MDW | PAGEANT: A Retrospective (2010–2025)

Presented by  PAGEANT.

PAGEANT: A Retrospective (2010-2025) is a reflective exhibition featuring installation-based fashion, design, visual art and film, exploring future fashion directions.

PAGEANT is a Melbourne/Naarm–based collaborative fashion practice founded by designers Amanda Cumming and Kate Reynolds. Surveying PAGEANT’s central themes and vision, the exhibition draws on fifteen years of friendship to offer behind-the-scenes insight into their creative partnership and process. Through a comprehensive exploration of the PAGEANT archive, the exhibition presents garments, accessories, photographs, films, studio objects, drawings, sketches, mood boards, textiles and inspirational ephemera. The exhibition and panel discussion explore modes of dress and fashion culture, opening critical dialogue on how community, cultural perspectives, and collaborative multidisciplinary approaches shape the future of contemporary fashion design.

About

PAGEANT
PAGEANT is a Melbourne/Naarm-based collaborative fashion practice founded by designers Amanda Cumming and Kate Reynolds. Their work spans garment and accessory design and production, alongside image-making, film and exhibition. PAGEANT began working within a traditional seasonal collection format across menswear and womenswear, while engaging with local and international creative communities. As the practice evolved, its approach became increasingly nonlinear, responding critically to contemporary culture through collaboration to produce multidisciplinary design outcomes. Drawing inspiration from diverse realms, PAGEANT advocates an alternate aesthetic vision that is fresh, fierce and bold. Garments and accessories are crafted from technically sophisticated fabrics, with nods to sportswear and uniforms. Recipients of the Tiffany & Co National Designer Award in 2015, PAGEANT has built a strong following in Australia and earned international recognition, with press coverage from Vogue Australia, Harper’s Bazaar Australia, Oyster, RUSSH, WWD (US), Hypebeast (HK), Dazed Digital (UK), i-D Magazine (UK), Into the Gloss (US) and Style Bubble (UK). PAGEANT has shown at Australian Fashion Week, Melbourne Fashion Week, Melbourne Fashion Festival, Jakarta Fashion Week and Indonesia Fashion Week, and has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria, RMIT Design Hub, Craft Victoria and Utopian Slumps.