It’s Fashion Fever Cairns Fashion Week

CityLife Cover Story

Left – Right: Sebastien wears St Ballentine; Jasmine wears Sonlia; Audrey wears Murrii Quu Couture; Hair and Makeup: Sue Kim, Sue’s Makeup in Cairns; Photography: Veronica Sagredo, Blueclick Photography; Head Stylist: Chantal Togany, Empowered By Style

It’s Fashion Fever
Cairns Fashion Week
Words by Stacey Carrick

Stunning designs will take centre stage, giving fashionistas the opportunity to discover new brands and emerging trends.

The Cairns fashion industry is busy gearing up for its inaugural Cairns Fashion Week.

In a significant boon for the region, the newest fashion week to hit Australia will showcase international, national and up-and-coming local designers in a week of festivities.

Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Great Barrier Reef, this tropical paradise will see the region’s largest-scale fashion showcase hit its shores from June 20 to 24, with almost 3000 people expected to attend.

Despite its regional city status, the burgeoning fashion scene in one of the most sought-after holiday destinations in the world is one to be celebrated.

Cairns Fashion Week is set to reach all corners of the globe, with coverage of more than 35 designers in the categories of resort, street, evening and couture wear, featuring podium and neo showcases.

Located across several venues including Crystalbrook Riley, Crystalbrook Flynn and the historic Tanks Arts Centre, Cairns Fashion Week makes the most of its rich culture and location by showcasing the talents of both established and emerging designers.

Stunning designs will take centre stage, giving fashionistas the opportunity to discover new brands and emerging trends.

Designers will include Los Angeles-based Lumen, Cyan Reign with her new label Mea Culta, April Marie Swimwear, local talent including Sonlia Fashion, Regan O’Neill and Dada’s Step, as well as some amazing interstate up-and-coming designers.

Cairns Fashion Week’s head stylist is Chantal Togany, the owner of Empowered by Style and gold sponsor. Chantal will be at the forefront of liaising with designers to ensure a seamless production.

The inaugural five-day event will feature runways, symposiums and networking opportunities.

The event promises to be a visual and sensory feast, with stunning displays at every turn and even the opportunity to meet, greet and buy directly from the designers.

This week of style celebrates diversity and unites people from far and wide.

Cairns Fashion Week is produced by renowned local business Platinum Talent Management Australia Pty Ltd, which boasts a combined wealth of more than 25 years of experience in world-class event management.

At its helm, director Jade Turnbull is passionate about curating premium events, particularly fashion, and is excited to be hosting the event.

“The event is like nothing anyone has ever seen in Far North Queensland,” she said.

“Our team shows incredible attention to detail in every single area and the scale and quality of the production is second to none. This is a dream come true. We can’t wait!

“We have an exciting guest singer who is flying over from the US to perform at one of the events and we are using technology to create voiceovers instead of hiring traditional MCs.

“We are presenting nothing short of the best and this will only increase in calibre every year.”

Audrey wears Dada Step, Sebastien wears St Ballentine

Jade said she initially thought of the idea a couple of years ago, however, she had to wait for the right time to execute the event due to Covid.

“Just over 12 months ago I was in my studio in Cairns, talking to my staff and mentioning how it is so hard to access fashion events being in a regional area,” she said.

“If you want to go to a fashion show you need to fly to a capital city.

“Lightbulb moment! Let’s curate one up here! We live in a global tourist destination. Let’s put Cairns on the world map for fashion.

“Cairns Fashion Week will place our region on the map for fashion events and with the expected attendance and length of stays this will create a direct economic impact to our beautiful city.

“We have attendees and staff flying from all over the globe and we have provided them with direct links for exciting things to do and places to see.”

Jade said the Far North Queensland region is an untapped market with a huge potential for growth.

“We attract many thousands of visitors nationally and globally every year who want to discover the best that Australia has to offer,” she said.

“This is an opportunity not only for designers to showcase their labels to the world but also for retailers to discover new brands to offer their customers.

“We have several local up-and-coming designers already in Cairns who in conjunction with CFW are helping to pave the way and open up the potential for newcomers into the industry.

“Being a tropical holiday destination, most fashion trends revolve around resort wear. We are hoping with the annual event of Cairns Fashion Week, that inspires people to be more adventurous with their dressing.”

Jade said she is grateful for support from local partners Tourism Tropical North Queensland and Cairns Regional Council, with the latter providing the venue in kind for their Tanks showcase, as well as a cash contribution.

CityLife Media is a major sponsor and proud to be part of the inaugural event. Other sponsors include Crystalbrook, Jayco Cairns, Stimula Strategic Consulting, Empowered By Style, Wolf Lane Distillery, Star 102.7 and FNQH.

Cairns Fashion Week is supporting ‘Mind Your Fashion’, a charity organisation that promotes positivity and mental health in fashion and creative industries.

For further information or to buy tickets, please visit www.cairnsfashionweek.com.