Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

The days are getting a little longer and the flowers are starting to bloom, so this can only mean one thing; Melbourne Spring Fashion Week will soon be upon us!

Commencing on the 28^th of August, the Melbourne Town Hall and CBD will be a buzz of all things fashion. Australia’s top designers and brands will showcase their latest Spring/Summer ready-to-wear collections on the runway. 

Alongside the well-known Australian labels, is a showcase of the insanely talented emerging designers in the Emerging Runway 1 and 2. These are my absolute favourite runways, because it’s a great way to support the future designers. 

Fred Hates Fashion is also another showcase bringing together five emerging and established designers, five emerging local directors and five music composers to take on the challenge of creating their own fashion films (epic or what?!).

If runways aren’t your thing, ACMI have a great selection of fashion documentaries which look fantastic or you can check out all the free events going on around the CBD. You can purchase tickets and find out more about what’s going on here.

Remember, stay classy.

- Sarah  

*Mosaik does not take credit for the photo used in this article

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week: Emerging Designer Runway 2

Emerging Designer Runway 2 showcased the astounding talents of 27 students from RMIT University. These students are the next forward thinkers the fashion industry craves and loves. They push the boundaries in new and innovative ways, taking fashion away from the trends and shopping centres, and into the realm of wearable art forms, with such uniqueness and meaning behind them.


All the collections were amazing, however there was a few highlights of the night that really stood out and caught my eye. Natalie Kieleithner’s collection was the opener, and it sure did set the standard. Her collection was bold, fierce, aggressive and passionate all in one; simply created through the use of only a fiery red as her colour palette, and strong, bold silhouettes of exaggerated shoulders and form fitting floor length garments.

Jessie Kiely had use a couch cover and a variety of home furnishing materials to create a collection of unorthodox floor length gowns. Similarly, Alexandra Hackett used materials associated with clothing in stores, such as a garment security tags and 25,000+ price tags to create two separate jackets within her collection.

Being a knitwear student, Grace Butterworth, Amanda Wong and Molly Dockra’s work definitely caught my eye. Grace’s 80’s and 90s inspired urban, sporty inspired jumpers were insane, with their fluorescent, dynamic colours and patterns. Jumpers created from tuck, bubbling fabrics and laddering created a unique texturized 3D look in Amanda’s collection, which was raw and organic . Molly’s uses of extremely thick yarns and oversized silhouettes alongside pastel hues created a surprisingly soft, beautiful collection with killer knitted shoes might I add.

Doan Nguyen's collection was the definition of contemporary sleek and sophistication. Her beautiful layering and draping of elegant silky fabrics have been combined with gorgeous neoprenes with detailed laser cuts and. It has created a unique juxtaposition between organic and geometric structures and forms.

While my own design aesthetics and practices are not quite like these, I could sit back and truly appreciate the garments that were on display before me. Understanding the ways in which garments are constructed is one thing but I was simply in awe of how these students used unconventional materials and distinctive silhouettes in all their garments. I always look forward to these shows, because unlike the traditional designers runways, these garments are one of works of art, that have hours of blood, sweat, love and tears just oozing from the attention to detail displayed in all. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a fashion show, I cannot highly recommended these shows enough.

-S.P.

Natalie Kieleithner

Jessie Kiely

Alexandra Hackett

                                     Amanda Wong                                                   Grace Butterworth

Doan Nguyen

Mosaik does not take credit for any of the images used in this article - Photograoher:Sarah Lay for Aevoe

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week: Emerging Designer Runway 1

Emerging Designer Runway 1 showcased the amazing talents of students in their final years from Kangan Institute, Melbourne School of Fashion, Box Hill Institute and Whitehouse Institute of Design.

With the right balance of street cred, on trend styles and their ability to push the boundaries, these garments could have passed as any ready-to-wear collection from around the world.  These students, as well as their fellow associates, will soon become the fore-front of the fashion industry; designing, producing and selling the seasonal trends for years to come. 

Alana Smith (Box Hill Institute)

Robin Kim (Box Hill Institute)

Jennifer Ho (Box Hill Institute)

Frank Bonacci (Box Hill Institute)

Rachel Mufale (Box Hill Institute)

Rachel Opolion (Box Hill Institute)

Harriet Doran (Box Hill Institute)

Stefania Zanon (Box Hill Institute)

Marine van Reesema (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Elizabeth Barclay (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Lidia Nardi (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Nicholas Callus (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Rochelle Gregory (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Josh Norbury (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Marc Hatherley (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Jeremy Bailey-Smith (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

James Greenway (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Annabelle Cunich (Whitehouse Institute of Design)

Grace Price (Kangan Institute)

Hannah Louise Colefax (Kangan Institute)

 Mille O'Toole (Kangan Institute)

Rebecca Waldmeyer (Kangan Institute)

Errick Kim (Kangan Institute)

Cassandra Sykes (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Brooke Ross (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Chin Yang Tan (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Young Jung (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Queeny Umboh (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Melissa Petts (Melbourne School of Fashion)

Tayla Baird (Melbourne School of Fashion)

-S.P.

Photos by S.C

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week: Designer Runway 4.

Designer Runway 4 showcased the Spring/Summer 15 collections of the likes of Gorman, búl, Limedrop, Leonard St, Above, Kuwaii, Chorus, Livia Arena, Matcho Suba and Tettmann Doust. Each brand had their own unique interpretation for what is to come for S/S 15.

Beautifully draped and flowy silhouettes in crisp white, grey and black, with a hint of a deserty orange were the highlights of búl.

Livia Arena combined the femininity of pink tones with the edginess of black and cool toned greys to create light, fresh twist on the sports luxe trend, perfect for summer.

Above’s use of sleek crisp lines and detailed paneling brings a sleek and sophisticated look for S/S 15.

Kuwaii’s unconventional navy and white organic stripes, pays homage to the traditional nautical inspirations of the S/S seasons. Similarly  their bold use of vibrant peach toned stripes creates a fun and feminine contrast. 

Chorus’ timeless and sleek silhouettes are very transeasonal, with the neutral colour palette. However, bold pops of citrusy oranges and electric fuschias create an exciting summer collection. 

Limedrop’s eye catching kaleidoscope inspired prints are paired with chic silhouettes, to create a collection that excites you with every new garment.

Leonard Street created a very transeasonal collection, with bold exuberant summery tones and prints, that are contrasted with more warm, sultry hues and longer hemlines.

Gorman showcased their excited collaboration with artist Kate Kosek, which is a combination geometry shapes, 60s op art and 90s Nickelodeon days.  Tropicana and bold animal prints also made a statement in their collection. 

Tettmann Doust’s use of sheer, flowing fabric and organic linear prints created an edgy and raw approach to sophisticated resort wear. 

Matcho Suba uncovenentional use of leather, snake skin and heavy metal zippers for S/S15 creates a grungy, dark vibe to a usually bright, vivid season.

-S.P. 

Photos by S.C