Ah, fashion week. This time next week, the madness will have well and truly descended—frantic fashionistas, inappropriate footwear and the odd fashion tantrum or two.
It’s one of those events that the industry looks forward to with a mixture of excitement and trepidation—it’s without doubt the biggest event for media, buyers and designers in this country. And if you get the chance to dip in and out at will, have a change of clothes and a freshen up, it can be pretty fun. But for the journalists who are in for the long haul—the 14 hour days and 60+ shows—the week passes by in a bit of a whirlwind of bleary eyes, aching feet and slight confusion.
It’s not like we’re going down the mines every day (although the venues are often just as dark) so few people are likely to feel sorry for the ‘hard work’ that goes into it (which often includes copious amounts of Rosemount wine from the sponsors to help one cope)—and, really, sympathy isn’t required. It’s pointless trying to explain how tiring looking at clothes from 9am to 10pm can be—just suck it up. It’s only five days out of the year.
Several designers from HowBigIsYourEco will be parading their wares next week. Bassike (pictured) shows on Monday, their first ever fashion week appearance. Kate Sylvester is a long-time RAFW fixture, showing on Wednesday, while Gary Bigeni is on Thursday. Karla Spetic, who we’ve mentioned previously, also appears on Wednesday.
We’ll have pics and updates as they happen.
Also making an appearance is Ethical Clothing Australia, who will be showcasing their work in the Emerge stands at the event. Word has it that at least two designers showing at RAFW will be certified with ECA this week in the lead-up to the event. Meaning their Australian workers have been audited and deemed to have fair pay and conditions.
Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we have a dedicated green fashion week like New York and London (where it is known as Esthetica and run by the British Fashion Council). This month, the Ethical Fashion Show in Paris was bought out by a German company, one of the biggest trade fair organisers in the world. Interestingly, it is also the company’s first fashion-related venture.
It’d be reasonable to assume that a company with a half-billion Euro annual turnover doesn’t make such decisions lightly. As ethics and sustainability assert themselves as a real growth area, it’s bound to garner more attention with each season.
- Matt muses… front row at RAFW
- Ethics rule at RAFW
- RAFW intrigue
- Matt muses: the green runway
- Fair@Square festival
