It is obvious that hours upon hours of painstaking labour, planning and speculation have gone into the development of the 16 creative displays, of which are all stunning representations of fashion as an expressive medium. Perhaps the exhibition helps explain the paradox of the frivolity of the fashion industry, through the attempt to encourage individuals to engage with fashion in a new and different way.

Student Meghan Hutchens explored this very notion in her exhibit titled ‘Fashion Image’. Through a series of images and stills, Hutchens unpacks the fashion process to demonstrate the crucial stages of the design process. From conceptualization, to interdisciplinary collaboration and communication, she explores the notion of fashion as, “everything but the garment.”

The MSFW RMIT Student Exhibition gives students the unique opportunity to not only present their inimitable works and designs in a public forum, but to also test their individual design concepts for their potential to create a collection in the future. This is a free event, open to the public from Tuesday 6 September to Sunday 18 September.

Melbourne Street Fashion is a proud supporter of the Spotlight MSFW Emerging Designer Series. To celebrate our support of the Emerging Designer Series, we're giving away two double passes to two MSFW 2011 runway events. But be quick, the prizes are held on Friday and Saturday!

Words: Christie Sinclair

Congratulations to RMIT fashion student, Anisha Bhoyro who won the 2011 RMIT Student Prize as part of the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) Spotlight Emerging Designer Series.

The MSFW Emerging Designer exhibition is the first major public exhibition for the talented young Melbourne designer, who has been making and experimenting with clothes from an early age.

Bhoyro designed her collection, Precious Threads with the polarisation of the fashion world in mind. Her garments are based on the concept of reviving old-world values in order to impede the all too common notion of ‘fast-fashion’, and the disposable nature of the industry.

“I have developed a new system of garment cutting and construction based on manipulations of yarns within cloth. The resulting garments are intricate, precious pieces which oppose the throw away mentality of fast fashion,” said Bhoyro.

Her creations are carefully constructed to deliver a unique and elaborate aesthetic, of which demand closer inspection in order to discover the, “intelligent, refined and understated luxury.”

Influenced by film photographer Rodney Smith, and inspired by the elegance of certain people in her life, Bhoyro hopes her unique designs will not be compromised by the mainstream disposition of the fashion industry, in the future.

“In three years I hope to still be learning, designing, creating and perfecting my craft. I hope that I will not fall into a position where the commercial side of the fashion industry overtakes my design passion,” said Bhoyro.

Bhoyro won the prestigious award after presenting her collection at the launch of the MSFW Spotlight Emerging Designers Exhibition, at 1000 Pound Bend in Melbourne on Monday 29 August. The prize includes an all expenses paid trip to Milan where she will undertake an internship with a renowned fashion house of her choice, before returning to MSFW next year to fulfill her duties as the 2012 RMIT Student Ambassador.

Melbourne Street Fashion is a proud sponsor of the 2011 MSFW Emerging Designer Series. Events of the series include:

Spotlight Emerging Designer Exhibition (29 August – 11 September) – 1000 Pound Bend
Spotlight RMIT Student Exhibition (6 – 18 September) – No Vacancy Gallery
Spotlight RMIT Student Runway (10 September – 6.30pm and 9pm) – Melbourne Town Hall
Spotlight RMIT Alumni Exhibition (5 – 11 September) – Lobby, Grand Hyatt Melbourne

Words: Christie Sinclair

Livia Arena's latest collection is now available through the Streetfash online store.   

Melbourne based designer Livia Arena’s second collection, ‘The Gathering’ is the product of a collaboration with Melbourne jeweller Deirdre Hoban. Inspired by Hoban’s use of washed-out tones and their mutual admiration for the aesthetics of each other’s designs, the pair have created a classic yet feminine Spring Summer 11/12 collection, incorporating elements of both labels.

“Deirdre and I were introduced to each other by a mutual friend and we threw the idea about for a while. Then all of a sudden, we were working on the Summer collection together. I think it just seemed like a normal thing to do, especially when you consider that we’re both kind of just starting out and I guess it’s easier to collaborate at that point,” said Arena.

The first Summer collection from the Livia Arena label includes beautifully tailored pieces, striking silhouettes and that signature Livia Arena subtle detailing which adds a little luxury to each piece. The partnership of the two designers has certainly given Arena’s designs a fresh perspective, her latest line emanating a strong feminine aesthetic whilst maintaining her prominent classic style.

Although she admits to being cowardly with colour, Arena saw Summer as the perfect opportunity to offset the typically clean lines of her own designs, by referencing Hoban’s soft colour palette.

“I was immediately taken by her sense of colour. I am really reluctant to use colour, but I was very aware that for Summer, colour is actually really important... I think it’s ended up being a lot more feminine than the clothes I create when I work alone,” said Arena.

It’s attention to detail such as the presence of the unique custom print, which makes this collection so distinctive and appealing. The colourful spotted print was the outcome of both artists’ desires to make the collection representative of the hand-made nature of Hoban’s work and the texture of her ceramics. The process involved Hoban creating a large spotted ceramic plate, which was then photographed and manipulated to form the repeatable print now a feature of this collection.   

The innovative collection is also composed entirely of natural fibres including high quality silk, cotton and linen, (and combinations of the three) making the clothing light, breathable and ideal for Summer dressing.   

After completing a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science at Melbourne University, Arena enrolled in a design course at RMIT before taking a graduate job as a corporate banker. Thankfully, she finally gave into her creative side, thus began the namesake label Livia Arena. Although she felt a career in design conflicted with her previous education, it is clear her escape from the corporate world has inspired her design process; her collections an amalgamation of structure and uninhibited femininity.   

Words: Christie Sinclair

The second installment of street fashion from fashion week 2011, captured outside the L'Oréal Paris Runway 6 at Docklands.

Photos by Eddie New.




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The first installment of street fashion from fashion week 2011, captured outside the L'Oréal Paris Runway 2 at Docklands.

Photos by Eddie New.

The runway at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week wasn't only a showcase of the best designers Australia has to offer, backstage was where the magic began- with a little backcombing and alot of hairspray.

Kevin Murphy proved to be Australia's leading hairdresser - he was not only an official sponsor of the week but designed all hair concepts for the Designer series shows. Crimping, curling and rope twisting were some of the techniques that graced the models tresses, while the boys were looking sharp with clean sides, quiffs and lots of texture on top.

Kevin murphy's 'style master' James Furness hosted style session workshops throughout the week. With name's like 'Hot hair not hat hair' and 'Fight the Fizz' it was a show case of DIY-taking it from the catwalk to your home without the pro at your beck and call.

Check out the website for more hair inspiration.

Words and photos: Holly-Rose Butler

Horrah for students- they sure as hell know how to round off Melbourne Spring Fashion Week and reaffirm our optimism in fashion's future generation. Full of creative energy and directional inspiration, we sat with a subtle grin, quietly proud of Melbourne's graduating talent.

Georgia Head kicked things off in that perfectly 'student' way with a conceptual short animation and collection that saw neoprene cylinder shapes blur the relationship between art and fashion with an unconventional ornamentation.

Quilted caged skirts and voluminous shaping over sheer mesh transparencies took Kate Bolzonello's girls to a past reference of Victorian Dolls. Proportionally challenging these two collections stood out from the generally more fluid and body-conscious designs of the other graduates.

Jo Tremplin was one such student who's all blonde models walked out like Grecian Goddesses- the sheer and opaque fabrics appearing to elegantly melt off their perfect bodies.

Elsewhere, underwear shaping proved to be another popular theme with Laura Anderson's printed bodices and Rebecca Martin's robotic/ armour encasings symbolising a tough and modern interpretation to the word 'sexy'.

Safa Taghizadeit represented the boys with the only full menswear collection of modern slim-fit tailoring. Marble effect prints in cream and black, a daring jumpsuit and sleeveless blazers contributing well to the purist undertone of Scandinavian sharpness.

Rounding off the evening, Kate Sala refreshed our eyes with an 80's inspired collection and effective lesson in primary colour blocking. Stacked converse and matching coloured sunglasses looked modern fun and truly upbeat against her abstracted pattern cutting and quirky tailoring - the perfect note really to end an evening of great fashion design.




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Words: Tilly Pearman
Photos: Cheryl Lin

More beautiful creatures of the night at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week. Were you there?

Words and photos: Cheryl Lin

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week is an event that brings all sorts of Melbournians together to showcase many different aspects of Australian fashion. The 4th Designer Series Runway for MSFW 2010 provided a look at purely Melbourne based fashion and the fashion was out in force.

The show attracted the more fashion forward people of Melbourne to view the work of some of Australia’s leading fashion labels. The energy in the room showed through and through and only further built the anticipation of what was to come!

Alpha 60 opened the show with their distinct clean-cut look. Fine silks and delicate cottons effortlessly hung off the models a very pleasing injection of colour throughout their collection was a refreshing change from the monochromatic colour palate we’re used to from Alpha 60. Rich blues and vivid patterns gave the collection vibrancy and flair.

Above brought a strong sense of style and sophistication to the runway. Loose fitting but very well structured pieces provided a perfect blend of refinement and casual summer. Above took a different approach to every other designer I’ve seen at MSFW thus far, using deconstructive and reconstructive techniques giving their own unique take on classic women’s style.

Playful, creative and fun, Limedrop are the ideal label for an Australian Spring/Summer. Teaming poker dots with colourful digital prints, leather, silk and free flowing cottons. Limedrop provided a very tastefulness with a relaxed aesthetic.

Trimapee and Claude Maus gave us with the androgynous, dark and moody visual that Melbourne goes crazy for. Black, white, grey and beige, the colour palate was minimal and concise, although not at all boring. Both Trimapee and Claude Maus seem to have developed their look into a more refined and elegant style.

This collection of creative and artistic work from these talented designers made the Designer Series go out with a bang. What better way to do it?

Words: Max Sanderson
Photos: Holly-Rose Butler

Spring has finally sprung for Melburnians and no better way to celebrate then with the Melbourne Spring Fashion Week Designer Series Show Three, a cacophony of multicolour and clever cuts albeit in varying degrees of wearability or dare we say it originality.

However for the most part each of the designers featured were consistent with strengthening the style and reputation of their labels whilst keeping in sync with the frivolity of the season.

At Gorman, pink blossom ankle socks in the designer’s own line of clog-wear were the anchor for a collection which included a powder puff ball of a dress in a supersized multi-colour polka dot print that quite simply delighted the crowd. The grown-up candy-colour print was also shown in an offering of swimwear headwear and a few tops with only one thing missing: Gorman’s own limited edition polka-dot bicycles currently in stores just in time to cater for the emerging cycle style movement and delightful rides out there in the springtime.

Garnering surprised but approving murmurs from the assembled fashionisti Obüs was the standout collection on the night positively bursting with wearable pieces for the everyday, albeit in satisfyingly colourful nods to the joie de vivre of Spring. Predominantly showing silhouette-flattering ensembles for the everyday in bold hues of green chartreuse earthy red and contrasting sky blue denim the standout however was a subtle and beautiful cream-based floral-cluster print embellished with sequins. All items contrasted beautifully with the cleverly assembled accessories consisting of Jean-Paul Gaultier for Melissa shoes and accessories by Elke Kramer and Mar Y Sol all available through Obüs.

Leopold produced a preppy collection for the boys which appeared to have blasted out from the blogaliciousness of The Sartorialist. Of particular note was a checkered shirt in bright hues of green tucked into stripey grey shorts all smartly tied together with a snappy belt. Note also however that such super styling was less evident in the offering for the femmes. An ensemble of four models with spring in their step showcased one youthful bridesmaid-esque shift dress in bold jewelled hues, however the contrasting accessories of bow-embellished-grosgrain belts did not quite hit the mark.

Similarly at Bettina Liano, the pairing of frothy pink dresses with “fierce” footwear erred more on the side of garish than clever contrast. What did work though was an ultra-feminine double denim combo of cropped bustier paired with a girlishly flared denim skirt a commercially-clever nod to the full-bodied feminine trend which we are happy to see working its way through the fashion world internationally. Also much love here for a strapless black dress sharply matched with a cropped leather bolero with ladylike peplum detail the entire ensemble simply being ever-so-wearable and achingly chic.

Also particularly heartening and exciting to see were designers LIFEwithBIRD, Alice McCall, Manning Cartell and Arabella Ramsay, each showcasing some truly head-turning numbers in their signature styles that will certainly help take their labels to the next level.

A special mention to Coloured Eyes for providing contact lenses in a startling beautiful Ocean Blue hue that were the perfect pop of colour for this Spring offering. A clever collaboration indeed.