Media Release
11 March 2025
Three established Indonesian fashion designers have received an Australian Alumni Grant to exhibit their outstanding collections at the prestigious Melbourne Fashion Festival.
The three designers – Auguste Soesastro (Kraton), Lia Mustafa (House of LMAR), and Nonita Respati (Purana) – are all alumni of Australian education institutions. Their collections in Melbourne captivated Australian audiences with their sustainable and culturally rich designs.
“These impressive Indonesian designers are terrific examples of the achievements that are possible with a world-class Australian education. It’s great to see Australian and Indonesian fashion designers helping to grow our creative economies and building connections between our two fashion sectors," said Gita Kamath, Australian Chargé d’Affaires to Indonesia.
In partnership with RMIT University, this showcase follows the success of the ‘Emerging Designers Bootcamp,’ a key initiative by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Australia-Indonesia relations in 2024. This reciprocal visit allowed Australian alumni fashion designers to showcase their talents in Melbourne.
As part of the Melbourne Fashion Festival’s independent program, the designers also spoke on a panel to share their insights on the cultural importance of batik and fashion. The designers also engaged in a series of events to learn more about the importance of sustainability and cultural connections in the fashion sector from an Australian perspective, including meetings with Australian First Nations fashion designers.
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Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kedubesaustralia/albums/72177720324341007/