Mark your calendars.
The countdown to certainly one of Australia’s largest trend events of the yr is on. From February 14, PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival is again and for its thirtieth yr, it’s placing on a stacked lineup of thrilling events that everybody is welcome to attend.
As a proud long-term media companion of the Festival, we’ve already shared our information to the 2026 programme, together with the 12 Premium Runways that may showcase the best and brightest of the nation’s trend expertise.
For extra trend information, shoots, articles and options, head to our Fashion part.
And as of at present, tickets to the Festival’s Independent Programme are on sale, with greater than 100 grassroots events on provide – together with 35 free ones!
From hands-on trend workshops and performances to off-site runways highlighting the town’s rising creatives, there’s sufficient to fill you calendar for the entire 15 days. To assist get you acquainted with the total schedule, we’ve rounded up 10 events we’ve received our eyes on to this point.
The Grand Annual Object Merchant
When: February 20 to 22
Where: 3 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne
Curated by native label Be Right Back, Object Merchant is placing on a one-of-a-kind buying expertise to attach Melbourne trend lovers with over 50 native makers and artists, enriched by reside music and efficiency.
Held at the long-lasting, heritage listed Meat Market in North Melbourne, the occasion might be launched by means of the Opening Night Ball, that includes a fastidiously curated lineup of musicians, dancers, performers, and drinks. Tickets to opening night time on Friday are $35, nevertheless the market is free to attend over the weekend from 11am to 5pm.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
Make a Baguette Bag
When: February 14 and 21
Where: 7-11 Dawson Street, Brunswick
If you’ve ever wished to study the craft of bag making, now’s your likelihood. Join Simone Agius, founding father of Melbourne-based label Symmetry for a two-day intensive course at the newly launched Simétrie college. You’ll study conventional bag development by creating your personal Bay Baguette – an unique design out there solely by means of the varsity curriculum.
Working instantly with Simone, you’ll study each step from panel reducing to remaining burnishing, leaving the course along with your very personal It Bag. Over two full days, contributors will study to pick leather-based, reduce bag panels from paper patterns, grasp the saddle-stitching approach, connect magnets and rivets, and apply skilled edge ending strategies.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
‘Dual Nature’ Runway Performance
When: February 19
Where: 252 Johnston Street, Fitzroy
Unveiling the most recent assortment by JUDE in a performative presentation, designer Jude Ng revives Miss Moneesha, his 20-year seasoned drag alter ego, to have interaction in vibrant storytelling as she evokes the story of the designer’s duality by means of her efficiency. Held at the label’s flagship retailer, the efficiency weaves collectively a story the place drag meets runway, as Miss Moneesha and two gender-neutral fashions take the viewers on a journey of contrasts – unwrapping, layering, and revealing every character’s complicated nature.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
Nin Studio Pop-Up
When: February 14 to 16
Where: 304 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy
Off the again of a profitable summer season pop-up debut in Sydney, Nin Studio is bringing its experimental vitality to Melbourne. Known for its sculptural designs, deadstock supplies, and performance-driven trend, Nin will activate a four-day pop-up that merges retail, efficiency and transformation.
By day, the shop will provide a curated choice of ladies’s and males’s clothes, seasonless designs and textile improvements. By night time, the area transforms into an immersive exploration of archetypes, the place friends are guided by means of clothes, motion, sound, scent, and style to awaken their senses and reconnect with self-expression.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
‘Bad Apples’ Runway
When: February 19
Where: 1/394 Glen Huntly Road, Elsternwick
Where the Festival’s Graduate Showcase celebrates polished pupil collections, the Bad Apples Runway flips the script and spotlights the dropouts, the profession switchers, and the self-taught makers whose work is solid outdoors the classroom.
This yr’s present options 9 independent labels shaping the town’s artistic underground: Attune Clothing by Amelia Crowe, Eager Glory by Rad Valance, Ataraxia by G Sheridan, JellyOriginals by Neo Thornton and Reid Higgins, Gud Luck Jewellery by Tara, Faeble by Layla, ALICESTFU by Alice, MILO by Michelle Loraine and Oletta by Lettie Woodman.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
Fashion Film Awards Screening
When: February 20
Where: 113 Swanston Street
On Friday at The Capitol, the official premiere screening of the 2026 Fashion Film Awards will showcase a group of movies submitted from around the globe, chosen by a various panel of business judges. The viewers will expertise a charming night of trend filmmaking to preview the shortlisted movies, and be a part of the exhilarating second the judges announce the winners of the Best Fashion Film, Best Student Fashion Film and the model new 2026 class Best Australian Fashion Film.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
‘Labels: Fashion and Identity’ Panel Talk
When: February 17
Where: 111 Sturt Street, Southbank
Free to attend, this panel dialogue explores the relationships between trend, gender and id. Moderated by Sophie Prince (Curator, ACCA), the panel hears from the views of trend designers Jackie Wu (of Wackie Ju) and Shauna Toohey (of P.A.M.) in addition to RMIT University’s Associate Dean of Fashion and Textiles Design, Ricarda Bigolin, as they focus on unisex and gender nonconforming trend branding, together with designing for various our bodies and identities.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
LCI Melbourne’s Graduate Runway
When: February 21
Where: 150 Oxford Street, Collingwood
Showcasing the following wave of Australian trend expertise, this vibrant runway options the final-year collections of LCI Melbourne’s graduating Fashion & Costume Design college students, every bringing ahead a novel design voice formed by months of analysis, studio growth and hands-on experimentation.
Known for its innovation, friends can anticipate collections that discover id, tradition, sustainability, efficiency, materials expertise and modern aesthetics. From conceptual silhouettes to wearable artwork, every pupil presents a refined expression of their artistic observe, honed inside LCI Melbourne’s Collingwood campus.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
Organic Silver Ring Making Class with Stones
When: February 15
Where: 113 Dight Street, Collingwood
Try your hand in making your personal jewelry in this immersive workshop at Eden Collingwood. Perfect for novices and creatives of all expertise ranges, you’ll discover ways to work with high-quality silver clay – a magical materials that may be formed like clay and fired into real stable silver. Led by Melbourne-based jeweller Amy Yang, you’ll be guided step-by-step as you design your ring, experiment with natural textures, carve particulars, and incorporate a vibrant gemstone of your alternative.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
‘Echoes in the Dome’ Salon Show
When: February 15
Where: 717 Flinders Street, Docklands
Echoes within the Dome presents an immersive salon present curated by the RMIT Cohort that brings avant-garde design into dialogue with heritage structure. Made in collaboration with the RMIT RUSU Fashion Society, and introduced at the Norla Dome at the Mission to Seafarers Victoria, a heritage-listed Docklands landmark since 1917, Echoes within the Dome unfolds inside historic partitions that echo a century of maritime and architectural legacy.
Unlike a conventional runway, this ‘Salon’ model present will unfold as a gradual, reflective efficiency – an experiential journey the place fashions and performers transfer freely throughout the area.
For extra particulars and to purchase tickets, head right here.
To assessment the total PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival program and buy your tickets, head right here.