Undress Brisbane 2014 - Fashion Show

Undress Brisbane hit our scene on the 11th of October 2014, geared up to showcase 32 of Australia's best ethical and environmentally friendly designers some already established and others emerging onto the sustainable fashion scene. Brisbane's West End played host to the runway show, set in Factory One, it couldn't be more fitting being surrounded by the West Ends quirky and vintage culture boasting with live music and certainly no shortage of fashionistas walking the streets. The industrial feel to the location was fitting to the cause. Undress Runways hits our scene once a year and then travels to 2 other cities Gold Coast and Melbourne.

I must admit I was a little skeptical about attending a fashion show where clothing was made from eco-friendly materials I guess like everyone else who wasn't educated in the way of sustainable fashion I was expecting to see hessian bags and ropes as belts, but I was very pleasantly surprised and blown away by the outfits that hit the runway that night. Edda Haram, the creator and co-founder of undress runways was a wonderful host for the evening introducing each show, as the night was split up into 4 separate shows that ran from 6:30 pm to 9:00pm.

Snezana Petreski & Edda Hamar

Having met Edda myself that night, I could see her passion for the cause and how far she has come in bringing awareness to where our clothes actually come from and what they are made of. It certainly got me thinking. She went on the tell us all that these shows started in car parks and have made their way into some wonderful locations and she hopes to take it worldwide and make the event and sustainable fashion a default in the industry.

As the models hit the runway I felt a buzz of excitement and a little disappointed that I didn't get VIP tickets, but in saying that there was certainly no shortage of views in the venue, the best part was that no matter where you sat or stood you got a great view of each outfit. I loved every piece that hit the runway.Some of my favorite pieces were the Zengiber swimwear, Pure Pod and a Anna-Lisa Wiklund dress that was absolutely stunning strapless white gown with a flowing skirt, it is amazing to think that everything was made from sustainable and eco-friendly material and colouring of pieces is done with different foods, it just blows my mind. I have definitely been exposed to something I would never have thought about before and being a fashion lover myself has just led me into a whole new world of fashion

I had the great pleasure of meeting the girls who created the label Mango Rains, they showcased their bright and beautiful pieces right at the end of the night and couldn't think of a better way to end the evening.

Their beautifully inspired prints and fabrics are sourced from Africa where the girls spent two years. It's wonderful to see some beautiful fashion being produced by such talented girls and that all their profit is funded back into helping the underprivileged women of Africa.

The Owners of The Happy Cabin (Above)

Another beautiful pair of women I meet are the owners of The Happy Cabin, a little vintage clothing store located on Vulture St in the West End, it was obvious that their style was unique and had a vintage flare to it. The clothing is worth checking out on Instagram #thehappycabin I can't wait to get over to their store myself in person as you should too.

The best idea was having stalls set up all around the outside of the runway where you could buy clothing direct from the designers. I found this a much better way to shop being able to see them fresh on the model and runway and then being able to turn and purchase them right then and there. I even purchased a beautiful Emmanuel Cox piece seeing their stunning designs come down the runway was enough for me to pull the credit card out!

In conclusion it was a great night, I was totally inspired and awed by the talent of these designers, I would definitely attend another undress Brisbane runway bring it on in 2015.

xx