I’ve highlighted the awesome work Undress Brisbane do to challenge how we think about our clothing purchases and ask ourselves, ‘where do our clothes come from’? Their next project involves teaming up with the Valley Fiesta to host a ‘Swap Shoppe‘, where attendees can bring 1 – 5 pieces of quality clothing to swap for pre-loved or vintage garments from the closets of fellow fashionistas, reducing waste and breathing new life into unwanted items.

What could be better than getting new clothes for free and reducing waste while supporting local music? It’s win, win! Now it’s time to go through your wardrobe and locate items to swap with fellow fashion and environmentally conscious ladies on Saturday the 23rd of August.

How does it work?

1. With each item, please bring a clothes hanger.
2. ‘Check in’ your clothes in between 10am and 12pm.
3. When you ‘check-in’ your clothes, you will be given shopping tokens to swap for other garments when the shop opens at 12pm.
4. When you ‘check out’ of the event you will hand in your tokens and show the clothes you have taken.

The rules

• You can bring anywhere from 1 – 5 items to swap.
• Underwear/lingerie, nightwear/pyjamas and swimwear will not be accepted.
• Garments will only be accepted if they are clean, undamaged and unsoiled.
• If you bring 5 items but don’t find 5 items to take home grab a few garments for a friend as your garments may not still be available to take home which is the nature of this event.
• Bring a bag to put your newly found treasures in to take home.
• If there are any garments left at the end of the event they will be donated to Vinnies and Lifeline.

All images courtesy of the Valley Fiesta / Undress Brisbane.

Thanks to Emerge Events, Ally Dunlop (stylist and partner in Rendezvous PR) and I, had a front row seat at the Emerging Designers show at the Teneriffe Festival. The Fashion Precinct transformed London alley, which included a fake grass runway with a white picket fence, VIP tables and Alfred and Constance’s pop-up bar.

Local talent was on display as part of the emerging designers showcase. The structured monochrome designs of Hungry Wolf the Label juxtaposed against the feminine, flowing designs of Anna Hulm, Ivy Rose Design Studio and Harriette Hill to the bright, futuristic cuts of Anessa.jai The Label.

We also bumped into Natalie from Interlaced Media.

Anna Hulm

Inspired by dance, Anna Hulm’s colourful designs are a perfect fusion of style and comfort. With soft, flowing silk her dresses are perfect for Brisbane’s warm climate.

Hungry Wolf The Label

Hungry Wolf The Label is dedicated to the elements, strong with a touch of edge to its collections. This collection featured geometric lines and a warm looking, looped cardigan/jacket, perfect for this cooler weather.

Ivy Rose Design Studio

Ivy Rose Designs are conceived on the beautiful Fraser Coast. This collection showcased evening wear with sexy, flattering cuts and a monochromatic palette.

Anessa.jai The Label

This Brisbane based designer, brightened up the runway with light-catching metallics, and geometric colour blocking to showcase their futuristic collection.

Harriette Hill

Harriette Hill is ethically and sustainably manufactured in Australia, minimizing their environmental footprint. Designer, Claire Goldsworthy is also a partner in Emerge Events, who organised the Fashion Precinct and are committed to showcasing Brisbane’s emerging fashion talent.

I have blogged several times about Claire Goldsworthy and her contribution to promoting up-and-coming designers on the Brisbane fashion scene. Once again her organisation, Emerge Events, is taking on this challenge by setting up a Fashion Precinct at the Teneriffe Festival.

Over one day there will be seven runway events scheduled encompassing accessories, shoes and bags, emerging designers, swim and resort wear, Woolmark and winter collections, established designers and boutique, sustainable styling and avant-garde hairstyling and make-up.

Ethel Street will be transformed into a fashion wonderland with a pamper station, pop-up shops, styling workshops and much more!

Where?

Teneriffe Festival, Vernon Terrace, Teneriffe, Brisbane

When?

Saturday 5 July 2014, 10am – 9pm
For the full day schedule and more information please head to www.emergeaustralia.com or www.teneriffefestival.org/fashion

How much?

Entry to the festival is free but if you want access to the front row then VIP seats and table packages are available at: Brisbane Tickets.

All tickets include a complimentary gift bag with Red Bull, free Grill’d vouchers, fashion magazines, designer discounts and goodies, product samples and more!

* images courtesy of Emerge Events and Teneriffe Festival.

There was a huge variety of fashion showcased by Brisbane’s emerging designers at the RAW Brisbane, Awakening event. From the theatrical costumes of Lotusdevi Designs, who’s models had big hair and even bigger personalities, to the soft, flowing eco-friendly garments of Juzu to the corporate women’s wear of The 400 Co., there was something for every taste!

As usual this is just a sample of what was on offer, so make sure you get to the next RAW event to see it for yourselves!

Juzu

Juzu is an eco friendly fashion label who create pieces that are soft, feminine and float down the runway. To embody the spirit of being more in touch with the earth, their models didn’t wear shoes on the runway.

Lotusdevi Designs

Lotusdevi Designs is a theatrically inspired label, focused on creating bespoke costuming pieces for dancers and alternative fashionistas and lines of limited runs on popular designs. I enjoyed watching these models playing the part of a characters from a cabaret show and having fun with the amazing styling.

Scarlett Menagerie

Scarlett Menagerie is created by Kristine Browning who specializes in custom made garments and accessories for the bold fashionista who loves a pop of colour and embellishments. Each garment or accessory is handmade, from the design sketching, pattern making and sewing.

Eliza

Eliza from Eliza McCabe, a Brisbane based emerging designer focusing on minimalist and modern forms, combined with delicate silk and plenty of warm golden colours.

Falling for Willow

Showcasing their Jungle Fever collection, accessories by Falling for Willow is handmade in Brisbane.

The 400 Co.

The 400 Co. is clothing inspired by the 400 fashion elite who were selectively chosen by Mrs Astor, self-crowned queen of New York, to attend her annual ball, The 400 Co. is dedicated to providing fashion forward Australian women with stylish corporate clothing.

I was pretty excited to be invited to the Topshop launch evening as I have visited the store in New York and Sydney and couldn’t wait to have one so easily accessible in Brisbane!

It was a night of shopping, drinks and canapés to celebrate the launch of the massive triple level Topshop store in Brisbane City. The store houses Topshop for the ladies and Topman apparel including Topshop Boutique and Topman suiting as well as accessories, makeup, footwear petite and maternity.

There were so many fashionable attendees including designers, stylists and bloggers. Pictured above is the lovely Jessica-Rosaria Campbell (left), Brisbane model, and Gabby Waller of The Luxuriant (right) having a look at the personal shopping facilities.

It was surprising to see winter stock in the store, especially when the air conditioning didn’t seem to be coping with the large number of people in the store. The personal shopping area was the coolest (literally) place in the store and included a beautifully appointed lounge area.

One of the lovely sales assistants wearing a sparkly cropped top I had my eye on!

Although I usually prefer not to be photographed, my sister, Alisha van Bone and I decided to strike a pose. Although christmas is coming I couldn’t help but splurge and buy 2 dresses on the night!

My gorgeous blogger friends, Ally Dunlop of Wanderlusting Blog (left) and Ashleigh of The Blonde Silhouette rockin’ the animal print (right).

Amber Lowther (left) is a blogger at Fashion Avenue and Aicha Robertson (right) is a personal shopper at Topshop, a model and blogger at The Fashion Heist .

And the winner is… Fabled and True! After 4 huge heats Fabled and True were voted the winner of Capulet Bar’s Fashion Fridays by a team of judges and the fashion savvy audience.

Using beautiful vintage fabrics and lace, these unique dresses (pictured below) are produced sustainably in Brisbane by the lovely and talented Jaye Wolfe (pictured above centre).

The runner up was Flynn who’s structured plastic accessories and simple yet flattering silhouettes impressed the judges.

The event vibe was more subdued than usual, mainly because it was a Sunday, but the designers still brought their best pieces to compete for the title!

Fabled and True

Fabled and True produces beautifully made, limited run, dresses and other vintage inspired pieces. The designer, Jaye Wolfe practices sustainable fashion as all printed fabrics and the majority of the lace and lining are either pre loved, repurposed or vintage.

Jaye Wolfe of Fabled and True with Fashion Friday’s organiser and Harriette Hill designer Claire Goldsworthy.

A Fashionable Crowd

Judges from left: Kyrane Hounslow – Pretty Please Boutique, Emma Gaffy – No Name Style, Andrew Wilson – Dirty Love Photography

Brisbane bloggers Ashleigh of The Blonde Silhouette, Claire of Fashion’s Sweetheart and photographer Elise Walsh of Offbeat Imaging.

Ashleigh of The Blonde Silhouette looking gorgeous and demure in pastel.

Flynn

Flynn designer, Vanessa Flynn with Fashion Friday’s organiser and Harriette Hill designer Claire Goldsworthy.

Flynn creates accessories that work with plastic in new and innovative ways. Her clothing is designed for those who love to have more involvement with their clothing as the wearer can alter and change the shapes formed by Flynn.

Sweet Treats!

Emerge supports and showcases new fashion labels and designers, connecting them with helpful industry contacts and prospective established boutiques. Emerge organised Fashion Fridays and is run by Claire Goldsworthy who is also a fashion designer.

I Found Lucy

I Found Lucy is a sweet and cheerful clothing label filled with memories of childhood dreams. Each time I see these gorgeous designs there is something new and even more adorable, this time? A cupcake printed dress with a rainbow of colours splashed on the skirt! You can’t get any sweeter than that for a summer garden party!

Jessica Tovey

Jessica Tovey (designer pictured above left) showing off her trademark structured silhouettes and edgy tailoring, Jessica Tovey’s designs showcase her signature monochromatic colour scheme. Her collection is created locally using luxurious fabrics and quality craftsmanship.

Lipoa Threads

Lipoa stands for ‘LIttle Piece Of Africa’ which you can see reflected in designer Kristy’s collection, as she pairs African inspired accessories with colourful dresses, tops and shorts.

Undral

Undral is the label by young Brisbane designer Undral Altan, her clothing is playful and her feminine designs are flattering to all shapes. I especially like her colourful use of prints such as this skull and flower playsuit!

Evelyn Curtis

Evelyn Curtis is the creation of Brisbane designer Lexi Wittke (pictured above left). The brand focuses on luxury materials, feminine finishes and unique designs. Each showcase is different as Lexi says she loves trying different styles and new silhouettes, this collection features evening wear including a full length cocktail dress with sexy splits and lingerie.

HoskiN Designs

HoskiN Designs was born from the love of all things creative, spectacular and divine. These pieces by South African born Natanja Hoskin, are all about mixing textures and fabrics to create inspiringly creative garments. Not for the wallflower, these pieces represent couture with attitude!

The energy of youthful exuberance and the creativity of Brisbane’s emerging fashion design and art scene is what makes RAW Brisbane an amazing event. The last RAW Brisbane for the year did not disappoint with an animated short film screened at the beginning of the night, musicians rocking out on stage, finishing with a fashion runway showcasing talented local designers.

The fashion showcase featured couture garments galore and creative hair styling and makeup making the runway a feast for the eyes. If you missed out on attending RAW this year don’t worry because they will be back in 2014!

Fabulously fashionable attendee, Tamzen Holland (fashion stylist) with her husband.

Luna Candy

Luna Candy is original art prints and handmade adornments created by artist Katie Moon. Katie loves popular culture, beverages, plush sharks and pug dogs.

The always vibrant Aicha from The Fashion Heist.

Clone Designs

This range from Clone Designs is focused on using timbers and leather that has been reclaimed, recycled and re-purposed. Breathing new life  into home wares, leather wear, accessories and jewellery. All pieces are unique as they are printed by hand in the Clone Designs studio.

This amazing flower creation is by Wedding Flowers by Julia Rose!

Hunting Faith The Label

Hunting Faith The Label creates pieces inspired by the glamour of the 70′s fused with the effortless chic silhouettes of the 90′s. It was all about short and sexy for summer on the runway showing off the label’s rebellious sophistication.

I Found Lucy

I Found Lucy is a sweet and cheerful clothing label filled with memories of childhood dreams. With amazing hairstyles including an ice-cream inspired look, flowers in their hair and creamy pastels for summer these ladies are ready for a garden party!

HoskiN Designs

HoskiN Designs was born from the love of all things creative, spectacular and divine. These pieces by South African born Natanja Hoskin, were all about mixing textures and fabrics to create inspiringly creative garments. Not for the wallflower, these pieces represented couture with attitude!

Hoskin Design’s creator Natanja Hoskin, with her models.

Kallista Ironmonger is the talent behind Kalistque Dolls, a makeup artist specialising in day, evening, formal, wedding and special effects makeup. She also created elaborate hair styles for Rebecca Cobbing Couture’s runway show.

Rebecca Cobbing Couture

Rebecca Cobbing Couture garments are one off couture pieces, designed solely for the client. Every individual design is its own artistic instalment where the client is the muse. These pieces are intricately designed and hand embellished, the fish tail silhouettes and ball gowns made me wish I had a black tie event to attend!

Silhouettes are bold and dramatic, handmade embellishments adorn classic tailoring and modern textiles accentuate femininity with extravagance and mystery.
- Rebecca Cobbing Couture

Lisah and Nash

Lisah and Nash clothing is made locally on the Sunshine Coast. The collection is for both women and men with key pieces designed to be unisex.

Look Brooke, the label designed by QUT fashion student Brooke Thomas is one of the 20 talented designers showcasing at the After Darkly Graduate Fashion Show.

Brooke’s collection originated with the inspiration of ballet and dance, bringing to life feminine and elegant aspects of dance into a commercial and wearable form. The collection is designed to be transitioned from day to night. Using fluid lines, playful yet versatile cuts with subtle contrasts, making the collection uniquely feminine, fun and elegant to wear. The beautiful motion in the collection images brings to life the idea of fluidity of movement.

The students have spent the year developing their collections from initial concept and inspiration to designing and executing the final designs. Hours of pattern making, garment construction, sewing and finishing has gone into creating and presenting their work for this showcase. All garments are made by the students and After Darkly is therefore a show generated from raw talent.

After Darkly has partnered with Capulet Bar to bring a pop up bar, food and a great atmosphere commencing each night from 6.30pm on Wednesday 20th, Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd of November. Tickets are $35 and can be booked online.

“The student fashion collections are sophisticated and playful… there is both colour and darkness. The graduates have worked tremendously hard this year to produce some of the best fashion happening in Australia right now. Don’t miss this beautiful showcase.”
Carla van Lunn, QUT fashion design lecturer

Photographer: Freya Lamont
Model: Phoebe mortimer
MUA: Carly lim
Hair: Brendan Nauta
Designer. Brooke Thomas

It was a flurry of sparkling garments and beautiful people at the recently opened Aje boutique in Westfield Carindale where, during a VIP night hosted by Westfield, they celebrated their debut with a VIP launch party.

There were bloggers, fashion designers and industry insiders assembled to admire the beautiful clothing. The collections have a focus on luxurious fabrics and embellishments, while always finding ways to combine different textures and add an edginess to feminine silhouettes. Their pieces are created using hand-loomed and hand-embellished fabrics.

Aje is a label synonymous with effortless glamour, tough femininity and disheveled elegance.
- Aje Designers

Aicha Robertson from The Fashion Heist working at Aje and wearing a sequin and feather embellished dress inspired by the colours of magpies.

Ashleigh of The Blonde Silhouette wore an Aje dress, embellished with sequins and feathers and inspired by Australian galahs.

Ashleigh with Aje designers Adrian Norris and Edwina Robinson who flew up from Sydney and were happy to chat about the store and their collections.

Claire Goldsworthy who was recently featured on BNE Style, is the designer of local label Harriette Hill with Anna Nolan.

November is here and there are some great Brisbane fashion events you won’t want to miss including the final heat of Capulet Bar’s Fashion Fridays, Finders Keepers handmade markets and the final RAW showcase event for 2013!

Fashion Fridays Heat 4

Date: Friday November 8, doors open at 7pm, the runway starts at 9:30pm
Location: Capulet Bar, 188 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley
Cost: Tickets $10 at the door.

Heat 4 of Fashion Fridays at Capulet Bar is going to be huge! Showcasing designs from Harriette Hill (who I interviewed recently), Knickerbocker Bloom, Koji, The Kaftan Queen, Qui Qui, Nicki Derrick – The Label, One Colour, Envy Clothing, Undral Fashions and Ivy Rose Design Studio!

Finders Keepers Market, Brisbane

Date: Saturday November 16 & 17, 10am – 4pm
Location: The Old Museum, Cnr Bowen Bridge Road & Gregory Terrace, Herston
Cost: $2 (children free)

Christmas is coming so now is the time to get in early and buy some amazing one-of-a-kind pieces at the Brisbane Finders Keepers Markets. Held at the historic Old Museum, expect to see handmade goods including clothing, accessories and art created by local and interstate artisans. Or, if you just want to relax on the lawn you can enjoy live music, coffee and food stalls.

Brisbane SS13 Artwork by Supertrooper Studio

RAW Brisbane presents ENCOMPASS

Date: Friday November 22, from 7:30pm
Location: The Arena, Fortitude Valley
Cost: $15 pre sale or $20 (cash only) on the door. 18+ only.

RAW is an indie arts organisation for artists, by artists. They focus on spotlighting underground talent and RAW Encompass will showcase approximately 40 artists in film, fashion, music, visual art, photography, performing art, hair and make up across the whole venue at The Arena. To get an idea of the amazing talent on offer, culminating in a fashion show at the end of the night, check out the other RAW events I have attended, Translations and Generation.