A world away from its big-gun runways in the Royal Exhibition Buildings, MFF’s Fashion Culture programme pops and crackles across dozens of tinytiny independant events in the city and suburbs. Gigs such as fashion designer Melody Briggs’ and artist Kylie Thomas’s “Departure” collection launch at Brighton’s Belluci Bar are fairly typical: all joy, often sold-out, invariably a soiree-style party vibe with relatable clothes at their core. Briggs and Thomas say they worked collaboratively on their designs including “Ventnor”, a capsule range of flowing, silky, soft edged silhouettes in colours inspired by the sea and sky in Kylie’s painting “Storm Approaching”. Another capsule, “Melbournia” was inspired by Kylie’s vision of urban life and energy reawakening after the solitude and privations of pandemic lockdowns. Voxfrock followed the partners as they prepped and then launched for their debut MFF runway. Photographs: Chrissy Dore
