Fashions on the field is the ultimate Australian style contest and iconic fixture of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and this year will see 2023 CRDC Chris Lehmann Young Cotton Achiever, Emma Bond in attendance on Derby Day for the competition.
Ms Bond will be wearing her naturally dyed Australian cotton gown, styled with dried cotton plants, at the national finals in the Victorian Race Club Fashions on the Field Emerging Designer category on November 4.
This year, the winner will receive a trip to France to attend the Zimmermann show at Paris Fashion Week as a guest of Vogue Australia, rubbing shoulders with some of the most influential fashion minds in the world.
"I feel our local fibres should be at the forefront of fashion conversations," Ms Bond said.
"People value the origins of their food, there is also growing awareness of the importance of transparent supply chains across other industries.
"People are becoming more aware and brands must now be accountable.
"They seek source responsibly created fibres and Australian industry has a lot to offer."
Growing up on the land, smack bang in the middle of NSW, Ms Bond was surrounded by fibres.
"My grandma would save some of our wool to spin and knit beautiful designs, and my mum sew all my wild ideas - usually from cotton, that same beautiful plant from up the paddock," she said.
"I constantly hear people say we can't make things in Australia, it's too hard. It is not.
"I am part of an ecosystem that is evidence of that.
"We have our primary producers farming consciously and aligning with the circular economy.
"It only makes sense to value add to that, showcasing Australian Fashion as the collaboration of the hard work, resilience, creativity and science of primary producers and textile industry."
