Fans of Melbourne’s fashion along with alcohol entrepreneurs flocked to South Melbourne Market’s SO:ME design space to celebrate some of the industries’ newest endeavors.
The designers behind the lovely, ethereal and innovative brands Brkich and APOM (A Piece of Me) will be showcasing their new collections at the space for the next month. The market’s newest inhabitants grabbed the hands of their favourite local brewers and wine makers and whisked them on the ride.
“We’re young, independent clothing makers and they’re young, independent makers of beer, wine and cider. It’s so great that we can band together,” said Brkich’s Belinda Crossley.
Cannibal Creek Vineyard, Lucky Duck Cider and Black Heart Brewery provided free, delicious local brews and very friendly wait staff.
“They’ve provided more than just drinks, they’ve sponsored and supported us too,” the designers said together.
Shoppers passed around organic silk and cotton dresses with prints by local illustrators while getting tipsy on hand-crafted beer that hadn’t traveled more than a few hours from the bottling factory to their paws.
The ‘MADE IN MELBOURNE’ tagline on the Lucky Duck posters that lined the bar drove home the ethics of all five companies.
Black Heart’s beers are free from any chemicals or additives; Lucky Duck’s ciders are a bubbly concoction made from Braeburn apples and Cannibal Creek’s wines hail from Northern Victoria’s Tynong Valley.
It’s nice to know that grog and frock alike, the design process of Melbourne’s Gen Y up-and-comers is all about being organic and locally made with transparent manufacturing.
This philosophy even cohesively flowed through to the flowers, handpicked from the designer’s garden and strawberries from their fridge. Despite some icy Melbourne winds, these home-grown daisies, placed on sustainable wooden crates, sung that Spring has sprung.
DJ James Manning of [TEA] also filled the small, buzzing space with hits of old and new. If you weren’t too busy dancing, drinking, or trying on clothes you could chat with designers about how they sourced materials and what inspired their designs.
The SO:ME space aims to continue to support young, emerging designers of different trades and backgrounds. Pick up an APOM or Brkich piece over the next four weeks or pop in over the coming months to see which other fresh faces and left over beers they serve up.
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