Melbourne’s biggest fashion event of the year Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF) will kick off in March as a celebration of art, fashion and creative ideas. In an industry rampant with mass production and cutting corners, we shed light on the fashion designers and labels to support at this year’s VAMFF festival.
GALA RUNWAY – VOGUE
Monday 5th March | Tickets
Viktoria & Woods
Established in 2004 by Margie Woods, the Melbourne-based label Viktoria & Woods is committed to a sustainable and ethical approach to their collections. While not all garments are made from sustainable textiles, where possible they use eco-friendlier and natural fabrics such as organic cotton, bamboo and merino woold. The brand aims to minimise its footprint, with a large portion of the collections made locally. It also holds an Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation.
Related Post: Eco Fashion Basics: Understanding Sustainable Textiles and Fabrics
RUNWAY 1 – ELLE
Tuesday 6th March | Tickets
Arnsdorf
Womenswear label Arnsdorf has a new found approach to women’s fashion. With a factory in Melbourne and an almost fully in-house circular fashion model, the brand pride themselves on being of exceptional quality, its fair treatment of workers and its transparent supply chain. Textiles are chosen that have the lowest environmental and human impact; the brand uses organic linen and cotton, bamboo, wool and hemp in their collections.
RUNWAY 5 – INSTYLE
Thursday 8th March | Tickets
Kate Sylvester
New Zealand born Kate Sylvester is supporting the fashion industry and the conscious consumer with her commitment to local garment production manufacturing quality pieces that are designed to last and using natural materials where possible. Kate Sylvester is also a member of the Sustainable Business Network and an ambassador for the Child Labor Free initiative. The brand is accredited as Child Labor Free at a manufacturing level.
Sass & Bide
Elected by the United Nations’ International Trade Centre (ITC) in 2012 to participate in The Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI) to partner with Kenya-based Artisan.Fashion, Australian brand Sass & Bide has upheld this ethical fashion collaboration every year since. The collaboration empowers African artisans through trade, ownership and commerce. The label also prides themselves on working with ethically approved suppliers in all facets of their business.
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA GRAND SHOWCASE
Thursday 8th March | Tickets
Ginger & Smart
A brand committed to business social responsibility Ginger & Smart are breaking the norm of low-quality disposable fast fashion and designing beautiful considered pieces to be treasured many times over. Designing and producing quality-made garments that you actually want to cherish and care for, and is the brand’s way of minimising its impact on the environment.
GQ AUSTRALIA MEN’S RUNWAY
Friday 9th March | Tickets
Bassike
Bassike’s philosophy is one centered on sustainable manufacturing combined with high-end design and construction. It is known for its classic staple pieces that make up the building blocks of a sustainable wardrobe. In 2006, the brand also launched a collection of organic cotton jersey garments for the eco-conscious shopper.
RUNWAY 6 – WHO WHAT WEAR
Saturday 10th March | Tickets
Kaliver
The Sydney-based brand’s approach to fashion production is to be applauded – it is working towards zero waste production! Kaliver’s collections are now made-to-order, each piece skillfully handmade to reduce waste. The label creates high-end fashion with the environment in mind, taking inspiration from Australian nature in their use of unique, interesting fabrics.
Lois Hazel
Lois Hazel was launched in 2015 and is designed and made in Melbourne. Committed to sustainable and ethical practices and supply chain transparency, the collections are produced in-house as well as through a local network of seamstresses. The label often utilises deadstock textiles to minimise waste and offer customers exclusive small run collections.
Nice Martin
Designed in Sydney and made in Indonesia, Nice Martin produces quality ethically-made pieces at affordable prices. The collections also feature ethically-sourced natural materials such as linen and cotton. The brand’s philosophy centres around the Martin girl wearing the brand with pride knowing her garments were made responsibly.
INTERNATIONAL DESIGNER SHOWCASE 1
Tuesday 6th March | Tickets
Kalaurie
Handcrafted in Melbourne, Kalaurie‘s garments are designed and made to be treasured for generations. Its distinctive collections feature dark, romantic and feminine designs that are timeless and crafted with practicality and consciousness in mind. This Australian womenswear label has slow fashion at the forefront of its design process, producing small capsule collections that are exclusive and made with love.
A.BCH
This brand is known for designer basics that are revolutionising Australian fashion by offering simple ethical and eco-friendly solutions. With pieces made in Melbourne from natural, organic and recycled materials such as hemp and organic cotton, and priced below recommended retail price so as not to “price people out of making a difference”, A.BCH is an emerging conscious label to watch.
INTERNATIONAL DESIGNER SHOWCASE 2
Tuesday 6th March | Tickets
Nobody Denim
Nobody Denim is a much-loved Australian brand producing stylish denim pieces in Melbourne. It executes on good design and supply chain transparency, the reason it receives so many accolades from within the fashion community. The label also holds an Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation and works closely with Textile, Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) to uphold responsible manufacturing practices. Nobody Denim was founded in a bid to create denim that not only has creativity but integrity.
White Story
White Story began with a collection that focussed on the perfect tailored white shirt. However, its crisp, classic designs have extended beyond white shirts to other garments, but still embodying the purity and simplicity of its first range. The garments are produced in Melbourne under ethical work practices. The packaging is also environmentally-friendly and biodegradable. White Story dismisses the traditional fashion cycle, creating collections of quality tailored pieces that transcend seasonal trends.
SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM
Wednesday 14th March | Tickets
Neveda Duffy
Combining bespoke construction with utility, Neveda Duffy’s minimal design vision of sleek, structural silhouettes are designed and ethically made in Melbourne.
RAHMA
Friday 16th March | Free event | RSVP
Rahma the Label
Contemporary trans-seasonal collections incorporating ethical textile design and development by artisans, Rahma the Label is designed in Australia and produced in Ethiopia. The brand focuses on representing Ethiopian culture by capturing its essence whilst redefining and uplifting the fashion manufacturing standard in Ethiopia.
If your favourite designer or fashion label is showcasing at VAMFF and hasn’t been mentioned in this article, we encourage you to contact them and ask about their sustainable and ethical practices. We believe that brands will consider taking positive steps when they receive positive encouragement from their customers. If they’re already taking positive steps in this space, encourage them to share those stories and efforts and here at EWP, we encourage you to do the same.
Title image credit: Viktoria & Woods
