The first Melbourne Fashion Festival took place in 1996. Collette Dinnigan had just won Designer of the Year. Fashion Journal was in its fifth year of print. Street style was still shot on film and iPhones were not even a twinkle in Steve Jobs’ eye.
In the nearly 30 years since the festival’s inception, the media industry has changed dramatically. Back then, the front row (or ‘frow’) was dominated by long-respected magazine editors and print media behemoths whose thoughts, opinions, and image selections from the runways were the only perspectives those not in attendance would see.
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The early 2000s saw the rise of fashion bloggers armed with digital cameras, who began challenging the old guard and paving the way for more diverse points of view and new, niche audiences online. By 2011, the frow was changing. Note pads and Blackberries were replaced with iPhones, and established editors found themselves sharing the spotlight with emerging social starlets: it was the dawn of the influencer.
Those who disregarded influencers as people who do nothing but take selfies all day were made to eat their words. These days, content creators outnumber traditional media by a mile. The role of a fashion editor has changed, and so too has the work involved in being a social media content creator.
To shed some light on the realities of both roles during one of the biggest weeks in the industry, Fashion Journal‘s Features Editor Lara Daly and Melbourne-based content creator Tatenda Luna each share a day in their life during PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Tatenda Luna, content creator
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Fashion has always been my first love — I even studied it at university and had my own fashion label. I started creating content on TikTok at the end of 2019, and it quickly became my full-time passion. Now, I primarily focus on beauty and skincare content, but I still love playing dress-up and sharing my fashion moments online.
This will be my third time attending Pay Pal Melbourne Fashion Festival. I’ll be at the Opening Runway and the Grand Showcase with Steven Khalil. If I’m working with a brand, the preparation usually starts about a month in advance with briefs, contracts and product send-outs.
When it comes to my outfits, though, I could definitely be more organised! I usually start planning a week before, or even on the day. It always sneaks up on me! That said, I love shopping my own wardrobe for looks, so I don’t feel the need to source too much beforehand.
Opening Night, Monday March 3
8am: When I have a packed day and evening ahead, I like to start my morning slowly, tackling little home chores to make the rest of my week run smoother. Today’s lineup: a load of laundry, organising PR packages that have piled up, and indulging in a self-care moment with a sheet mask, coffee, and a hot cross bun — paired with a fresh new book, of course.
12pm: My workday officially kicked off with a lunchtime meeting, chatting with a client about our partnership and plans for the year ahead. That was followed by a quick check-in with my manager to go over the week — one of my busiest yet, with PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, content deadlines, and multiple trips to and from Sydney.
2pm: Time to get ready! Ideally, I like to set aside at least two hours when filming a Get Ready With Me video, but today, time was not on my side. Sometimes, though, the rush makes my content feel even more authentic! I was being dressed by Aje, one of my favourite Australian labels, so naturally, I filmed a quick outfit video for TikTok before heading out the door.
6pm: After an afternoon of rooftop drinks and nibbles with Lancôme, we made our way to the festival.
One of my favourite moments at any festival is the arrivals – getting snapped by photographers, seeing everyone’s outfits, and bumping into friends.
Allie is always a highlight when it comes to fashion event reunions!
7pm: Showtime! Sitting front row at a fashion show was once a childhood dream, and the fact that it’s now part of my job still feels surreal. Australia has some incredible designers, and the Opening Runway truly celebrated that. My standout? Romance Was Born— the perfect mix of whimsy, romance and those vibrant, playful details we all love from them.
9pm: A post-show dinner with Lancôme and Club Sup was the perfect way to end the night. We anonymously shared our most powerful beauty secrets, sparking the most interesting conversations around the table.
By 11pm, I was home and prepping for yet another big day ahead… With a 4am wake-up call looming, I saved all my editing for my flight to Sydney. Efficiency at its finest!
Lara Daly, Fashion Journal‘s Features Editor
I’ve been in my role at Fashion Journal for six months, so this is actually my first time attending PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival. I’m excited for a busy week of shows, panel talks, and of course, taking in all the incredible street style.
As a media partner for the festival, we started planning our content for print, online and our social media channels months in advance – including this very article! We’ve been particularly involved with the National Graduate Showcase, running profiles with each student designer online before the event, as well as a beautiful editorial shoot in issue 196.
I love dressing up for the shows but I also find this part quite stressful, so I’ve planned outfits in advance. Luckily, I was able to borrow pieces from some of my favourite local labels, including Jess Grindell, Kahe and Hydra Opia, as well as raiding a few friend’s wardrobes.
Tuesday March 4
9am: My working day starts with coffee while editing a piece from a contributing writer about Co-Star, followed by an update of one of our fashion directories. We’re in the process of moving offices this week, so I’m working from home today with Pinto keeping me company.
12.30pm: An uninspiring lunch of Corn Thins and avocado eaten at my desk, while I turn my attention to social media. I schedule some photos from our print fashion shoot to Instagram, and create a behind-the-scenes reel from the shoot to share later today, building some hype for the National Graduate Showcase tonight. I also write up my interviews with two makeup artists about the beauty direction for the runways this year.
2pm: I pick up a top from Jess Grindell to wear to the shows tonight – her signature corset cover in a gorgeous hot pink fabric. I decide they look best with my black Kahe trousers, even though it’s far too hot to wear wool suiting.
5pm: Time to get ready. I spend an hour straightening my hair and stupidly forget to eat a snack.
6.30pm: I arrive at the Royal Exhibition Building and I’m immediately overwhelmed by the incredible street style. I’m sweaty and hair is already frizzy again. I meet our photographer Lekhena on the forecourt who’s capturing some street style for us on film, before heading in to watch the National Designer Award x David Jones runway.
7.20pm: The runway kicks off. It’s beautiful, and I’m frantically capturing videos and photos while taking notes on my phone: ‘Coral reds almost neon reds paired with khaki and lavender at Alix Higgins’ reads one. Amy Lawrence is announced as the National Designer Award winner, so well deserved.
8pm: Time to meet the rest of the FJ team, including some of our past and present interns for a drink! Here’s Daisy and I looking shiny and proud as punch of our latest mag.
8.45pm: The National Graduate Showcase x Emporium Melbourne runway begins. It was so cool to see our FJ video on the big screen before it started.
Seeing all the collections come to life with music, models and choreography after reading about each student on Fashion Journal (Daisy wrote them all!) and seeing the pieces in our print shoot was so special. Everyone brought such a unique vision, but some of my favourites were Anjali Tulpule’s modular bridal wear, Indigo Stewart’s hand-woven pieces and Joanna Youn’s whimsical, Korean hanbok-inspired creations.
10pm: Tram home to devour instant noodles straight from the pot at the kitchen counter. Skincare, then bed. Tomorrow I’ll be writing up a recap from the student runway and getting the street style photos published ASAP.
For more on PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, head here.
This article A day as a content creator versus a fashion editor at PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival appeared first on Fashion Journal.
2025-03-07 08:33:00
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