VAMFF - Panel Conversation: Fashion as a Vehicle for Social Cohesion

Presented by The Social Studio as part of the Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival 2019 program, this panel will enable rich discussion around the ever-expanding relationship between fashion, community, culture and ethics. 

For close to a decade, The Social Studio has been a dynamic social enterprise in Melbourne’s cultural landscape, bringing environmentally sustainable design and ethical business practices to the community. We are a fashion school, clothing label, retail shop, digital textile print studio, clothing manufacturer and community space, created from the style and skills of young people from new migrant and refugee communities.

SPEAKERS

Jewel Topsfield (moderator) was the Indonesia correspondent for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald from 2015 to 2018, based in Jakarta. She is now the Melbourne Editor for The Age. Jewel has won multiple awards, including a Walkley for international journalism and the $20,000 Lowy Institute Media Award, which recognises journalists who have deepened and enriched the discussion of global issues in Australia. She has been with The Age for 15 years, including several years as the education editor of The Age and a three-year stint in the Canberra Press Gallery covering immigration, the environment and education. Jewel was also the 2019 Academic Program Officer for the ACICIS journalism professional practicum, where journalism students from Australian universities study and do an internship in Indonesia.

Elisa Keeler is one half of Maroske Peech (est 2017), an Australian fashion label directed by Elisa and Jordan Conder. The two develop yearly collections under the brand, using it as a platform to creatively play with pre-exisiting notions of fashion and the fashion industry. Unpacking and then rebuilding new ideas around topics such as hierarchy, tradition, gender, and authenticity.

Mitch Parker is a Melbourne-based writer and editor, currently serving as the editor of i-D Australia and New Zealand. Before taking on this role in 2018, he was previously the editor-in-chief of independent publication Acclaim. As the editorial leader for i-D in Australia and New Zealand, Mitch is focused on upholding the brand’s influential reputation for discovering and nurturing talent in the worlds of fashion, music, art, film and culture. He is passionate about utilising i-D’s global platform to showcase emerging local talent and speak to the lives of the region’s youth.

Karinda Mutabazi is a freelance stylist and creative director with a primary focus on creating and styling unique, dynamic and beautiful images, looks and aesthetics. She comes to styling by way of stage performance, music management, film production and development, and theatre costume, having worked in London, New York and Los Angeles before coming back home to Australia. Karinda's diversity and flexibility has seen her style for editorial shoots, advertising campaigns, film clips, live performances, and major events like the ARIAS, LOGIES, MSFW and VAMFF. 

Kate Durham is a Melbourne-based artist, practising in jewellery, sculpture and drawing. Her work has been shown in Japan, England, the USA and around Australia. She is represented in several major collections, including the National Gallery of Victoria. A passionate  and active supporter of refugees, in 2001 Kate established Spare Rooms for Refugees, a project to provide community accommodation for asylum seekers. In June 2002, she travelled to Nauru with a BBC journalist and thus provided the first images of Australia’s Pacific Solution.

Kyah Parrott is an artist and fashion stylist currently located in Melbourne, Australia. Born in Toronto, Canada, her unique perspective and style inspiration comes from her travels both inwards and outwards. Kyah's artistry spans across music and poetry. Her creative endeavours include styling, creative art direction and branding. Though there's never too many degrees of separation between them all.