Melbourne Fashion Week 2023 will transform the city with showstopping runways, unforgettable experiences and head-turning styles across a range of spectacular venues – from iconic theatres to a sky-high tower and an immersive art space.
The city’s longest-running fashion event supports the industry from established and emerging designers to beauty experts and stage production technicians, supporting 1000 jobs, while its runway-to-retail focus generates $23 million in economic activity.
This year’s event will feature more than 600 celebrated and emerging designers and retailers across around 100 events and sessions from 23 to 29 October.
Australian actor and singer, and star of Netflix series Heartbreak High, Ayesha Madon will bring her iconic style to the front row as Melbourne Fashion Week’s 2023 Ambassador, while ARIA Award winning indie pop band, CUB Sport, will hit the stage and the runway.
Nine premium runways will take place across seven venues, all making their debut in Melbourne Fashion Week:
- Le Splash pool deck on level five of the recently launched Le Méridien Melbourne
- The elegant Regent Theatre, in partnership with Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- THE LUME Melbourne, featuring the hypnotic projections of the Connection experience
- An abandoned industrial garage in Southbank
- The lush dining gardens of The Commons Collective
- The recently transformed ground floor of 101 Collins Street
- Level 44 at 120 Collins for an unmissable high-rise runway.
The popular premium runway series will feature some of Melbourne’s fashion favourites – Jason Grech, Bec + Bridge, Ngali, Blanca Studios, Leo Lin, Aje, J’Aton, Oroton, Mariam Seddiq, and Arnsdorf.
Three pop-up runways, five Fashion Capsuleexhibitions and two new Melbourne Fashion Week Hubs in Emporium Melbourne and QV Melbourne will bring colour and style to the city’s streets and centres during event week – connecting runway and retail with masterclasses and exhibits.
This year’s program will also deliver more than 35 independent events, including a high tea by Aboriginal designer Ngali, an exhibit on military influences on popular fashion at the Shrine of Remembrance, and an upcycled runway with VAULT vintage clothing boutique.
The event will continue to champion home-grown talent with more than 85 per cent of participating designers, stylists, models, students and retailers from Melbourne.
Attendees can look forward to a showcase of emerging, independent, and established designers and brands, with an ongoing celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and diverse cultures, and the return of the popular Student Collections Runway.
The City of Melbourne will again partner with Vogue Australia to deliver event favourite, the Vogue American Express Fashion’s Night Out, featuring exciting in-store experiences, exclusive discounts, entertainment and giveaways, from 26 to 29 October.
The M/FW Conversations series, presented by Creative Victoria, will take place at the Wesley Place Business Hub – with industry experts unpacking a range of topics, including fashion careers in virtual reality, artificial intelligence and gaming.
Ticketholders can make the most of their time in the city by taking up special accommodation and hospitality offerings, as part of Stay and Play.
This year, every runway ticketholder will receive a complimentary drink on arrival from Mitchelton Wines.
Tickets to Melbourne Fashion Week are on sale from 12pm on Wednesday 20 September. To purchase tickets and for the full program, visit Melbourne Fashion Week.
Melbourne Fashion Week will again be carbon neutral certified under the Federal Government’s Climate Active Program – $1 from every ticket sale of M/FW-produced events will go towards carbon offset.
Melbourne Fashion Week thanks major partners: Creative Victoria and Collarts, event partners: 101 Collins Street, 120 Collins, American Express, China Southern, Dann Event Hire, Emporium Melbourne, GWM, Lightspeed, Marriot Bonvoy, Midas, Mitchelton Wines, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Redken, Revamp, QV Melbourne and Wesley Place; venue partners: Beulah, Collins Place, Collins Square, Commons Collective, Le Méridien Melbourne, THE LUME and Rialto; and media partners: Broadsheet, Fashion Journal, and Vogue Australia.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Sally Capp
“Melbourne Fashion Week is a staple on fashion-lovers’ calendars, delivering a showstopping celebration of our incredible local creatives and designers who make us Australia’s fashion capital.”
“Cutting-edge design will be set amongst seven incredible runways, with unique settings such as our city skyline and beloved theatres as backdrops for designers to showcase their inspiring creations.”
“The runway-to-retail focus is a key feature – you can walk out of an event and into a store to buy a fabulous outfit and support our incredible Melbourne creatives and business owners. “
“We’re expecting more than 110,000 attendees across the program. We’re delivering runways throughout the day and late afternoon, as well as the evening, to maximise the benefits for our city traders.”
“We know Melbourne Fashion Week is a major drawcard for Melburnians and visitors alike, with last year’s event contributing $23 million to our city’s economy, supporting more than 1,000 jobs and boosting sales for our small businesses.”
Quotes attributable to City Activation portfolio lead Councillor Roshena Campbell
“Now in its 29th year, Melbourne Fashion Week continues to be one of the largest and most popular fashion events in Australia, attracting more than 114,000 people to our city last year.”
“This year we will again showcase the best of Melbourne – fashion, art, food and culture – and look forward to welcoming new and regular attendees to experience what our city does best.”
Quotes attributable to M/FW 2023 Ambassador Ayesha Madon
“I am honoured and excited to be part of Melbourne Fashion Week 2023. Fashion has always been a passion of mine and I can’t wait to embrace this role and collaborate with the incredible local artists, innovators and talent involved.”
“When I was living in Melbourne, I fell in love with the city’s vibrant and eclectic fashion scene, I love local designers Perple, Strateas Carlucci and Erik Yvon and can’t wait to discover more.”
“I look forward to being part of an event that truly celebrates and showcases the creativity and diversity of the local fashion industry.”