The Melbourne Fashion Festival (MFF) closed on Saturday with a stadium-style show for 5,000 guests at the city’s Margaret Court Arena.
Romance Was Born, Carla Zampatti and Strateas Carlucci were among the brands that presented their collections on the runway that also featured performances by Melbourne singer Vera Blue and queer collective House of Devin.
This year’s event comprised a 10-day schedule of runway shows and digital presentations by designers from across Australia.
Other highlights included a First Nations fashion show, a National Graduate Showcase devoted to emerging talent and an event at the Future From Waste Lab, which repurposes deadstock into designer fashion.
The MFF is Australia’s largest fashion event, with consumers spending an average of $784 as a result of attending last year’s Festival, helping to support the city’s post-pandemic recovery.
This edition also included a strategic partnership with Australian Made, the country’s only certified trademark for genuine Australian products, to foster international sales for the country’s designers.
Funded as part of a $5 million multi-year Australian government grant, the initiative launched Mar. 9.
Bondi Born, Bianca Spender and Manning Cartell were among the brands licensed to carry the Australian Made logo as part of the partnership, which aims to capitalise on MFF’s digital reach of around 14 million viewers.
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