Toowoomba Fashion Festival takes to the runway this weekend
Mark your calendars for March 21th as the Toowoomba Fashion Festival (TFF) returns for its third year - with three big runways of emerging and established designers and boutiques.
10 March 2025
Photography: Ben Scott, Theresa Hall, David Luxton
There’s a small person who lives in my head who communicates almost exclusively in The Devil Wears Prada quotes (harmless enough, I promise, though usually popping up at the most intrusive and sarcastic of moments).
That iconic mid-2000s, sharp and witty portrayal of the cutthroat fashion industry was full of stinging one-liners, offering a peek behind the curtain and runway into a world of designers, couture and dazzling spectacle. It was a movie that taught us the word cerulean, that Paris Fashion Week is the “be-all and end-all of fashion” (sorry Milan), and perhaps more poignantly reminded us of fashion’s rightful place as an artform and source of inspiration.
As Donatella Versace once said, “Fashion is about dreaming and making other people dream.”
It’s perhaps why, for those who remember, there was genuine sadness when the City Heart Fashion events quietly came to a close in the late 2010s. And why now, with the return of a city-wide fashion festival, there’s such genuine excitement and buzz. Once again, fashion is front and centre this autumn as the Toowoomba Fashion Festival returns for its third year.
The brainchild of creative director Julz McBain, the festival has quickly grown into a celebration of regional creativity, local designers and the unique cultural energy of Toowoomba itself.
“For so long the spotlight has always been on the capitals,” McBain explains. “But there’s a wealth of talent, culture and skill in our regional areas, especially here. Toowoomba is Australia’s second-largest regional city and the creative scene is booming.”
Unlike the fashion scenes of Brisbane or Sydney, McBain says fashion in regional cities tends to reflect the way people actually live.
“Out here fashion has to work for real life,” she says. “There’s lots of walking, changing weather, and a lifestyle that’s a bit more hands-on. But when it comes to events, people really go all out. There’s a real pride in wearing something made by someone from your own community.”
“In five minutes walking down the street you’ll see so many unique styles,” she says. “People here really put their own spin on trends to suit our climate and lifestyle. We have to dress for the Great Dividing Range, hot, cold, foggy, windy, sometimes all in one day!”
That spirit is reflected in the festival itself. Across three runway shows, Emerging Designers, Ready-to-Wear and Eveningwear, the day brings together bold creativity, practical style and moments of high drama on the catwalk.
New this year is a wearable art feature with local label Stirling & Truffles (think sculptural pieces, dramatic silhouettes and a little creative licence), alongside market stalls and activation spaces designed to transform the event into something closer to a full fashion experience.
Through initiatives like Fashion Field Magazine, a digital publication created alongside the festival, emerging designers and creatives are given the opportunity to share their stories and build industry connections.
For McBain, creating those opportunities was always part of the vision.
“We wanted to create a platform for the Toowoomba fashion scene and for local designers and models and creatives to develop, grow and be seen,” she says. “That’s really where Fashion Field Magazine came from too, giving people a space to share their journeys and start building real connections within the industry.”
“Fashion is universal,” she says. “Whether you realise it or not, you’re part of the story. It’s such a powerful, visual way to express who you are and how you feel.”
“Fashion gives people a voice,” she says. “Even when they can’t find the words.”
The Toowoomba Fashion Festival may not claim to rival Paris just yet, but for one day at least, the Armitage Centre will transform into its own kind of runway capital. Lights up, music on, and a room full of people ready to dream a little.
toowoombafashionfestival.com.au | @toowoomba_fashion_festival
Do you have an event we should know about? Please let us know!
