Tanya Bali and Amy Kauler are the creative minds behind one of Brisbane’s most glamorous and decadent fashion events – Brisbane Fashion Runway (BFR).

The duo’s individual fashion journeys began when they hosted various fashion shows around the river city, which was how the two found each other. “We instantly clicked and had so much in common,” Tanya said. As the winners of Miss India Australia and Mrs India Globe respectively, Tanya and Amy have had a longstanding interest in fashion, but their active involvement in the industry has truly blossomed within the past two years. “We went to participate in many Indian and multi-cultural and events, where our understanding of the industry grew and desire to be stakeholder within the fashion game was realised,” Tanya said. “Our passion for beautifully executed events, fashion and the desire to support charity led us to launch our first event together.”

The pair’s first event, Infiniti Fashion Runway, was held in 2016 at the Infiniti Car Showroom on James Street in Fortitude Valley. “We have always been very passionate about Brisbane as a cosmopolitan city with so much to offer. We wanted to create an event that was on-par with the bustling fashion scene of Sydney and Melbourne and really advocate Brisbane as a source of style.” Far from just another fashion charity event, Brisbane Fashion Runaway is “a platform for emerging fashion creatives to connect with industry, media and social influencers to gain the exposure they need to genuinely launch their fashion careers”.

BFR strives to create a bigger and more opulent show each year, with 2018’s event partnering with Brisbane City Land Rover and QUT Creative Industries. However, Tanya and Amy have not lost sight of their key goal: to help emerging artists break into the industry. This year, we are able to offer the winner of Brisbane Fashion Runway designer of the year a scholarship to the QUTCEA Fashion360 program, giving them a genuine avenue to launch their label. We want to build on that and make sure that every winner of BFR is getting an opportunity of a lifetime and really helping them reach new heights in the industry.”

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