Forget the catwalk, Rundle Place is getting a fashion-forward makeover this ADL Fashion Week, with Adelaide’s next generation of TAFE SA designers turning the shopping centre into a seriously unexpected runway.
Called The Centre Is Your Runway, the free exhibition will see a 20-metre stretch of Rundle Place filled with mannequins showcasing pieces created by graduating and emerging fashion students.
Rather than simply displaying the garments, the installation has been designed to tell the stories behind them, with runway-style floor decals guiding shoppers through the exhibition and sharing details about each designer, their inspiration and the creative thinking behind each piece.
The garments will also feature swing tags with more information about the pieces, and pull-up banners and visual merchandising displays will add to the exhibition throughout the centre.
By transforming its retail space into an extended runway exhibition, Rundle Place is offering these emerging designers visibility. For students whose work typically remains within educational settings or competition circuits, this public showcase represents a crucial bridge between classroom and career. The centre’s high foot traffic and central location mean these designers’ creations will be seen by thousands of everyday shoppers, industry professionals, and fashion enthusiasts throughout the exhibition’s month-long run.
It’s an opportunity to build recognition, test how their work resonates with the public, and establish themselves within South Australia’s creative community, all in a professional retail environment that mirrors the commercial spaces where many hope to see their designs sold one day. Rather than limiting fashion exhibition to traditional gallery settings or invite-only events, Rundle Place is making fashion discovery accessible to everyone, transforming the designers’ work and their emerging careers into part of the everyday Adelaide experience.
Among the designers featured is TAFE SA and Flinders University student Eve, whose work explores sustainability, cultural influences and the possibilities of giving discarded materials a second life.
One of her pieces was created for TAFE SA’s Denim Project, where she pulled apart old, second-hand jeans and transformed them into a new patchwork fabric designed to mimic the texture of tree bark. The resulting unisex two-piece features wide-leg pants with organically pintucked details and double zips, paired with a vest carrying the hand-dyed and appliquéd words Living Protest.
“I wanted to create a look that equally protests fashion waste and calls others to do the same,” shared Eve.
Her second piece, The Green Shepherd, was created for the Clare Valley Festival of the Lamb competition and is made almost entirely from wool. Inspired by Chinese lion dancers and traditional Hanfu silhouettes, the three-piece unisex look combines a tailored vest and shirt with hand-stitched smocked wool panels.
“I spent hours creating a wavy smocked fabric by hand-stitching tiny knots in a boiled wool fabric, forming the side panels of the pants. I also created a buttoned shirt and tailored oversized vest, with vintage pankou closures I finally got the chance to use. My Chinese-Malaysian grandma, my Mama, gave them to me to use; she is a great embroiderer and sewist.”
Eve was awarded second place for the design by the Merino Wool Association earlier this year.
Fellow emerging designer Max Helms will also have his work featured, with his piece Cloud and Current bringing together 100 per cent wool, Chinoiserie influences and dramatic movement.
The mustard jacket was designed to represent a cloud through its soft yet structured shape, while more than 10 metres of fabric went into the navy pants, which feature bias-cut panels designed to flow like a current.
The piece previously won the Merino SA Fashion Parade before being showcased at the Clare Valley Festival of the Lamb.
“Having my work displayed as part of ADL Fashion Week is a real pinch-yourself experience,” shared Max. “To be able to showcase something that I have created and am genuinely proud of to the South Australian community means the world to me.
“As an emerging South Australian designer, a lot of my work is created within an educational environment, so having the opportunity to take something I have designed and constructed and have it displayed publicly feels like an important step in my journey. It is incredibly rewarding to see the journey this piece has taken, from being created for a competition, to winning the Merino SA Showcase, being presented at other events, and now being included in ADL Fashion Week.”
The exhibition is part of Rundle Place’s community-focused programming, giving South Australian students a chance to take their work beyond the classroom and into one of Adelaide’s busiest retail spaces.
The Centre Is Your Runway will be open from Wednesday, October 7th to Sunday, October 11th as part of ADL Fashion Week, before remaining on display through to November 8th.
The exhibition is free and no bookings are required, meaning shoppers can simply wander through the runway, discover the stories behind the garments and get a glimpse at the designers shaping South Australia’s fashion future.
The Centre Is Your Runway
When: Wednesday, October 7th to Sunday, October 11th, with the exhibition continuing until November 8th
Where: Rundle Place, Adelaide
For more information, click here.
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