Navigating Culture and Fashion in Melbourne

Growing up with an Italian background in Melbourne, I knew exactly what clothes were ‘woggy.’

Whether it was chunky Nike sneakers or matching Adidas tracksuit and hoodie sets, these clothes were viewed as uncool to say the least. They were something you’d see ‘Wog Boy’ or ‘Superwog’ wear. 

The Palestinian keffiyeh, (Credit: Adobe Stock)

But nowadays, the clothes my Nonno wears, those chunky sneakers or tracksuits, are ‘in’. 

So, what changed? Where do these intersections between culture and fashion come from? 

Social media and a rise in second-hand shopping could be the reason. However, it more likely comes down to Melbourne’s cultural diversity in shaping the way that we dress or consume fashion. 

With roughly 140 cultures represented in Melbourne, there’s no denying the diversity that lives and breathes in the city. 

With diverse cultures come different traditions, rituals, artefacts, and clothing. 

Alongside this, fashion is deeply embedded in Melbourne, intertwined with the cultures that persist through generations. 

Fashion trends can often stem from cultural practice or traditional wear, but this can raise concern about the difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. 

Dr Harriette Richards, Senior Lecturer at RMIT’s School of Fashion and Textiles, said there’s usually a question of ethics when it comes to culturally-derived fashion.  

Dr Richards referenced the recent controversy surrounding Prada’s leather sandals, which were accused of taking designs from traditional Indian artisans in July 2025. 

“I think one of the ways that we can try and overcome that is through collaboration. But sometimes, even doing that can be really tricky to ensure that it’s mutually beneficial and to ensure that the money is going to the right people,” she said. 

Dr Richards added that it was difficult to distinguish where cultural fashion trends originated from to ethically collaborate with the creators. 

The question of cultural appropriation has also been raised with the Palestinian keffiyeh, which has seen an upsurge of wearers in Melbourne during pro-Palestinian protests. 

“With all the protests around the invasion of Palestine, the Palestinian scarf is a really interesting example because that's become much more visible within the Melbourne community,” Dr Richards said. 

“[The keffiyeh] is becoming kind of something that people are wearing on a more everyday basis to demonstrate their solidarity with the Palestinian people, which is interesting. I think it’s less of a fashion trend and more of a political statement.” 

When navigating cultural appropriation and appreciation, Dr Richards says it’s best for consumers to do their research to ensure they are shopping ethically and sustainably. 

“The more we know, the better. And so, I think we can be more inquisitive about our fashion purchases and we can start from knowing what the brand is and where it was made and who made it.” 

For many Australian consumers, especially Gen Z, sustainability and ethics when shopping can be challenging, especially with the upsurge of ‘microtrends’ that contribute to the global fast fashion movement. 

According to data from Ernst & Young, 58% of Gen Z consumers seek to shop sustainably, and from businesses that align with their own values. However, between ‘hauls’ and ‘get-ready-with-me’ videos on social media, consumers tend to choose the trendier items, fueling fast fashion.

The fleeting fashion trends can impact two areas: using cultural artefacts for a certain ‘aesthetic’, or contributing to textile wastage. 

For instance, the viral ‘Scandinavian scarves’ discourse that ran rampant on TikTok in April 2025, a trend that lasted seemingly only a few weeks, was accused by many users of appropriating an Indian Dupatta.

Dupatta, (Credit: Jainica Dhingra /Unsplash Licence)

Jayas_x on TikTok said that ‘white’ (British and American) brands don’t have a problem profiting from clothing derived from Indian culture.

“What they could’ve done is…reach out to some new South Asian designers. Let’s do a collab that will allow everyone to wear certain items of clothing whilst giving flowers to the culture that we’re taking inspiration from,” she said.

Dr Richards shares that concern surrounding the sustainability of these fast-moving trends.

“When we're seeing trends last for shorter and shorter amounts of time, people are buying more items in order to keep up with those trends, and then they're just discarding them much more quickly,” Dr Richards said.

For many Gen Z Melbournians, sustainable brands and second-hand shopping can be costly. For them, it raises the question: ‘Why shop sustainable, when I can get it cheaper somewhere like Shein?’

According to data from Roy Morgan, last year, two million Australians aged 14 and over bought at least once from Shein in 12 months, and 3.6 million bought from Temu. 

In combating this, second-hand shopping continues to gain popularity amongst Gen Z consumers, with many choosing Op Shops like Savers, The Salvation Army, or St Vincent De Paul. 

“I would like to think that second-hand fashion is just going to continue to grow,” Dr Richards said. 

Looking forward, Melbourne’s fashion community doesn’t seem to be slowing down, with many different trends that are yet to come to consumers. 

Whether it’s the resurgence of ‘woggy’ tracksuit sets or a political statement like the Palestinian keffiyeh, it can be difficult to navigate the culturally diverse fashion scene of Melbourne. 

However, this doesn’t mean that consumers can’t put into practice research and ethical shopping when it comes to shopping trends. 

“Australia as a whole is built on migration and also has this incredibly rich indigenous cultural history, and so all of these things come together to create a really interesting and vibrant fashion identity, or fashion culture,” Dr Richards said.

With such diversity in Melbourne, we can only expect to see more trends, more culture, and more fashion.