Magazine disruption

MAGAZINE ISSUE NO.10
"IT IS GREAT TO SEE HOW
FASHFEST HAS EVOLVED AND
BLOOMED INTO SOMETHING
SO DISTINCTIVE."
standing ovation at the end of her first solo
runway show at FASHFEST 2016, when that
other famous Cooma style icon—model
Annaliese Seubert—modelled her striking
and almost geometric gown.
It was Italy that came calling for bridal
designer Naomi Hogie, who made her
FASHFEST debut in 2016. She will unveil her
new Naomi Peris bridal collection—'Fairy
Tale Princesses in the Amazon Jungle'—at
the invitation-only Milan Fashion Week
in late September, before returning home
to Canberra to show at FASHFEST’s
closing night.
“To be featured in Europe is something I
had only dreamed of,” says the 37-yearold
designer. “My hope is to open up
opportunities in Australian fashion and to
have my creations—many of which get their
inspiration from right here in Canberra—to
be carried by Australian companies."
their FASHFEST exposure with full-time retail
presence in the city. Braddon’s Assemblage
Project represents Karen Lee, Edition, Pure
Pod and Stuart the Cat Jewellery.
Karen, who is showing again at this
year’s FASHFEST, said the annual event
had highlighted the burgeoning fashion
industry in a town that had previously
struggled to shed its conservative, almost
anti‐fashion image.
“It has definitely helped us get recognition
for our distinctive, and what I like to
describe as ‘non-trending fashion’, but the
industry is still incredibly hard work for any
of us in it,” says Karen.
Meanwhile, retailers such as Rebel Muse's
Alicia Xyrakis notice a definite bump in
sales as the FASHFEST season rolls around
each year and ticket-holders experience
acute wardrobe anxiety.
“It has been embedded as a significant
annual event and we do notice an increase
in traffic as people search for something
really stand-out,” says Alicia.
She showed a collection of her boutique’s
designers in last year’s FASHFEST but will
just be an observer this year.
Similarly, FASHFEST alumna, Charne
Esterhuizen showed her ground-breaking
3-D printed fashion at Vancouver Fashion
Week earlier this year—earning her
incredible designs column inches in
Chinese Vogue along the way. Demands
on her design work preclude her from
taking part this year but Charne is grateful
for the exposure and experience she
received in Canberra before she took her
work overseas.
Success doesn’t always have to mean
international runway exposure, however,
with several local designers combining
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