There’s a buzz beginning to build. It’s tingling its way along King Street and gathering up the hustle and fun of William Street. It is starting to spill out of design studios, boutique dressing rooms and the wardrobes of Perth’s most fashionable and stylistically sound. It’s a hum – or possibly the sound of a thousand high heels gathering momentum – that is making a beeline for the 10 year anniversary of the Perth Fashion Festival which will explode across our city for over thirty events, spread over nine days, from September 4, 2008.

Mariella Harvey-Hanrahan, Director of the Perth Fashion Festival, is naturally excited by what lays in store for this year’s stylish soiree. ‘The highlight of this year,’ Harvery-Hanrahan confided, ‘would have to be the opening of the new Kurv Fashion Bar at the Perth Town Hall, which will be the place to be for pre and post-event socialising at the official Festival events. Other highlights include the VIP Launch Party where Pierucci will celebrate 25 years in the business, and this year for the first time we will hold two WA Designers Collection events which will showcase over 30 spring/summer 08/09 collections in one premium night of fashion.’

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This latter event – the WA Designers Collections Parades – promises to be a definite highlight on the calendar this year. These two parades will bring together an amazing array of local talent, both emerging and established, on September 11 at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. Aurelio Costarella, Megan Salmon, One Fell Swoop, Ruth Tarvydas and Wheels and Dollbaby will be mixing it up alongside hot new things like Adam Wore Short Pants, Alister Yiap, Stand International and Of Cabbages and Kings.
‘Any exposure on any level is welcome as emerging designers, but the fact that it’s the Perth Fashion Festival is significant in a many ways,’ said Tane Andrews, one half of dynamic design duo Of Cabbages and Kings. ‘It’s always nice to be recognized in your home town, but involvement like this can also help build on a sense of fashion community.’

‘Brand awareness and being able to show the buying public new collections is always important,’ added ae’lkemi’s Alvin Fernandez on the importance of the WA Designer Collections. ‘It is vital for emerging designers to gain media exposure and parades like these are a great platform for them to show the industry their voice.’

Of course, there’s are also a myriad of other events including the WA Fashion Awards which includes a new modelling category, Vivien’s Model Search, a Telethon Celebrity Parade featuring Danny Green, Gladiators Zoe Naylor and Channel 7’s Saturday Disney host Shae Brewster plus more fashion workshops and parades than you could poke a Gucci handbag at. Not to be missed are Fremantle’s High Street Collective at Form Gallery and unique retail experience Popsicle in Northbridge. Throw in the dashing Premier’s wife Annmarie Carpenter as Festival Ambassador, the marvellous fashion blog Style Voyeur (www.stylevoyeur.com.au) for all the backstage goss’ and street wear shots, and you have a festival which looks as hot as a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes… if not hotter. Oh, and then there’s the induction of a new star on to the King Street WA Fashion Walk of Fame. Any clues who?

‘Can’t tell you, sorry!’ laughed Harvey-Hanrahan. ‘No one will find out until the day! Everyone will just have to come down to King Street on Thursday 4 September at 11am to see a new star born!’

One thing is for sure: Perth has an incredibly unique sense of style. So much so that when the Perth Fashion Festival explodes across our city this September, the buzz of will become a deafening roar of polite applause, air kissing and perfect poise. For a full list of Perth Fashion Festival Events either hunt down a festival guide or go to www.perthfashionfestival.com.au and get ready to put your best (well-heeled) foot forward into a truly unique WA fashion fray.

What makes West Australian fashion and designers so unique?

‘What is wonderful about Perth style is that it constantly evolves. Fashion enthusiasts in Perth love to stand out. Being distanced from Australia’s other fashion cities has necessitated people in Perth to find their own style – whether it be a funky broach or edgy combinations of patterns and stripes – Perth people ‘own’ their style!’
Mariella Harvey-Hanrahan, Director, Perth Fashion Festival

‘We groove to our beat and we are all very different in our interpretations and variety is always great.’
Alvin Fernandez @ ae’lkemi

‘I think West Australian fashion as a whole is still very young, and with that we are more likely to take risks and try and express our selves in a new and different ways. After travelling the world you realise just how unique Perth fashion is, we express ourselves in a way that is virtually uncontaminated from outside sources, perhaps it’s to do with the isolation. As soon as you remove yourself from you environment you realise just how much it has shaped you as a designer.’
Tane Andrew @ Of Cabbages And Kings

‘Many people believe it could be due to isolation, but I think it’s more to do with how we go about doing it.’
Alister Yiap @ Malachi

‘Perth is an amazing incubator of talent and there is incredible support here. I was always determined to make Perth a base. It’s a great place to work from, lifestyle/weather – despite the isolation. The fact is you don’t have to be based in major fashion hub to produce beautiful work and to have your work recognised on an international platform.’
Ray Costarella @ Aurelio Costarella

‘Because Perth is considered the ‘isolated’ city of Australia, i think it gives Perth designers a unique quality to their designs. We are forced to do research on the coming trends and not be influenced by what other larger labels over east are doing. It also forces us to work hard at creating something special in order to gain the attention and respect of people on the national level and internationally.’
Paul Fields @ Stand International