Thea Basiliou founded the multi brand Ann St boutique Blonde Venus in Brisbane in 1990 and co-founded the lifestyle store The Outpost in 2006.

As a creative director and a progressive buyer, Thea introduced many exciting international brands to Australia including JW Anderson, Roksanda, Mary Katrantzou, Chalayan, Simone Rocha, Claire Barrow and Jacquemus.

Being passionate about new, local design, Thea also championed many Australasian brands from their early collections including Akira, Zimmermann, Karen Walker, Lover, PAM, Toni Maticevski, Dion Lee, Christopher Esber, Gail Sorronda, Pageant and Verner.

Her passion for the arts has led to a strong art and design cross pollination. Blonde Venus hosted art exhibitions, music and film events to encourage a nexus between the arts and fashion communities.
Thea has consulted to Australian Fashion Week on the National Selection Panel, the Brisbane Fashion Festival and Queensland Government and worked at Melbourne Fashion Festival as the Program Manager.

She has mentored and lectured fashion design students at at QUT, TAFE, Billy Blue Brisbane, RMIT and Collarts Melbourne for over 20 years. Thea is currently lecturing at RMIT and Collarts Melbourne and freelancing across the fashion landscape in styling, writing and mentoring.

Kat Walsh is the founder of Practice Studio. Part design workroom, part retail store, Practice Studio is a unique space within the Brisbane fashion landscape, spotlighting the work of innovative emerging designers and providing a way for consumers to form more meaningful connections with the clothes they wear. Trained as a designer, Kat also makes, mends and alters clothes in-store. 

Filipino Australian Gail Sorronda launched her eponymous label in 2005 at Australian Fashion Week after winning the Mercedes-Benz Start-Up award with her graduate collection, Angel at my Table. 
In 2012, the designer opened the doors of her first permanent flagship boutique in James Street, Brisbane. 

Gail Sorronda marked 20 years of her eponymous label this year with Chromophobia, a retrospective collection unveiled through a darkly poetic runway presentation drawing on two decades of creative practice at the edge of fashion, performance, and visual art.