From the total newcomers to more established names in Australian fashion, these designers have made a big impression during Melbourne Fashion Week so far.
TalaMade
Highrise Runway 3 offered a range of striking designs, but genderless streetwear label TalaMade was a style standout.
Showcasing pieces from debut collection 100K ZONE and followup 100K ZONE: UNLIMITED, the label’s Melbourne Fashion Week debut was moody and captivating. At just 21, designer Tala Surace is looking to subvert the traditional gendered approach to fashion.
Omi Kay Couture
Melbourne Fashion Week’s first modest fashion show, Mod Markit Runway, featured a range of concealing clothing design. With the industry taking modest tastes more and more seriously, Sydney based label Omi Kay is one to watch. Modest silhouettes meet bold glamour in the label’s couture creations.
Dress Up
With an ever-rising consciousness about the industry’s environmental impact, our eyes are always peeled for the new guard of sustainable Australian fashion designers. According to designer Stephanie Downey, Dress Up is ‘an ode to vanity and the private aspiration of appearing fashionable’. Designed and crafted in Melbourne since 2006, the label focuses on creating timeless and original pieces – considered in every detail. Using mostly natural fibres and supporting local manufacturers, Dress Up might just be your next favourite slow fashion label.
AMXANDER
Menswear in the Australian fashion scene tends to err on the side of conservatism. Duo Jason Alexander Pang and Ring Jake Chen behind elevated menswear label AMXANDER are out to diversify things. Having laughed their label in the Chinese market in 2014, the now Melbourne-based duo are bringing a global take on menswear to Aussie streets.
VOVO
Who doesn’t love a label named after an iconic Australian biscuit? Sustainability with a rock ’n’ roll edge, VOVO designs livened up the runway during MFW. Designed and handcrafted in Melbourne by musicians turned designers, Phoebe Taylor and Ash Pierce, the label continues to rise through commissions from performers of all kinds. If there’s a tendency for sustainability and minimalist design to get wrapped up, VOVO is set to change that.
Ngali
Bringing together emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent, Ngali infuses design with the spirit of collaboration. Designer and founder Denni Francisco collaborated with Lindsey Male for her latest collection, which features earthy prints in form-flattering silhouettes.
Chelsea Subala
A highlight of any fashion week is the student talent on show. Taking out the MFW Student Award, presented by Specsavers, was Box Hill Institute Bachelor of Fashion student, Chelsea Subala.
Her collection – SLAY – was influenced by Melbourne street art and inspired by people working through mental illness and suffering anxiety and depression. We’re convinced the future of Australian fashion is in safe hands.
After more MFW goodness? Check out our MFW runway coverage.
