Cowboy Boots and Patchwork Goodness at Kangan’s Eco Luxe Runway
By Ruby Staley
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Champagne in hand, fashion goers filled the front foyer of the famous Meat Market and the crowd buzzed with anticipation for the show to begin.
After the doors opened at 7:30, we filed into the gallery to take our seats under the dim blue lights. And much to my relief, the room wasn’t full of hung up pieces of meat.
Shortly after we took our seat, a short video of students describing the work and meaning behind the Eco Luxe show was projected onto the back of the runway.
The program challenged students at the Kangan Institute to select fabrics and garments, donated by the Red Cross, and create something new and innovative, to breathe new life forgotten clothing.
Through the initiative, the Institute also donated 50% of ticketing profits back to the Red Cross.
As the music slowed into nothing, the lights went out. Then all at once bright lights lit the runway and high energy music filled our ears - the show was off and running.
The runway opened aptly with an ensemble made completely from upcycling pieces of rubbish. Chip packets, lolly wrappers – you name it, it was stitched into this wonderful patchwork dress.
Then came a selection of single-shouldered dresses, one with gold and green toned baroque patterning and the other made from a patchwork of fabrics with a matching cowboy hat and shoes to boot.
Then came a tulle filled, Barbie dream dress, complete with white ankle socks, a bright pink kitten heel, and a large white tulle hair bow.
The ‘80’s was channeled next in two separate outfits. The first with an iridescent top and skirt set with a dramatic headpiece to match and the second being a pleather pantsuit with bright red fringe detailing.
Then, a model donning a PVC coat and dress embellished with flowers stole everyone's attention by opening an umbrella full of glitter mid walk. It was fantastic, but it did leave some pesky residue for the other models to gather up.
A surprisingly large selection of students displayed looks inspired by cowboy and cowgirl fashion. From cowboy boots and hats to literal patchwork, denim jackets with fringe detailing, it seems, if student designers are on the pulse of the trend, then we can expect to see more country Western influence in fashion. Yee-Haw!
My personal favourite came mid-way through the show, a pink striped blazer jacket, paired with a satin patchwork skirt and finished with a blue cowboy hat and some green boots to top it off.
The student runway also saw plenty of ‘00’s inspired pieces. From the Chanel-esque pink tweed dress to the tiny handbags and the over-the-top diamante detailing, these looks reminded me that maybe there was a reason the early 2000’s was back in style.
A cloud of white satin and tulle dresses closed the show and had me forgetting we were at a fashion show, not a wedding.
With the success of the runway, the students proved there wasn’t much they couldn’t do with these materials, each making ethical look easy.
The show was a wonderful celebration of preloved fabrics and pieces, championing love for the environment and student design above all else.
For more information on the other shows, head to the MFW website or look to our coverage of the MFW shows.
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