This isn’t just another fashion show – everything you need to know about Revel The Runway

Posted on 8 January, 2025

The countdown to Revel The Runway is on, but this isn’t just another fashion show – it’s a transformative moment in Canberra’s fashion scene. And it’s been a long time coming.

Taking place on Saturday 1 March, from 4.30 pm until 8.30 pm, Canberra’s newest size-inclusive runway show will celebrate diversity in style, create a platform for redefining beauty standards in the fashion industry, and make fashion accessible and relatable for everyone.

Full of style, substance, and everything that makes a good fashion show, the event will bring together an impressive lineup of local Canberra and Australian designers, all committed to challenging traditional beauty standards and promoting fashion for all body types.

The brainchild of Amy Abrahams, a plus-size content creator, and stylist better known to her followers as @wearthedamndress, Revel The Runway is her way of changing the fashion industry narrative surrounding plus-size clothing while highlighting local designers’ talents.

“I want a different narrative out there,” she explains.

“I have an opportunity to play a part in that narrative and I feel like I have a responsibility to play a part in that narrative. I feel like it’s easy to sit and think ‘It’s outside of my control and there’s nothing I can do’, but there are so many things we can do and different ways we can approach it. This is mine.”

Featuring collections from nine prominent labels –  Penyu Concept, HollyLulu Intimates, The Empowered Figure, Birdsnest, Philiosophy Australia, Y Not Sissy, Monica The Label, Embody Women, and Embracing Bella – each designer will bring their unique designs and perspectives to size-inclusive fashion, demonstrating that style knows no boundaries.

Showcased on the runway by plus-size influencers and models Kate Sharp and Jessica Lucey along with local emerging talent Anika Ahmed, Erin Emery, and Kathleen O’Brien, all of the models will be sized 14 to 24, highlighting the importance of body diversity in fashion.

The aim? Amy just hopes that it will make someone feel good.

“There is a whole generation of people coming through who deserve better, who deserve to see themselves represented in runways, in media, in fashion, in stores, in catalogues, and online,” she says.

“We become warped in our sense of what is normal, what is beautiful, and what is okay. If you don’t see it, you don’t believe that it could be possible for you.”

“Maybe it’ll be an eight-year-old, maybe it’s a woman who’s just had a baby, maybe it’s a teenage girl who is trying to find her place in the world – there’s somebody out there who will see it and will feel good. That’s why it’s important.”

But that’s not all. Following the main fashion show, attendees of Revel The Runway will also have the opportunity to shop the looks they loved.

Holding an interactive “Shop The Runway” experience, it promises to be an exclusive opportunity to see the pieces up close, try them on, and chat with the designers themselves.

And because every great event needs good vibes and refreshments, Canberra Distillery will be there to run a pop-up bar, and there’ll be a mouth-watering grazing table to keep you going between the show and shopping spree.

We told you Revel the Runway isn’t just another fashion show – it’s a celebration of real people, real bodies, and real style.

This is one fashion event you won’t want to miss!

Feature image: Jai Morgan Photography.