EXCITING NEW PROGRAM STARTING NOVEMBER 2024 - MARCH 2025
WG x Melbourne Fashion Festival 2024 / 2025
EOI NOW OPEN
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH WYNDHAM CITY COUNCIL
Celebrating Cultural Diversity Through Fashion and Exploring the Rich Tapestry of Global Style in Wyndham.
Wunder Gym partners with Wyndham to extend its successful Tapestry of Culture program series with a penultimate celebration, supporting 20 community members to develop and show a wearable artwork through a fashion incubator as part of the 2025 Melbourne Fashion Festival, which will result in a runway event.
From the fashion-related art programming delivered throughout 2024, this Wunder Gym x Wyndham City arts program further celebrates the rich diversity of cultures within the vibrant community of Wyndham.
Running from Sunday 17 November, 2024 until Sunday 8 March, 2025, over 15 weeks, the program includes presentations from inspiring fashion designers Collective Closets, Sister duo, Fatuma and Laurinda Ndenzako and Remuse, Tamara Leacock, as well as presentation from Melbourne Fashion Festival program director, Sai Wai Foo. This wearable art, fashion incubator,
The Wunder Gym x Wyndham City Tapestry of Culture wearable art program is designed to showcase the beauty and significance of clothing across different cultures. Participants will have the opportunity to showcase their unique styles and narratives woven into every garment at a runway event as part of the 2025 Melbourne Fashion Festival.
We are inviting artists with broad medium and method experience, a myriad of backgrounds, to submit an EOI and 20 artists will be selected to participate in the 15-week program designed to celebrate creativity and participate in authentic cultural exchange.
As with the Tapestry of Culture programming to date, Wunder Gym continues to support commitment to cultural sensitivity and respectful representation and build on journeys of exploration, appreciation, and celebration of cultural diversity through the universal language of fashion.
This program is part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival 2025 Independent Programme.
EOI OPEN NOW
REGISTER FOR the upcoming information sessions if you have ANY questions
Information Session No.1: SUNDAY 27 OCTOBER 5-6PM
Information Session No.2: SUNDAY 3 NOVEMBER 5-6PM
PRESENTER #1 + WORKSHOP
COLLECTIVE CLOSETS - Sister duo, Fatuma and Laurinda Ndenzako
By inviting Collective Closets to be program mentors, the WG X WYN x MFF program aligns with their value, which was to fill a gap in the Australian market and connect to the talent, beauty and rich history of other cultures. Collective Closet with each collection seeks to celebrate cultural history through the incredible artisans who make the threads and the beautiful people who wear them. https://collectiveclosets.com.au/pages/about-us
PRESENTER #2
TAMARA LEACOCK – Remuse Design
R E M U S E is a Melbourne based clothing label where futurism meets nature. Fusing artisan techniques, low-impact dye technology, and natural fibers, R E M U S E investigates the ways the future of a fashion is simply fashion that takes inspiration from the earth.
The philosophy behind the label is to create small, ethically produced, trans-seasonal collections, released quarterly at the time of each Equinox and each Solstice. Each collection gives R E M U S E an opportunity to reconsider its impact and material choices.
The name "REMUSE" was conceptualised in 2015 from the idea of reclaiming one's inner musedom.. REMUSE is synonymous with reclaiming one's power, personal genius and inner zeitgeist back. We all have access to the creative genius.
PRESENTER #3 Sai-Wai Foo
Sai-Wai Foo is a Malaysian-born Chinese, Naarm/Melbourne-based early-career artist. In addition to her art practice, Sai-Wai is a Programmer with the Melbourne Fashion Festival and leads the Independent Programme that highlights emerging designers, small-scale makers, graduates, and community organizations. The programme explores fashion’s role in today’s culture across workshops, exhibitions, performances, independent runways, screenings, talks, and beyond.
She holds a BA(Hons.) in Fashion from RMIT University and her training in fashion design influences and informs her practice through technique, finish, and materials. Her work often explores place, belonging, and identity using repurposed materials, giving them a new life through her sculptural practice.
Working primarily in paper and textiles Foo is a bricoleur who collects discarded and redundant items, deftly synthesizing them into new sculptural forms. https://www.saiwaifoo.com
PROGRAM KEY DATES
EOI APPLICATION CLOSING DEADLINE: SUN 10 NOV ’24 11.59PM
Program Commences: SUN 17 NOV ‘24
(15 WEEKS/5 MONTH LONG) PROGRAM DELIVERY & KEY DATES
Wk.1 SUN 17 NOV ’24 Event Online: Program on-boarding zoom
Wk.2 SUN 24 NOV ’24 Email/Slack: Ongoing online support, program ref. & info via email & group Slack
Wk.3 SUN 1 DEC ‘24 Event IRL: Collective Closet
Wk.4 SUN 8 DEC ’24 Email/Slack: Ongoing online support, program ref. & info via email & group Slack
Wk.5 SUN 15 DEC ’24 Event IRL: Refuse, Tamara Leacock
Wk.6 SUN 22 DEC ’24 Email & Slack: XMAS/NEW YEAR BREAK – Ongoing email & group Slack support
Wk.7 SUN 29 DEC ’24 Email & Slack: XMAS/NEW YEAR BREAK – Ongoing email & group Slack support
Wk.8 SUN 5 JAN ’25 Email & Slack: XMAS/NEW YEAR BREAK – Ongoing email & group Slack support
Wk.9 SUN 12 JAN ’25 Email & Slack: XMAS/NEW YEAR BREAK – Ongoing email & group Slack support
Wk.10 SUN 19 JAN ’25 Event Online: Program re-engagement zoom
Wk.11 SUN 26 JAN ’25 Event Online: Ongoing online support, program ref. & info via email & group Slack
Wk.12 SUN 2 FEB ’25 IRL: Sai-Wai Foo
Wk.13 SUN 9 FEB ’25 Event IRL: Showcase/runway run-through
Wk.14 SUN 16 FEB ’25 Event Online: Showcase briefing zoom
Wk.15 SAT 22 FEB ’25 Showcase/Runway: Fashion Parade - Melbourne Immigration Museum