Words by Rosanna Curtotti
This year, I had the incredible opportunity to gain a behind-the-scenes look at Australian Fashion week. Thanks
to The Fashion Institute, I also had the privilege of attending various seminars featuring well-renowned
Australian designers, as well as some of the shows. I took full advantage of these opportunities and went to as
many events as I could fit around my volunteer schedule. Each day for me was jam-packed with new experiences,
inspiration and lots to recount. So, with that being said, here is a day in my life as a Fashion Week volunteer.
My ‘day three’ of Fashion Week began with a 9am start, allowing a generous amount time for breakfast and
putting together an outfit. By 11:30am, I was ready to jump into my Uber and head to Carriageworks.
Alex Perry X P.E Nation
My first event of the day was the Alex Perry X P.E Nation seminar. This seminar was extremely inspiring, and I loved learning about where the designers began their fashion journey and how they developed their brands to where they are today. A particular stand-out from Alex Perry was when he described how at one point in his career, his garments were not received well by Australian customers, but absolutely thrived overseas. This was inspiring, as it showed that there was nothing wrong with his garments, they were simply being presented to the wrong audience. He also recounted a moment where he had been advised to consider lowering the price of his garments to suit the demands of certain customers; however soon realised that he could not place a budget on the quality and complexity of his garments and stayed true to his original vision.
Following the Alex Perry X P.E. Nation talk, I made a quick stop by the Vittoria Coffee stand for a ‘skinny cap’ and
began walking towards my second event of the day, the Daniel Avakian show. The walkway to the show gallery
was filled with influencers, models, photographers and guests all taking pictures and enjoying the event. I
absolutely loved looking at all the incredible outfits that they had put together and definitely gained a lot of style
inspiration just from walking around the venue.
The Daniel Avakian Show
The Daniel Avakian collection was extremely vibrant with an edgy twist. A highlight of the show for me was the
finale, where a black and white digital dress was projected behind the runway at different angles. A model then
walked out in that exact dress, closing the show. I found this element of the show to be very creative and
innovative, and I loved the presentation of the real-life garment following the digital projection.
Catch-ups and Downtime
After the show, I met up with a good friend and former TFI student Isabella Andrighetto. During our catch-up
we took some pictures of our outfits and had a brief walk around the venue, visiting all of the gorgeous suites.
Soon after our walk, it was time for me to change into my volunteer uniform and attend my first shift.
Backstage for Mariam Seddiq
For my first volunteer shift of the week, I was to assist backstage at the Mariam Seddiq show. My duties as a
backstage volunteer involved taping the shoes for my model, steaming garments and reading the style card on
my garment to know exactly how to dress and accessorise the model. In this time, I also familiarised myself with
my garment, checking for any buttons and zips. We were then introduced to our models and had a lot of downtime
while they ran their rehearsal. After the rehearsal was done, I quickly helped my model into her outfit and
accessorised her. She then had flowers pinned into her garment by a stylist and was ready for the runway.
The collection was absolutely incredible and definitely one of my favourites from the week. The garments were
all so unique and bold and were accessorised with vividly painted orchids, which gracefully tied the collection
together on the runway. The show went by in a blink and it was soon time to help the models un-dress and pack
away their shoes and garment. I am extremely grateful to have had a part in putting together such an incredible
show, and I loved watching it come together behind the scenes and flawlessly hitting the runway.
My ‘day three’ of Fashion week ended soon after the show and I left Carriageworks feeling extremely inspired,
grateful and ready to do it all again the next day.
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