Before we start, I must acknowledge the amazing carpet and lighting design that graced this runway event. The vibrant colours and boldness of the design elevated the show to a remarkable level, setting it apart from others.

Colour and design are integral to First Nations culture, and this was evident at the Melbourne Fashion Festival. I was fortunate enough to attend and witness this firsthand. The diverse range of styles showcased and the inclusivity of the event made it a truly remarkable experience.

The runway started off with a vocal performance from Jada Weazel kicking off the beginning of the show. Different from most performances in the past, Jada entered the runway from the media pit side, adding to the atmosphere as she slowly made her way to the middle rows of the runway.

The lighting was a mixture of beautiful red tones and hues, with an amazing performance from Jada Weasel. Im a little disappointed I didn’t capture a video to give the full representation. But there is always next time!

Corin Corcoran

First onto the runway was designer:

Corin Corcoran 

With a collection of works incorporating leather textiles, fabrics and metals. Corin’s designs where a modern take on more traditional techniques of cloth making, with large hand stitched seems, open tears, excess fabric and unique patterns, different from the neatly stitched and clean looks from other designers. 

I particularly like the two designs worn by both models: Hana Schlesinger (Left) and Ina Anackov. (Right)

With the feathers being quite a nice contrast with the white ripped pants. Giving almost a futuristic nomadic vibe.

Corin specifically uses recycled and scrap materials in all her design showcased on the night, every piece of fabric and textile shown has either been up-cycled or recycled showcasing the sustainability of her designs. 

Take Pride Movement

Next on the purple carpet was:

Take Pride Movement

A label created by Benjamin Thomson. The showcase had a upfront, loud and bold presence with the designs and colour choice. This runway show speaks not only for the person behind the designs but also the message his trying to send. To be proud of who you are and let nothing stand in your way

I quite liked the styling and the collection as a whole. The throwback vibes of turn of the century fashion mixed with new and unique first nation design, gave it a fresh street style look. 

Yapa Mali

Yapa Mali was the third designer to exhibit at the MFF runway.

Greens, browns and yellows were the colour themes on the night, mixing traditional Ngiyampaa patterns on fabrics and giving them a casual look. Something for everyday wearing.

This collection included a lot of light fabrics and airy designs, more so for warmer climates or for the spring or summer seasons. All designs are made with 100% linen giving them a soft but durable shimmer. I quite liked the look of male shirts and they would make a great look for evening outdoor events. 

Miimi & Jiinda 

Fourth Designer:

Miimi and Jiinda 

Model: Portia Jade Talib lead the start of the showcase in a very summery girl dress. The actual design of the skirt was nice, I liked the use of the uneven cut at the bottom which made the front a little shorter than the back. Plus a ruffle at the bottom of a dress is always a good idea to add movement, which is also a lot better to photograph. 

The daughter and mom designer duo certainly had some great looks for the showing. Melissa being the fashion designer with her mom Lauren designing the hand woven aspects of the outfits. 

As a whole the collection had pretty much every aspect of fashion design, from swimwear, evening wear and a beautiful puffy sleeve dress, which was the final outfit of the collection, the long train at the back made the outfit my favourite from the label. 

Gali Swimwear 

Now not to be critical, In fact to be absolutely honest. There is not a great deal to talk about with this collection due to the fact that the amount of fabric used for this collection would’ve amounted to one dress from a previous designer :).

I thought the patterns were nice, they are at the end of the day colourful male swim briefs. Well done to the models for keeping themselves looking very sharp. The ladies of the audience quite enjoyed the event! 

Banbu 

Now as I said in my last post, this years fashion festival included me capturing some videos. Banbu’s colourful and vibrant collection included loosely hanging fabrics for evening dresses, ruffled bottoms and tops, all in a very two tone and shinny presentation, lets not forget the unique doily styled dress at the opening of the showcase too. 

Josh Dean

Josh Dean

showed his latest collection the mixture of pop culture and street art with his bold use of colours and print. 

From a fashion standpoint, you’d be hard-pressed to miss one of these outfits on the street and they definitely make an impression.

One of the outfits included a artistic drawn fire design like something you would see from an old school 50s hot rod. If you look closely enough you will see cockatoos and barbwire included too.

Delvene Cockatoo-Collins

Delvene Cockatoo-Collins Queensland based designs made it way onto the runway with very deep, dark tones. (Model: Ben Hebbard)

Giving a very moody vibe for the second last designer at the Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Back in Blak Premium Runway Event.

One of the unique things about this collection was the use of Duster like jackets. The one worn by Model: Ben Hebbard, a black-and-white bird print outfit looked great, the contrast between the black coat and the cream one piece romper suit look awesome. Now I’m no Bird expert but from what I can see it’s either a Darter or a Black necked Stork. Correct me if im wrong! 

Another unique item was a one off black tutu dress, combined with a brown gold printed top and fibrous natural earrings

Lychee Alkira 

Last but certainly not least we have NSW designer Renee Henderson with her label Lychee Alkira.

Last but certainly not least we have NSW designer Renee Henderson with her label Lychee Alkira.

A recent graduate, Renee showcased her latest collection ‘Pathways’ with bright colours and prints. All her work is natural fibres and dye, with her prints being environmentally conscious in its process.

The first piece featured a vibrant red and white floral print party dress, subsequently transitioning to a bathing suit adorned with an oversized pocket vest, both looking to be crafted from the same material.

Bathing suits seemed to have had a theme at this runway event with more than three designers showing there latest swimwear designs.

One of the pieces I found I liked the most from the collection, was a grey and white skirt worn by Model: Ina Anackov.

The pattern and print work of the skirt was beautiful and you could see it suiting a lot of different styles, from formal gatherings to street style

Good vibes were definitely the theme for this runway finishing her collection off with another party dress. 

To Wrap Things Up:

Without a doubt, Melbourne fashion festivals Back In Blak premium runway was an absolute blast to photograph, the crowds enjoyed it. The musical performance was exceptional, and the atmosphere was electric as the event commenced. Having missed last year’s event, I approached the runway with an open mind, eager to witness the offerings. I must express a round of applause for the designers, as I was thoroughly impressed. This year’s event undoubtedly helps create Back In Blak to become a highly anticipated fixture in the Melbourne fashion festival calendar.

Shot on Canon R5C 

Lens: Canon RF 70-200mm F/4

Location: Royal Exhibition Building Melbourne

Words and Photographs by: Aidan McCorry

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The post Black In Blak: Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025 appeared first on CHROMATIC TIMES | Photography By Aidan McCorry.

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Few fashion events in Melbourne come to the scale of Melbourne Fashion Festival. Although the year boasts several prestigious events, it somewhat lacks the remarkable diversity and size of the Melbourne Fashion Festival.

This year in particular had 15 consecutive days of fashion events ranging from student showcases to talks and meeting on the fashion industry of Australia. But today we are going to be discussing the first day of the Premium Runways held at the grandest of venues,The Royal Exhibition Building. 

These runways generally hallmark the final week of the festival and will usually create the largest buzz, Building the hype and excitement throughout the final 6 days, towards the closing of the festival on the Saturday. 

Being the opening event, the vibe in the main hall of the exhibition building was electric, it really felt like the whole city had turned out for the show. Myself, standing in the photographers pit, I had the unique opportunity and perspective to soak in the whole atmosphere. Nothing compares to the adrenaline rush you get pre-runway, its a feeling like no other and one of the reasons why I will always enjoy covering these events! 

GAIL SORRONDA

We started the night with the first designer Gail Sorronda kickstarting the runway. With Signer (Sarah Blasko) performing with the opening collection.

The collection featured pieces such as the Night Garden Cap and fairy bird dress.

A conservative, bold and dynamic collection of outfits that complimented the opening of the event. By this stage you could feel the energy in both the runway models and the onlookers with the first designer pieces gracing the timber floors of the catwalk.

BIANA SPENDERS

Next, was Bianca Spenders Autumn 25 collection. With whites and blues as the colours of choice for the runway, in harmony with the designs shown.

I will admit the muted green tones from the wool collection were very nice and a nod to a more classic era of design and materials. The wool also caught the light in a different way compared to anything else on the night, something about the thickness of the material and the slight sheen you get from it gave it a beautiful look under the runway light.  

NGALI AUSTRALIA

The third designer was a bright and stylish collection by Ngali Australia.

This show was a particular favourite of mine on the night. The use of colours and lighting just married perfectly for some great images. The vintage tones and colour palette made for some striking looks too.

I liked the use of browns, greens, yellows and blues, all tying in together. I do think its great for a designer to embrace bold colours. It’s designs like this that make for a brighter and more colourful, unique world.  

AJE.

Fourth onto the runway was Aje. A Melbourne-based label known for its edgy and diverse styling.

The collection showcased a remarkable variety of styles. Everything from fitted one piece dresses to denim. There was even a large floral pattern designed dress! Definitely one of the more broader based showings on the night. Which in a lot of cases is a good thing, especially for attracting people who may not be familiar with your label or designs. 

MACGRAW

The Macgraw sisters (Macgraw) with there prep school 2024 collection was next on the wood paneling.

The sleek and stylish designs where quite striking, something that would catch peoples attention if worn in a street style manner. Macgraw’s collection featured an array of shiny, in-house-produced fabrics, adding a sleek and eye-catching element to the designs. The label has been going since 2012 which marks there 13th year. The last outfit (black and crystal dress) looked amazing, flowed really nicely and great to photograph too.  

All in all it was shiny, moody, some aspects of gospel inspiration in there as well,

and above all else, very cool. BTW I thought the last dress was just stunning :0

Now for this years Melbourne Fashion Festival. I wanted to try some new ways of capturing the events and runways. One of them was to start doing videos to post alongside my usually fashion photography. It’s been on my mind for a while not to incorporate some videos to my coverage at fashion events. Mainly because I find video to be a important factor in capturing a deeper understanding of a larger runway event, such as the MFF. 

VIKTORIA AND WOODS

My first shot was Viktoria and Woods Runway

My favourite outfit from the collection was definitely the deep red trench coat, spectacular colour! 

MANNING CARTELL

Manning Cartell was the next. Celebrating 20 years of design with there: Love. Flowers. Dance. collection. The flowing silk and satin evening dresses were the highlight of the collection.

The floral dress had a nice balance of colour, although the pattern not lining up was interesting, whether or not the look was intentional or not I don’t know, but interesting to see a bold look. We also had a Netflix star on the runway. Kylah Day from the streaming tv show: Territory. Making a grand appearance (and doing an excellent job of it, too) on the runway as well. 

ROMANCE WAS BORN

Last on the runway was the amazing collection by Romance Was Born.

The colour and beauty of this show was simply breathtaking. As a fashion photographer, having a runway show with big colourful outfits gives so much movement and life to the images.

The large white and heart shaped polkadot dress looked stunning and was my favourite on the night. The event was a fitting way to end the first runway of the Melbourne Fashion Festival and kickstart the week of premium runways. 

Models

TBC

Shot on Canon R5C 

Lens: Canon RF 70-200mm F/4

Location: Royal Exhibition Building Melbourne

Words and Photographs by: Aidan McCorry

The post Opening Night Runway: Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025 appeared first on CHROMATIC TIMES | Photography By Aidan McCorry.