FASHFEST Runway Report – Show 5


  The closing night of FASHFEST rolled around too soon. We walked the red carpet, ate some doughnuts and took our seats, ready for the final shows.   Charly Thorn     This young designer from Cooma has been garnering a lot of attention of late. We first came across her at a fashion event in Cooma and were blown away by her talent. Along with everyone else we marveled at her debut FASHFEST collection last year, the centerpiece of which was an origami like gown worn by Annaleise Suebert. Charly has since shown at Vancouver Fashion Week and will… Continue Reading

FASHFEST Runway Report – Show 4


  Welcome to the second night of FASHFEST. After getting in to the swing of things on the opening night (catch up on our runway reports here and here) we returned to the red carpet to document our outfits before heading in to take our seats for the shows.   Bianca Pavlic The Label     This eponymous local label made its FASHFEST debut this year. Designed and assembled by hand in her home studio, Bianca is also mindful of textile waste and sustainable practice. Undeniably one of the strongest collections from the festival so far, what appeared on the… Continue Reading

FASHFEST Runway Report – Show 3


  Welcome to the second night of FASHFEST. After getting in to the swing of things on the opening night (catch up on our runway reports here and here) we returned to the red carpet to document our outfits before heading in to take our seats for the shows. Show three shined a spotlight on New Zealand design with six collections presented featuring designers from across the sea.   Melanie Child     Melanie Child returns to the FASHFEST runway with her signature re-worked denim, sustainable ethos and intelligent, timeless design. Her latest collection featured lots of denim, cotton tees… Continue Reading

FASHFEST Runway Report – Show 2


  Canberra’s annual fashion festival, now in its fifth year, has kicked off at the National Convention Centre in the heart of the city. As always, the red carpet was rolled out and the photo wall was in high demand as show goers jostled for a position, eager to document and share their outfit choices. After a little set change (a number of white blocks appeared on the runway) the second show began.   Gabrielle Spencer Bridal     This eponymous label is influenced by the colours and texture of nature while being inspired by bridal fashions from the 1920s… Continue Reading

FASHFEST Runway Report – Show 1


  Canberra’s annual fashion festival, now in its fifth year, has kicked off at the National Convention Centre in the heart of the city. As always, the red carpet was rolled out and the photo wall was in high demand as show goers jostled for a position, eager to document and share their outfit choices. After getting caught up in the thrill of the event itself: the champagne, the people-watching and the music, the lights dimmed and our focus turned to the runway.   Gehrich     This Melbourne based label, established in 2013, is built on a philosophy of… Continue Reading

Design Institute of Australia 5×5 Speaker Series


  If you have an interest in design, innovation and beautiful things, we have an event for you. It’s time for the Design Institute of Australia’s (DIA) second speaker series event for 2017, which sees five speakers working in five different disciplines each speak for five minutes. We had a ball at the last event (catch up here) and can’t wait to hear this round of speakers. You will be hearing from:   Timothy Fulton – graphic designer, Swell Design Group. Timothy recently graduated with the Chancellor’s Commendation and the student prize for Best Graduating Undergraduate, Faculty of Arts and… Continue Reading

Designer Profile – Naomi from The Perfect Gown by Naomi Peris


  If you are looking for custom bridal wear that isn’t going to burn a hole in your wallet so large your wallet no longer exists, we have found the label for you. The Perfect Gown is a Canberra-based design studio founded by formally trained designer Naomi Hogie, who specialises in exquisite custom gowns that won’t have you living off two minute noodles for months on end to afford them. In October 2016 Naomi showcased her label Naomi Peris Bridal as part of FASHFEST 2016 (see our runway report here). Her collection ranged from classical inspired pieces including draped, Grecian… Continue Reading

Design Institute of Australia 5×5 Speaker Series – Yumi Morrisey, Zilpah Tart


  The first installment of three speaker series presented by the Design Institute of Australia saw fashion designer Yumi Morrisey, the talented designer behind Canberra based label Zilpah Tart, speak alongside architect John Guida, furniture designer Chelsea Lemon, industrial designer Nicholas Karlovasitis, and Canberra Times reporter Bree Winchester, at event sponsor Zenith Interiors. Each speaker has 5 minutes to share their story, their experiences, current projects, successes and failures. After having a child, Yumi decided to leave her job in the public service to focus on her business and design. She presented her first collection at Fashfest 2014 but was… Continue Reading