Australia’s creme de la creme showed up for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in gorgeous Sydney and FIB has you covered from the glamorous runway shows to the stellar model lineup to the very best of street style.
Wet weather did not deter Australia’s best designers and models for showcasing their best for the biggest week on the Australian fashion calendar, Mercedes-Benz fashion week in Sydney. And what better location to kick-start the week of fashion than with the dynamic backdrop of the Opera House, right in the heart of Sydney’s bustling harbour.
Here’s a list of designers who take Australian fashion to a whole new level.
Dion Lee
As one of Australia’s most celebrated designers, Dion Lee was the perfect choice to open Fashion Week Australia. Returning to the location of one of his first shows, he started this year off with a bang. With a nod to his past designs and his love of asymmetry, Lee’s Resort 18 collection was based on Sydney’s architecture combined with a distinctly international feel, complimented by the sails of the Sydney Opera house.
Thomas Puttick
Designer Thomas Puttick has demonstrated it’s not just about showcasing the most beautiful clothes. Fashion is about showing off beautiful people. Thomas Puttick presented his first fashion collection at AWFW 2017 by inviting inspiring women of all ages, body shapes and ethnicity to model his pieces. Doing so, he hoped to express how ‘real’ women would wear his collection. ‘Models’ included artist Dina Broadhurst and charity founder Aminata Conteh-Biger. His upcoming collection features a range of fluid wearable pieces, soft silk separates and lace that any modern Australian woman can slip into.
Joshua Mullane
As Dion Lee opened MBAFW 2017 at the Sydney Opera house, designer Joshua Mullane launched his collection in a… less traditional way. Sending security, fashion bloggers and press in a frenzy, Joshua Mullane debuted a ‘riot-inspired’ collection titled ‘Villain’, metres away from the Dion Lee fashion show. The collection promoted rebellion and blended anything that went against conformism. Pieces included references from rock n roll to androgyny. Mixing and matching bold pieces and blurring gender boundaries was also a prominent feature in the collection. One for the hype of a new brand, Mullane’s runway show was a public demonstration about emerging designers who don’t have access to display their talent. What better way to showcase your own collection through the most controversial way possible!
Double Rainbouu
Back in 2016, former art and creative directors Toby Jones and Mikey Nolan, of denim label Ksubi, Toby Jones and Mikey Nolan, created a new brand of psychedelic beach and resort wear, ‘Double Rainbouu’. Offering a fun and colourful alternative to traditional resort brands, Double Rainbouu draws inspiration from 80s pop art, fashion and pop culture. Textile prints are bright and bold, reflecting a life spent by the beach and all it represents. After all, Australia is the country known for its beach culture so why not make a line of clothing to reflect it?
Ellery x Eithad
Ellery may have departed these shores for the fashion capital of the world, Paris, but she always knows where home is! The hottest ticket of the week was the ten years celebratory retrospective on iconic Ellery designs to mark ten years since Ellery’s first show at Australian Fashion week. Of course, the place to be was the special VIP only cocktail party afterwards, hosted by Ellery in partnership with Eithad Airways. Eithad were also celebrating its tenth-year milestone of service to Australia and were launching its Runway to Runway program. Also launched was Eithad’s original content series “Model Diaries” which we follow notable models from take-off to touchdown as they travel around the world for fashion events. Distinguished guests in attendance included Georgia Fowler, Elyse Taylor, Carmen Hamilton and Izzi Manfredi.
That’s a wrap for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2017, we already can’t wait for next year!
Written: Lucy Li and Jasmine Cottan