M.A.D Fashion Showcase 2019

Saturday September 7^th brought the 4^th annual MelbourneAlternative Designers (M.A.D) Fashion Showcase. This year’s show happened a bit later than previous years, so I was quite excited to see what the designers and stall holders had in store.

M.A.D Fashion Showcase 2018

May the 5^th saw the third annual Melbourne Alternate Designers (M.A.D) fashion showcase. This year the event had a location change, taking place in the Melbourne Arts Centre. It is amazing to see this event grow and be able to utilize such a famous and beautiful building, and it was now more accessible with more parking and being so close to the CBD and transport.

The runway took place in a separate, but connected, room from the market, and had a unique layout. With a crescent pathway running across the room, and the main stage running at a 90˚ angle, this allowed the audience more chance to see the garments, the models to interact with the audience, and a more traditional catwalk to still be present. The night ran smoothly and on time, something M.A.D has set a standard for and continues to keep.

The market this year appeared to have many more artists. Ranging from those selling prints and pins, to others selling clothing and accessories, this year once again showcased local artists and had something for everyone. My only qualm with the market was, due to the floor’s layout, a bottle neck was created and with so many attendees it was difficult to manoeuvre. But this is something that happens due to the popularity and large attendance, and being in a new space there are bound to be a few hiccups.

M.A.D Fashion Showcase 2017

The 25^th of March saw the second M.A.D (Melbourne Alternative Designers) Fashion Showcase and once again I was invited along as media. Born from Lyris Deign and Clockwork Butterfly, this event aims to display the alternative community to the alternative community, promoting Australian designers and artists.

Last year’s show was an immense success, with only a few issues, for example too loud music during intermission. This year’s show clearly took all feedback on board and made improvements; the music was a lot quieter and made communicating with stall holders easier. This year they introduced a ‘No Flash Photography’ rule, which I found to be a good step in improvement. From my perspective it meant I did not have to worry about batteries and flash syncing, for the models it meant not being blinded on the catwalk, and for the audience it meant not having flashes interrupting their experience.

Once again, the show was well organized and run. With doors opening as scheduled, and the shows and intermissions running on time. The market was set up which allowed ease to walk down the aisles and chat with stall holders. This year hosted many more stalls, and I hope they do not overbook in the future as it will make moving hard. Intermission also featured low-light which made looking at wares difficult, but the lights were turned higher after the show.