A $2.50 T-shirt doesn’t belong on the runway

In their black uniforms, Melbourne’s designers are cool enough to justify the city’s claim to be Australia’s fashion capital but a heart-print T-shirt from Kmart threatens the premier position.

For 27 years the Melbourne Fashion Festival has celebrated the creative work of designers such as Toni Maticevski, Strateas Carlucci and Carla Zampatti. Now Kmart has joined the runway program of the festival, held at the Royal Exhibition Building from March 3, and it’s an uncomfortable fit.

As a last-minute event partner, Kmart will stage a free runway show dedicated to its own women’s, mens and children’s clothing ranges on the same day as the festival’s Conscious Fashion Market.

“Kmart innovates the shopping experience, delighting customers with its famously low prices, and has become a destination for Australian families to access affordable everyday products, including the latest in fashion trends,” Kmart group managing director Ian Bailey said in the official announcement.

The addition of the fast fashion retailer to the festival line-up is on the contoured nose for more than its famously low prices, with a heart print T-shirt costing less than an espresso at $2.50.

Fast fashion’s focus on consumption rather than creativity makes Kmart’s festival debut like McDonald’s joining the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival or elevator music headlining Splendour In The Grass.

Very few people can afford clothes from Chanel, Dior or Gucci but their runway shows are inspiring showcases of craftsmanship, a designer’s vision and exquisite materials, rather than budget basics. At MFF, a similarly filtered approach can be taken with the work of Australian designers Anna Quan, Bianca Spender and Lee Mathews.

By celebrating Kmart on the festival runway we are lurching into reverse, instead of taking our inspiration from the top and seeking affordable alternatives.

Festival chief executive Caroline Ralphsmith described the partnership as a win for the masses in the press release: “PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival loves promoting our Australian designers in our premium runways and throughout the fashion culture program and we also facilitate the democratisation of fashion to ensure that it is accessible to all consumers.”