Paypal Melbourne Fashion Festival will take place on March 3 - 11, as the fashion capital marks a full return to post-lockdown trading.
The Premium Runway Series will return to the Royal Exhibition Building, as well as over 100 unique events across 60 Melbourne venues.
Melbourne Fashion Festival 2023 will see a lineup of established Australian designers alongside emerging talent, from the likes of Lee Mathews, Bassike, Ngali, and M.J Bale.
Across the nine-day program, fashion will be marked in runways, shopping opportunities, workshops, industry seminars, networking events, exhibitions, social hubs and live entertainment.
“There is a reason why Melbourne holds Australia's fashion capital mantle,” PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival CEO Caroline Ralphsmith said. “After some very challenging years, this festival will be a true celebration of all things fashion, and everyone is invited.
“The glorious surrounds of the Royal Exhibition Building will again see over 2,500 attendees each evening at the Premium runways, and the opportunity to mingle in the all-new Fashion Forecourt with its myriad of food and beverage options, music and entertainment, allowing our wonderful guests to craft an experience to remember.”
Naming rights partner PayPal will return for its second year and will host the PayPal Pay in 4 Closing Runway, ‘Fashion Illuminated’ on Saturday March 11. The lineup will include First Nations fashion house Ngali, adaptive fashion brand JAM, androgynous women-lead brand Not a Man’s Dream, and Aboriginal artist Paul McCann in a mix of streetwear and ready-to-wear.
Other highlights of the 2023 program include a reinvented Fashion Forecourt, an area that will welcome visitors to experience pre- and post-runway hospitality, entertainment and brand activations.
The festival will launch on Friday, March 3 with a welcome to country to be performed by the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation, held at the Royal Exhibition Building.
The Premium Runway Series will return from March 6-10, with each runway curated with a considered theme. It will begin with Utopia, showing modern feminine dressing incorporating vintage references seen through a contemporary lens, featuring Leo Lin, Ginger & Smart, Aje., and Alice McCall.
Next will be the Envision Runway, sharing fashion-forward silhouettes, with designers such as Lee Mathews, Anna Quan, Bianca Spender, and Bassike participating, followed by the Power Runway which honours the icons of Australian style, including Carla Zampatti, Michael Lo Sordo, Jason Grech, Asiyam, Mastani, Martin Grant and Rachel Gilbert.
Urban Oasis will continue the Premium Runway Series on March 9, celebrating leading and emerging First Nations designers alongside established streetwear designers, including HoMie, Gammin Threads, Nungala Creative, Gary Bigeni and Yanggurdi. This will be followed by the National Graduate Showcase, featuring the top 10 designers hand-picked from Australia’s leading fashion design institutions.
On March 10, Suit Up Runway will see men’s and women’s Australian designers reinvent the classic suit, featuring M.J Bale, Christian Kimber, Nobody Denim, Anna Cordell, and Kirrikin.
The runway series will finish up with Solo Runway, with Paolo Sebastian set to show a collection of feminine gowns in the only stand-alone show of this year’s Festival.
Among other events in the series is the National Designer Award presentation, presented by David Jones. The winning designer will receive a cash prize of $20,000, along with an Honourable Mention for Sustainability to be awarded, coming with a $10,000 cash prize.
The Melbourne Museum will host an up late exhibition into the world of fashion, performance and live music, presented in collaboration with designer Erik Yvon. There will also be an F.A.T. (fabulous and trendy) Runway, showcasing size-inclusive, Melbourne-based emerging fashion brands.
Tickets to the Premium Runway Series are priced between $49 and $149.