As Fashfest rolled into its second night, some models were luckier than others on the catwalk, which is housed in notoriously chilly headquarters near the airport.
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While the show again opened with swimwear, created by local visual artists and designers, Canberra label Mont Adventure Equipment featured clothing far more fitted to the outside climate.
The brand’s founder Andrew Montgomery first started creating his own products out of his bedroom in 1981.
“When I started the business, I just had a small bedsit in O’Connor and I was doing everything in that,” he said.
Mont was involved in the inaugural Fashfest last year, as an add on to the swimwear segment, and this is the first time they’ve presented a full collection.
Mont’s runway show featured clothing for the cooler weather, including mountaineering jackets and ski-wear.
“We’re not really in mainstream fashion, but one of the things that draws us to Fashfest is whilst we’re designing for bushwalking, travelling, skiing and climbing, there’s also a big crossover there – they’re great for general cold weather use,” he said.
When Montgomery started the business 30 years ago he never expected to still be in business by now, nor did he ever imagine his designs would be hitting the runway.
The brand’s products are far more at home in some of the toughest conditions in the world.
“We’ve supplied a lot of expeditions of people doing trips to Antarctica, North Pole, we’ve had our down jackets and sleeping bags on Everest several times, as well as other major Himalayan peaks,” he said.
“That’s part of the thing that draws us to the industry, is designing top end gear.”
Mont’s range was worn on the runway by three of Fashfest’s guest models – former Miss Universe finalist Asher Crawford, Olympian Alicia Coutts and international actor and model Liam Hall.
Thursday night also saw other labels the catwalk including Braddon Tailors, G. Ginchy, Recollection and BM Designs.
Perpetually Five's designer Mitchell Thompson was one of the more relaxed backstage before the show, having also been at Fashfest last year.
"I'm like a veteran now so I kind of know what to expect. I'm kind of relaxed," he said.
"I'm happy with my collection and I think it'll be a show stopper."
His fun and quirky collection featured a range of monochrome pieces, incorporating a pop of orange.
