Award-winning local fashion graduate Fraser Cameron is rolling up his sleeves to finish the last of eight outfits he’s crafting for his debut on the SAFE runway this weekend.
Social Australia Fashion Events’ (SAFE) upcoming show ‘Old Money Estate’ promises to challenge perceptions about WA’s fashion scene.
Following two sold-out shows, SAFE founder Jody Carheel is doubling down on his mission to support local designers to be seen and appreciated on home soil.
Jody said that WA designers face stiff competition not just from global brands but also from a consumer mindset that doesn’t always prioritise local talent.
And for years, WA’s most promising designers have believed that success can only be found nestled in the suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. As a result, Perth has long suffered from the effects of brain drain.
Harrisdale’s Fraser Cameron (AKA MRTYR) understands how ‘cut-throat’ the fashion scene can be with young talent having to battle social media algorithms and corporate giants like David Jones and The Iconic.
“There are so many creative people out there in the fashion scene in Perth, but they’re getting squashed,” he said.
And Fraser said he’s not keen to vie for recognition by pandering to microtrends and contributing to the fast fashion epidemic.
“I don’t want to do fashion like that – pump things out,” he said. “I want to stay true to myself and my own ideology. It’s great that SAFE is giving young designers back their voice.”
Through his practice, Fraser tries to incorporate a zero-waste ethos.
“At the end of the day I’m still producing stuff that could end up in landfill,” he said. “But I try to use natural fibres in my designs, and focus on zero-waste pattern cutting. And all of my designs are done on my computer, which cuts down on paper waste.
“I’m also exploring the idea of modularity – infusing different design techniques so you can wear a piece in different ways,” he said.
MRTYR’s current collection – Modern Offspring – features a wrap skirt that can turn into a bag, among other modular innovations.
Fraser explains his collection is so-named because it’s spawned from the fusion of ‘mother nature’ and ‘father industry’.
Modern Offspring also explores the ‘myth of the noble savage’ – an idea penned by Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau – and incorporates sustainable fashion techniques from the ancient world like wrapping, draping and Greek chitons.
Fraser said design, like art, has a duty to start a conversation.
“I believe that if you operate as an artist instead of a designer, your work has more longevity,” he said.
“My take on sustainability is that garments should serve as vessels for thought and discussion, giving them a purpose beyond aesthetics.
“They should create meaningful discourse rather than just beauty.”
Fraser’s Curtin University graduate showcase ‘Avoid the Warmonger’ used fashion to provoke a discussion about Australia’s military spending with the United States. That collection earned him the honour of one of the Design Institute of Australia’s Graduates of the Year.
He said MRTYR’s next collection was inspired during COVID lockdown and will focus on mass-manipulation, brainwashing and the eroding of freedom of thought.
Fraser has plans to travel to Berlin next year to immerse himself in one of the world’s most exciting underground fashion scenes.
But he says he will come back to Perth, bringing what he’s learnt with him.
“Perth is actually a pretty great city, for all that people bag it out,” he said.
“And it’s up to us to create something meaningful here and grow that scene.”
‘Old Money Estate’ celebrates five years of redefining Western Australia’s fashion scene, and will feature collections from a number of Perth’s rising stars and established designers. The event will be held at the Cottesloe Civic Centre this Sunday from 5-7pm.
To find out more or to book a ticket, visit socialausfashionevents.com
