Welcome to Makers Of Melbourne – the ‘go to’ guide for our technically integrated age.
Makers Of Melbourne has been created to consume and assimilate Melbourne culture. We're male focussed, but not male specific, sorting through the dross to weed out the creative stars, standout events and stylish folk that make this city unique.
MOM aims to embrace all facets of what makes this city a creative hub. Our aim is to inform without condescending – to keep you abreast of what’s going on without regurgitating Press Releases & to seek out this city’s sub cultures to give our readers the inside scoop on what’s REALLY happening with the people who make Melbourne Melbourne.
Even among the dapper gents at this year's Festival of Steve, a more casually attired Cardin still stood out as a guy assured of his own style. Makers grabbed a few shots just on dusk outside of Russell Street's iconic Kelvin Club of Cardin wearing an M-ONE-11 shirt, Bell & Barnett Jumper, Kenneth Cole shoes & Kangol hat.
The Makers of Melbourne street style team stopped Andrew on a late Saturday afternoon in the Melbourne CBD. His Alfred Dunhill traditional leather holdall & the tailoring of his Balmain peacoat were dead giveaways that here was a man who appreciated quality, even when dressing for a casual day out. Andrew's leather & canvas boots were handmade in Istanbul by Helm & his jeans were from PRPS.
Poetically, we photographed newest member of the Oscar Hunt tailoring family, Steve, outside of the men's event, the Festival of Steve. A walking personification of the easygoing style of the Oscar Hunt boys, Steve was unsurprisingly wearing the brand's own jacket, trousers & tie along with Pike Brothers braces, Loake brogues & a Filson briefcase.
Bosco is an understated guy. Softly spoken and not overly flashy, he's a stylish individual with an eye for classic pieces that marry well and are built to last. We stopped Bosco in South Melbourne where he shyly agreed to let Makers of Melbourne take his picture. His ensemble comprised a pair of New Balance sneakers, classic Levis jeans, Beams Boy scarf & Breton style tee by APC.
Originally hailing from Japan, Tatsuyoshi Kawabata is a design collaborator with Melbourne based fashion label E.S.S. Laboratory. Pictured here wearing his own brand, plus leather shoes handmade by Pionero in Tokyo.
The inaugural Royal Botanic Runway transformed the majestic Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne into an international runway event on the evening of Thursday, 30 January 2014.
This charity event featured world-renowned Australian designers: Akira Isogawa, Aurelio Costarella, Collette Dinnigan and Martin Grant, who each produced stunning pieces to be worn by over sixty local and international models.
But it wasn't just on the catwalk that the best of Melbourne style was evident with the boys also turning out to support the charity fashion parade.
Director of fashion label Lui Hon, Luka Maich wearing Rick Owens sneakers
Daniel in Fendi
Trent in Crockett & Jones
Tim wearing vintage oxfords
Anderson wearing sneakers by Balenciaga
“We are seeing a real trend with athletes pushing style boundaries and that has changed the mindset of the common man in how they relate to fashion.”
- Alex Cox
Alex Cox is something of a champion for the cause of men’s fashion in Melbourne. As client development manager for Events Melbourne, it was in part under his jurisdiction that 2013’s inaugural Mr event (as part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week) was born. The idea was simple: to give men the chance to cluster around the fashion stage, so often an arena presumed to be the domain of women.
Alex: “We appreciate that a lot of people within the industry have a passion for design and for fashion, but the average city worker also wants a way to get in to that space and learn a little more and that’s what Mr was all about. It gave us the chance to educate in a more general way.”
It’s an interest Alex sees as growing, in large part as a result of the trend of NBA and NBL athletes taking to the style scene with the same panache as they once dominated the hip hop space. Think Russell Westbrook with his geek chic approach or Kevin Durant with his penchant for preppie sweaters and slim silhouettes.
Alex: “Maybe the common guy has always had an interest in fashion but has not known how to take the next step and that’s where these athletes have given them a nudge. The pursuit of style no longer feels like a feminine thing.”
Men’s style blogs, too, he believes, have helped to give men’s fashion a much stronger street presence.
Alex: “These are real people – not models on the run way – and it gives guys a lot of different touch points. It’s a space where they can take away elements of other people’s fashion and apply it to themselves.”
The scope for entertaining the male population’s growing fascination with fashion and the accompanying demand for education is, he says, what will ensure that the Spring Fashion Week Mr event will continue to remain a highly anticipated event for the men of Melbourne.
Story: Sarina Lewis
Bill has appeared on this site before - he knows his footwear & is always impeccably dressed (there aren't many Melbourne men you would find relaxing in a bar on Sunday afternoon in a three piece Vivienne Westwood suit). Working at luxury Melbourne menswear store Harrolds has given Bill access to some amazing footwear including these tan leather AW12 lace-ups with black galosh style rubber panels.
