First Nations designers open Melbourne Fashion Week with powerful storytelling on the ganbu marra Runway

Melbourne Fashion Week 2025 opened in spectacular form on October 20, with the ganbu marra Runway at 1 Hotel Melbourne celebrating the creative excellence and cultural storytelling of First Nations designers.

The opening night event – whose name means “one mob” in Woi Wurrung language – set the tone for the week-long festival, spotlighting the intersection of fashion, art, and Country through bold collections, sustainable practices and stories of identity and resilience.

For designer Nicole Enoch-Chatfield, the evening marked her debut at Melbourne Fashion Week with her collection Kanyarra, a deeply personal reflection on heritage, motherhood, and self-discovery.

“Kanyarra is not just a collection – it’s a story of coming home and remembering who I am,” she said. Drawing on the symbolism of the saltwater crocodile, her designs embodied protection and strength, brought to life through upcycled materials and layered silhouettes that merged sustainability with cultural revival.

Fellow designer Cassie Fisher-Patterson of Yanggurdi presented Outback Country, an upcycled, bush-dyed collection inspired by native flora and fauna and their stories of transformation. Her designs used fashion as a vehicle for environmental justice and cultural truth-telling.

“Fashion is a number one contributor to emissions,” she said. “My label wants to be a voice and advocate for environmental justice and share ways we can still be designers but in more mindful, exciting ways.”

The show was widely praised by attendees for its diversity, colour and storytelling. Fashion enthusiast Melisa Lewins described it as “innovative and full of colour,” highlighting the work of Tjarlirli & Kaltukatjara Art and the appearance of supermodel Elaine George on the runway as standout moments.

Another guest, Joti Gore, said the night was a “wonderful immersive dive into culture, movement and design,” applauding the inclusion of models across all ages, sizes and backgrounds.

With more than 600 designers and more than 100,000 fashion lovers participating in this year’s Melbourne Fashion Week, ganbu marra reaffirmed the city’s reputation as Australia’s fashion capital – and set a strong precedent for the celebration of First Nations creativity at the heart of its future. •