MELBOURNE: The latest edition of Melbourne's public catwalk event will unfold in the wake (literally) of the city's iconic water festival.
Fashion @ Fed Square on March 13 will take place as part of "Moomba Meltdown", after the Moomba Waterfest, scheduled from March 7 to 10.
As soon as the roar of Moomba's water ski contests on the Yarra River has died down, seven young designers will be hoping for the roar of applause as they showcase their work at nearby arts precinct Federation Square.
The labels include womenswear brands East of Grey, Samantha Chan and Snikity, streetwear brand Mopoke, T-shirt brand White Charlie, womenswear label Shona and ethical label Moneypenny.
According to a Fashion @ Fed Square spokesperson, each label had been selected for its distinctive offer.
"East of Grey uses recycled, vintage, hand-printed and embellished fabrics, and steers away from mass market trends to appeal to niche markets globally, while Samantha Chan's multi-disciplinary background in graphics, textiles and environment design, informs her quirky, feminine creations with whimsical details."
Meanwhile the Snikity range was targeted at a "youthful yet sophisticated" sensibility and was designed to move easily from day-wear to night-wear and Mopoke, created by Christy Van Der Heyden, encompassed "the funky street style of Melbourne’s creative set".
"Many of Van Der Heyden's pieces embrace a detailed study in the use of folds and pleats draped against the body, with asymmetric shapes highlighted in jersey and cotton blends."
With a traditional Italian background, White Charlie designer Joseph Musarra learned from his pattern maker father, and went on to create bright, bold, cheeky but fun T-shirts, while Shona designer Shona Stark started making clothes when she became tired of main stream fashion.
"With a fine art and design background, Shona makes innovative, one-off garments, each with its own design."
Finally Moneypenny's fashion had gained a reputation for its "steadfast focus on sustainability".
"The label's latest range is made from 100 per cent certified organic cotton, is wholly Australian made and operates on a 'limited run' philosophy."
Now in its fourth year, Fashion @ Fed Square was introduced by Federation Square management to promote emerging talent by showcasing upcoming designer labels, fashion schools and models to the Melbourne public, the spokesperson said.