Claire Moffat wins Derby Day Emerging Designer Award

The invitation-only award is known for discovering new design talent, giving up-and-coming creatives a platform at the Melbourne Cup Carnival to showcase their originality and ideas. Entries must be the designer’s own original work, with judges considering four key elements: creativity, construction, design concept and sustainability – from the sourcing of materials to the making of the garment.

This year, volume was the dominant theme.

Ruffles were built up in layers, shoulders were exaggerated, and proportions were pushed, yet the tailoring underneath was sharp and controlled. Fringe added movement, bringing the designs to life as the models walked.

Texture was just as important. Feathers appeared, and there was a strong tactile quality across the field. The palette was restrained, with mostly monochrome and gold accents, but a few flashes of red and blue stood out. Stunning handiwork, such as a beaded motif, was featured, along with other details. Necklines ran high in places, and hair was left loose and undone to soften the structure.

In the traditional categories of Fashions on the Field, a great hat often completes a look. Many of these designs didn’t feature one, nor did they need it. Each look stood on its own.

The common thread was craftsmanship.

The finishing was precise and the construction was ambitious, and the ideas were bold enough to back it up. If this field is the future of Australian fashion, it is in capable hands.

The winner

Claire Moffat is 24 and nearly finished her studies at LCI Melbourne. Her winning look was made from pure new wool in the Moffat tartan, a link to her family’s Scottish heritage. She tailored it, cut it on the bias and added a latex trim.

“I wanted to bring that old wool heritage into a new-age way of fashion,” she said.

The silhouette came from a character Claire created, the Scavenger. “She was born out of the marshes in the loch, and I wanted her to look like she was coming out of it dripping wet.”

The headpiece carries the same idea. Everything on it was found or gifted to her on her travels. “I wanted it to be organic and to have a real story,” she said.

The look took many hours to make, and finding the vintage Jeffrey Campbell shoes took a long search of its own. For the rest of her collection, one of her teachers welded the shoes for her.

Claire grew up in London, but plans to build her career here. “Melbourne is such a wonderful hub of creativity, and you can really establish yourself here,” she said. “I want to contribute to the fashion scene and merge my heritage with my love of Melbourne.”

The win means everything to her. “I’ve had this in my vision journal since I was a child,” she said.

“It’s a dream come true – there’s no higher honour than Vogue.