Greek Australian jewellery designer Kassandra Behrendt will showcase her new Pagoni Jewellery collection at the inaugural BrisAsia Festival Fashion event on Friday 25 March at the Brisbane Fortitude Music Hall.
Ms Behrendt named her label ‘Pagoni’ in honour of her Greek heritage and because she loves designing with feathers. Her jewellery features gold coins, which are depicted everywhere in Greek history, in almost every piece and her new collection will feature embroidery she learnt as a young child in Greece, and the poppies that used to surround her Greek home before she moved to Australia aged eight.
The inaugural BAFF Program, produced by Fashion Festival Queensland, working closely with BrisAsia Festival producers Sounds Across Oceans and proudly supported by Brisbane City Council, Motorama and GHD, will feature a Fashion Forum event at 2pm followed by two runway fashion shows at 6pm and 7.30pm.
BrisAsia Festival Fashion Director Liz Golding said the event would grow as part of the annual BrisAsia Festival for the next four years.
Labels from throughout Queensland including Akira, Native Swimwear Australia, Joteo, Moreno Marcos, Anannasa, Murrii Quu Couture, Pagoni, Hestia by Yip Wing Chi, Liz Clift, Mode Voyage, SAJO, Nevidebla, Luna + Sun, Fancynators and Hopevale Arts & Cultural Centre, will also be showcased.
“This new event on the Brisbane fashion calendar is about celebrating culture through fashion via an intimate Forum event and through two spectacular runway shows that will each feature up to eight different designers.
“The only fashion event in Brisbane, and Queensland, specifically curated to showcase local Asian designers, champion intercultural dialogue and collaborate with Indigenous artists, BrisAsia Fashion establishes a new horizon for Queensland fashion. Queenslanders love to celebrate home-grown talent and national designers who love their Queensland supporters and now we can do so in a way that embraces the full spectrum of our cultural diversity,” said Ms Golding.
“The Runway Shows at 6pm and 7.30pm will be presented by the Motorama Group, who represent many leading Asian car brands and are located in highly diverse communities. Packed with stunning new looks from an exciting range of labels that reflect fashion inspired by and developed from their Asian, Indigenous, and International influences, both shows feature front-row seating for every guest, while the fashion will be available for purchase online and in-store following the event,”
Brisbane fashion influencer Marie Hillard, ‘@thebrisbanegirl’, is the Event Ambassador and features in the event collateral. The BrisAsia Fashion Festival will support local charity Hummingbird House, Queensland’s only children’s hospice, through donations from ticket sales.
Acknowledgement to Country
BrisAsia Fashion would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we live, share, and create. We pay our respects to Elders past, present & emerging. Our first nations people are storytellers, guardians of traditional knowledge and cultural wisdom. They have a deep connection to the natural environment and to the land we all call home. It is with respect and appreciation that we acknowledge their place in the evolving story of Brisbane.
Promoting a Culture of Innovation and Inclusion
With Brisbane’s geographic location within the Asia Pacific region, our strong and growing Asian heritage links, increasing migration and our diverse creative and economic landscape it is important to explore and express fashion in new ways that reflect our evolving cultural identity.
The power of BrisAsia Festival emerges through the positive creative and economic relationships that are reflected through our programming. BrisAsia Festival has developed a consultative and collaborative approach to curation supporting Asian and indigenous story telling through fashion, food, music, and live performance.
The sharing of history, culture and creative practice that emerges through this process is powerful and transformative for participants and audiences. We inspire new contemporary ideas and perspectives by embracing ancient traditions.
Tickets for the BrisAsia Festival Fashion Fortitude Music Hall events are available at: https://fashionfestivalqueensland.com.au/whats-on-ticketing-1
