SCENE REPORT MODA Designer might just be the antidote to Sydney’s cultural crisis

Despite common misconception, Sydney does not lack creative people. It mostly lacks the spaces, the support and the occasional common sense required to put them all in the same room.

On Saturday night, MODA Designer did exactly that.

The increasingly popular underground fashion event took over White Bay Cruise Terminal for six hours of runway presentations, techno music, food, wine and a crowd that had clearly understood the dress code, despite there not really being one.

Thirteen emerging and independent designers were selected to present their collections, with each show built in collaboration with the night’s DJs. The music was not simply chosen to suit each designer’s presentation, but timed to individual looks as they moved down the runway.

From the audience, it appeared seamless. Backstage, however, was anything but casual.

With access to behind the scenes, we watched a relatively small team coordinate models, lighting, sound and tightly timed entrances through constant communication and walkie talkies. A missed cue could throw out an entire presentation. At one point, a model went missing.

Between shows, Caravin waiters ran across the runway carrying bowls of tuna tartare and ravioli. Outside, guests smoked Vogue cigarettes (naturally), drank pét-nat and took advantage of an unseasonably warm winter evening overlooking the harbour.

It felt unmistakably Sydney. And yet somehow, it also felt as though we’d left the city entirely.

A lot of that came down to the venue.

Despite sitting on the harbour and looking bizarrely similar to the Overseas Passenger Terminal, White Bay Cruise Terminal feels largely undiscovered. And despite Sydney being a town with an arguably limited number of larger venue spaces, it was clear that plenty of attendees had never been there before, either. Judging by the number of confused Uber drivers, same goes.

The choice was deliberate. MODA’s team clearly understood that in order to inject some much needed culture into Sydney, it needed to make people feel like they’d temporarily left it.

And they did exactly that.

The turnout was impressive, but more notable was the crowd itself. These were largely the same people you might expect to see at Australian Fashion Week, except everyone seemed to be having considerably more fun. People dressed up. They cheered during the shows. There was none of the strained solemnity that can settle over fashion presentations where everyone appears terrified of looking too enthusiastic.

MODA felt genuinely enjoyable, and that might be its biggest achievement.

And while MODA might be geared towards supporting young and emerging designers, it does not ask the audience to attend out of duty. It offers them a proper night out in return, where audiences can experience the fashion rather than be positioned outside of it.

MODA’s growth suggests there is real demand for that model. And while one may speculate as to whether they will eventually turn into another formal fixture of Australian Fashion Week, it appears to be unlikely. After all, when your value comes from existing behind the official system, becoming part of it kind of defeats the point.

Sydney frequently talks about becoming a better cultural city. But culture is not created through another strategy document or industry panel. It comes from the people who are willing to take risks, find overlooked spaces, back emerging talent and give community somewhere to gather. It’s people like Adam, Louis and the relatively small MODA team who are doing that.

On Saturday night, MODA Designer created opportunities for independent designers, found new uses for Sydney’s existing infrastructure, and built genuine audiences. However, at the bare minimum, they created something Sydney could always use more of: unpretentious fun.

Scroll down to check out all the pics from the night.