The 18th instalment of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week (MSFW) has officially kicked off today, unveiling its 2012 program and fresh campaign.
Tickets to the event, which will run from September 3 to September 9, 2012, will be on sale from tomorrow granting access to a variety of new initiatives set to roll out throughout the week.
This will include the 'Emerging Designers Series', which will see fourth year design students from fashion institute RMIT debut their collections on the runway.
They will join a selection of “new generation wave-makers in the Australian fashion industry” as part of the 'Tomorrow’s Heroes' section.
The series will also see students from a variety of other design schools around Melbourne display their collections at a linked student designer exhibition.
The 'Designer Series', will also see celebrated design labels such as Aurelio Costarella, Christine, Ellery, Gwendolynne, Lui Hon and Scanlan & Theodore take to the stage.
Throughout the week, the city square will play host to a series of runway shows, workshops and fashion experiences, creating a hub for retailers including David Jones, Wittner, Review, Sportscraft, TS14+, Saba, Levi, Target, Decjuba, French Connection and Seed to present their spring/summer collections.
This year, MSFW will also see the return of the MSFW 'Business Series', presented by the Victorian Government, which will provide insight from a raft of local and international experts on the issues facing Melbourne’s retail, fashion and design landscape.
Held over three days, the MSFW Business Series will feature key note presentations from the likes of California’s Popuphood and local architect, Nick Travers.
Seminars include 'Provenance and the power of a local brand strategy' which explores the power of location and the provenance of retail precincts, brands and products; and the 'Next level of consumer engagement' which provides visitors with insightful advice on leveraging the explosion in social, digital and interactive media.
In addition, MSFW’s Edited Melbourne and Look.Stop.Shop program will provide round-the-clock access to engage with city retailers through an innovative smart phone application designed specifically for the event.
MSFW, which last year drew more than 100,000 people into the city, will be supported by a new campaign starring Melburnians Jake Sofo, Annaleise Smith, Emily Trimble-Thompson and Ebony Edwards, in the lead-up to the event and during.
The lord mayor Robert Doyle said he is confident this year’s event will strengthen Melbourne’s position as Australia’s fashion capital, particularly with the introduction of Edited Melbourne, which will connect local, national and international audiences.
“At 18, MSFW has come of age. We know what MSFW contributes to the city; what it delivers and who it supports,” he said.
“Everything you see on the runway this year can be bought here in Melbourne. People can download a smart phone app and gain access to special offers from local retailers and find out where they can buy their favourite fashion pieces. We anticipate that this will translate directly to sales in our stores.”