It's festival time again
MELBOURNE: L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) 2008 – scheduled to unfold from March 2 to 9 -- has been officially unveiled.
Launching at Melbourne Docklands on January 31, LMFF organisers, sponsors and supporters -- including festival director Karen Webster, LMFF chair Naomi Milgrom, L'Oreal Australia CEO Mark Tucker, Victorian premier John Brumby and mayor of Melbourne John So -- promised a standout year for the festival; buoyed by its biggest venue to date and increased interface with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival and the autumn racing festival at Flemington.
Shows will take place on a custom-built catwalk inside Peninsula in Shed 14 at Docklands, which -- boasting seating for 1400 – is the largest LMFF space to date. L'Oréal Paris Runway Shows will feature established home grown design talent including Toni Maticevski, Jayson Brunsdon, camilla and marc, sass & bide, Easton Pearson, Gwendolynne, Kirrily Johnston, Wayne Cooper, TL Wood and Morrissey.
Meanwhile LMFF Independent Runway presented by MINI will showcase new breed designers including: bec & bridge, Carly Hunter, Gary Bigeni, Jack London, Limedrop, Manning Cartell, Maus Cat Berlin, Melanie Bower, RESTINPEACE, Saint Augustine Academy, silence is golden, THE CASSETTE SOCIETY, Therese Rawsthorne and Trimapee.
Amid a host of LMFF cultural and fashion events, LMFF Pop Up will showcase Australian and international brands in a series of temporary fashion installations throughout the festival week. Mobile fashion catwalks will appear at five Melbourne hotspots including the MCG, Federation Square, QV, City Square and Flemington Racecourse, showcasing labels and retail identities including Bonds, QV, Dotti and Armani Exchange.
Away from the runways the 2008 LMFF Business will be held on March 7 at the Sofitel Melbourne, following the 2008 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival Herald Sun Marketing Breakfast on March 6. Featuring Liz Baldwin, head of the interactive division for News Magazines including vogue.com.au; fashion blogger and journalist Patty Huntington and "pyjama king" Peter Alexander, the breakfast will discuss the challenges of cracking the online fashion market.