5 brands to keep an eye on at the Melbourne Fashion Week

Australia may be on the other side of the earth for some, but it’s time to keep an eye on the laid back Aussie stereotype that’s been the face of fashion for all the northern hemisphere knows. Casual and beach wear are what comes to mind - but Melbourne is slowly becoming the platform for new designers ready to take the stage nationally and abroad.

Melbourne Fashion Week 2019 will officially kick off on August 28th and will continue until September 5th. Here are a few names that are redefining their conditioned identity and bringing individuality to the streets and the runway. Designers are being inspired from travels abroad and their countries past history. With no official inherited precedence in the fashion industry like the top 4 Paris, Milan, London and New York - in Melbourne, Australia, anything seems possible.

#1 Tres Bourgeois

Brothers Leroy and Eli are introducing street + couture culture to Australia, previously two separate things, Haute Streetwear, as they like to call it. Elliot’s international studies in Hong Kong is what influenced his vision in the fashion and styling industry. Their brand is all about bad behaviour, recognizing its source for it all - love. This means delicate embellishments, ironic colour prints and imagery. Their latest AW19 collection Affluenza defies the boundaries of streetwear and emphasizes society’s “ills”. Their baby brother extension to the brand is called Subpar and is a series of skate decks used as a medium to communicate to the youth and the expectations society places on them.

#2 AMXANDERNOW

This brand has been the finalist in the National Design Awards 2018 and the International Woolmark Prize 17/18 of the Australian division. It’s no surprise when a brand is so unique. Taking inspiration from social norms from different eras, culture and occupations, AMXANDERNOW removes the conditioning layer we were brought up in and showcases the disruption of the nuclear family. Their latest collection AW19 Refuge pays homage to the bush rangers of Australian lore, their myths and stories of victories. Designs then become a range of gun vests, indigo denim and tight knits. Amxander hopes to destroy the patriarchy so deeply embedded in Aussie history. Amxander is a “rebellious romantic”.

#3 Garbage TV

From club night to streetwear label, the rave culture industry gives life to their over sized tees, caps and track pants for Garbage TV. More is more, less is a bore is the motto and is seen through their garments with their intense prints and images. It’s no surprise when curators of the brand Kiel Rogers is in 3D animation, CGI and Rhys Scott in design.

Their latest collection AW19 Apocalyptic Dreams has been featured in Vogue Australia and although they’ve already hit the shores abroad and showcase their international flare with pieces such as berets and bombers, they’ve kept their Aussie identity with pieces such as corduroy, casual tees and crocs.

#4 Heather Daniel

Fashion student of Whitehouse Institute of Design in Melbourne, is onto her final collection and is inspired by uniforms, military, dystopia and practicality. Fundamental pieces have iconic purposes in her last collection which tell the story of the evolution of conforming to a system. She wants everyone to feel at ease in the garments, transgressing any standard of society. Her latest collection is entitled Dystopian Military.

#5 Pitchblack by Shade

Designed and produced locally in Melbourne with sources from abroad such as Japanese cuppramonium; founder Gavin Shade calls it A Visionary of Minimalistic Essentials. He believes education isn’t needed in fashion and that he is more of an artist creating new things than a fashion designer. By wearing the garments a story can be told through his artistic touch. From a fun hobby, Melbourne photographer turned this menswear and womenswear label into a career. Key garments in his latest collection include hoodies, leotards, reverse trousers and transparent baggage.