Forthcoming attractions
Melbourne 2007 instalment of Fashion Exposed will demand nifty footwork and total focus, so to help smooth the way, Belinda Smart takes a whistlestop tour of the highlights.
The "bigger and better" mantra is frequently wheeled out to describe Australia's leading fashion industry expo, but in all fairness, with registrations up by 10 per cent since last year and numerous labels and initiatives slated to launch, Fashion Exposed appears to be living up to its promise.
Taking place from September 9 to 11 at Melbourne Exhibition Centre, special features will include the launch of Sydney forecaster Scout's Casualwear Report; the inaugural autumn/winter 08/09 edition breaking down key trends to cover mood, colour palettes and styling, and supplemented by garment sketches for women's and men's range development. Meanwhile the 'street lab' arena will also launch; its remit to support cutting edge labels in urbanwear. One of these is tee brand Seven Breaths - which draws on art, politics, humour and graffiti themed images, while Post Modern
Delinquent, The Forgotten, Fresh-Star, men's street label White Charlie, US menswear label Worn Free and urbanwear label Ozzy Five Four will also be showing.
Those looking for catwalk action will be glad to know that as Ragtrader went to press the runway shows had confirmed 17 participants including men's shirting brand Rock Gallienne, designed by Henrietta Reed and Gavin Harris. With savvy market entrants continuing to fill the vacuum of desirable menswear, the brand is living proof that necessity is the mother of funky fabrications, Reed confirms.
"My brother and my husband were unable to find shirts suitable both for work and leisure, with options either too conservative or too casual to allow for dual wearability. This sparked the idea of bringing together our love of fashion, art and design. Our bold colours and striking graphic designs signal a point of difference to the somewhat limited options in the men's market."
Australian made urban brand Nana Judy will also make its first foray at the fair, featuring screen-printed garments and a range of accessories influenced by the era of "sex, drugs and rock and roll". Meanwhile Abyss, the Aussie distributor of Seattle (US) label 'Coal' will also be showcasing coaL headwear, gloves and scarves in the growing street and urbanwear area.
At the top end of the market designer showcase preview's attractions include Israeli label Bianco Jeans - one of a delegation of Israeli brands headed down under for the fair - and Australian womenswear brand Cassidy. Other womenswear highlights include the winter 2008 launch of lounge and sleepwear label Yuu, while White - also a first time exhibitor - targets "females in search of quality and fit", and lingerie label Playful Promises is stocked in leading stores globally, including US retailer Barneys and the flagship Topshop store in London. The label will showcase its latest 'Alice's Party' collection featuring corsetry, fashion panties and bras, the latter having recently increased its cup sizes to offer DD.
Fashion Exposed's 'debut' emerging designer showcase returns for its fourth season, with finalist labels selected from over 100 entries including Robyn Ayres and Katelyn Aslett from Queensland; Il Tutto, Lacqueus, Lola & Bailey and Donna Sgro from New South Wales; OK Carnivale, Isisis, Soul by Deanna Ganyu, Agnieszka and Kashia Wong from Victoria and Sophie McNie from New Zealand. debut alumnus Ente will also return to the fair with its latest 'Series 2' collection, after 'Series 1' took out the Best Avant Garde award at Sydney debut in March.
For those inclined to self-education, the International Industry Seminar Series, presented by Fashion Exposed and Ragtrader, will kick off on Monday September 10 with a rundown of international trends presented by Eva Brune, trend analyst at New York forecaster Fashion Snoops, followed by Fashion Group International (FGI)'s Australasian Trend Forecast, moderated by FGI director Mary Gualtieri.
Seminar three - Scout's seasonal colour and trend report presented by Scout creative director Tony Bannister - will round off Monday's talks. Day two will start with International Childrenswear Trends for 2008/09 presented by Fashion Snoops' Eva Brune and round off with a presentation on retail marketing in fashion from Stephen Kulmar, CEO of Sydney retail marketing specialist IdeaWorks. Aside from their obvious commercial benefits, the seminars will no doubt offer a desirable spin-off; with 447 companies exhibiting in Melbourne this year - no less than 160 of them new to the fair - attendees may well be grateful for a well-earned breather.