I have bought a new dress. A dress from a local designer whose most recent collection was launched on the catwalk at FASHFEST. And you know what? It made me feel good—not just buying a new garment, which always makes me feel good, but buying local and from a designer I have actually met. It surprised me how special the experience was.

Twenty-eight designers launched new collections on the runway at FASHFEST. But was the festival anything other than four nights of fabulous fashion? Did it achieve by nudging local designers forward, including through retail opportunities and sales?

The answer is yes.

Some designers, including Alice Sutton of Edition and Gemma Jameson and Francesca Altenburg of 4 Minutes 33, participated in a ‘meet the designer’ shopping experience the day after FASHFEST, held at Manuka’s Department of the Exterior. When I spoke to owner Susan Taylor, she confirmed that the experience of seeing the labels on the Fashfest catwalk created real buzz among her customers. ‘It reinforced interest and the much higher level of exposure flowed through too much greater excitement,’ she said.

At Department of the Exterior, Alice sold five pieces from her new Remains collection (one to moi, seen above on the catwalk) and 4 Minutes 33 sold pieces from their parade collection and others from their more commercial collections—a direct result of FASHFEST. And Susan is negotiating with another designer who was part of the four-day fashion event, a designer she describes as being ‘at the more avant garde end’. It all points to a retail ripple that will extend for some time.

The organisers of FASHFEST say the first to buy a piece off the catwalk was Sarah Kelly, well known local “observer, lover, writer and buyer of things fashion,” who couldn’t resist the soft light grey, jersey cotton dress designed by Annette Clarke of Dissonance. The two are seen below at FASHFEST. The dress (seen below right on Sarah) features two hand-made, three-dimensional cubes made out of stiffened chiffon and positioned near the shoulder—one a sharp black and one a bright, apple green. Sarah bought the dress the day after she saw it on Friday night and wore it to the event on Saturday, closing night.

Louisa de Smet, from Corr Blimey, reports she has had several orders for items from the current collection and a custom order. Designer Karen Lee, of the label Karen Lee, has sold leggings and her red ball of yarn cuff line. Aperiodic, by Stephanie Cooper, sold a dress. On Twitter, Fiona from opshoppers reports buying a dress by Scarlette, a label by Steph Tallos, who uses strong, contrasting block colours, inspired by autumn, in her new collection.

African and vintage-inspired SheKudo has secured pre-orders and a Sydney guest is considering Sofia Polak to make her wedding dress. On a smaller scale, FASHFEST organisers received emails from guests asking where they could buy shoes and accessories, like sunglasses, used in the parades over the four nights.

Other opportunities are emerging. Five FASHFEST designers will once again showcase their work at the upcoming ‘Sustainable Threads’ event, to be held at the Belconnen Arts Centre, 6 June. Aperiodic, Edition, Pure Pod, Sovata and SZN’s sustainable designs are a main focus of Sustainable Threads. And three FASHFEST designers—Perpetually Five, 4 Minutes 33 and SZN— have been selected to participate in ‘Modern’, the inaugural craft and design night market to be held this Saturday 25 May in the award-winning Nishi Building, New Acton.

So how do you get in touch with a FASHFEST designer when the way they sell is as diverse as the fashion they create?

In some cases, as with Mont, a label established right here in Canberra in 1981, it’s easy since Mont sell nationally and internationally through well-established retail networks. Eco fashion label Pure Pod is also well established and Anthony Capon, who graduated from CIT in 2005, sells his innovative, androgynous designs and bespoke creations, under labels in Melbourne (a.concept and Et Al).

Some FASHFEST designers have their own shops, like Sara Wurcker, who sells her label Hunter at Wildwood, the shop she owns at The Lonsdale Street Traders in Braddon. And a number of designers—Pure Pod, Mec and the Maid, E4 and Sofia Polak—now sell through the new CBR Collective at the Canberra Centre. The store, an initiative of local business innovation centre Lighthouse, showcases ranges from local fashion designers and connects designers with customers.

Still other designers, such as Karen Lee (her striped leggings are above) and Rockstars and Royalty, sell through the Handmade Markets (the next one is June). Many have an online presence, through websites and blogs. With Andie Meredith you can buy garments online.

Younger designers and the most recent graduates are still establishing their marketing presence and getting production going. These designers often work from home and are available email to see up personal appointments through email or on their mobile.

FASHFEST continues to get asked about where to buy and, in the next week, will have a new section of its website pointing those still struck with Fashfest fever in the right direction.

Credits

Hair: Directed by Form Haircutters
Makeup: Directed by MUA: Artistry
Photographs: Leighton Hutchinson Photography

Photo of Sarah Kelly and Annette Clarke: Red Photography