MWV

18/08/2025

Ready to strike a pose?

Join us at MPavilion Parkville for Fashion For All! – a Melbourne Fashion Week event celebrating self-expression through styling, playful conversation, and unexpected fashion moments.

Create your own unique look using garments and fabrics designed by talented migrant and refugee women. Strike a pose to capture your personal fashion moment while exploring the beautiful connection between fashion and identity.

📍MPavilion Parkville
📅 21-24 OCT, 11am to 2pm

Get more info here: https://events.unimelb.edu.au/MPavilion/event/48274-fashion
-for-all

Presenters:
Rahila Zeeshan
Leila Ashtiani
Abouk Giir
Humaira Fayazi
Sofie Dieu

Proudly supported by

14/08/2025

Visit to Clayton Library

✅Story time
✅Info session
✅ Sing together

Supported by City of Monash

05/06/2025

🎨🐨 Reconciliation Week at Playgroup! 🖤💛❤️
This week at Mother's playgroup, we got crafty for Reconciliation Week! The kids had so much fun painting boomerangs and decorating native animals like kangaroos, koalas and echidnas. 🦘🐨🦔

While we painted and played, we also talked about the importance of First Nations culture and showing respect for Country and community. It was such a great way for little hands and big hearts to learn together. 💛

29/05/2025

✨Calling All Creative Migrant and Refugee Women in Melbourne!✨

If you live near Melbourne and are passionate about creativity, plants and their use in
medicine, food or ceremonies, then you could be one of the 20 women from diverse cultural backgrounds to be part of a special research journey that celebrates storytelling, illustration, and textile making in community.

There are 2 info sessions:
-Wednesday 16/07 from 6.30-7.30pm at the Ross House in Melbourne CBD
(247/251 Flinders Lane) RSVP here https://forms.gle/SD4CFbM1tRxbUFpm6
- Monday 14/07 from 11-12pm at the Penrose Promenade Community Centre (83
Penrose Promenade, Tarneit) RSVP here https://forms.gle/BSKe4T44df99caen6

We will talk about:
● Creative gatherings
● Hands-on textile and craft sessions
● Inspiring local excursions
● Learn from certified naturopaths
● Interview and share stories with each other in a safe, welcoming space

As a participant, you could take part in all these activities for free! This is more than just research, it’s a vibrant space for expression, friendship, and cultural exchange. No
experience needed — just bring your voice, your heritage, and your creative spirit!
You have questions? Email Sofie at sofie.dieu@monash.edu to learn more about the
workshops or to be sent the Explanatory Statement which covers topics such as what the research involves, what the activities are, or the benefits and risks of this study.
This Monash University research is proudly supported by Multicultural Women Victoria.

Let’s grow, create, and share stories together.

09/05/2025

The photoshoot of the Multicultural Women Fashion project was such a vibrant day! In a studio filled with natural light, creativity, and the spirit of collaboration.
Each designer—Sofie Dieu, Leila Ashtiani, Rahila Zeeshan, Humaira Fayazi, and Abouk Giir—poured their hearts into designing outfits that reflect both personal identity and their respective heritage. From makeup to selecting accessories or choosing the perfect models, every detail was thoughtfully curated.

📸 The Creative Team:
Photographer –
Makeup Artist –
Fashion Stylist –
Photoshoot Assistant –

👗 The Models:
was wearing Sofie’s cape
wore her sister Abouk’s outfit
gave life to Rahila’s jacket
.sr was wearing Leila’s jacket
took flight with Humaira’s winged dress

Each model embodied the spirit and story behind the outfits beautifully. The day wrapped up with heartfelt thanks, new connections, shared stories and a deeper appreciation for the richness of multicultural fashion.
This project is supported by the Victoria Women’s Benevolent Trust alongside the Australian Government’s Multicultural Grassroots Initiative program.

07/05/2025

Monash Women Circle outing to Fitzroy Garden

04/05/2025

03/05/2025

Five Artists created a capsule collection for the Multicultural Women Fashion project that was influenced by the bold women in their respective cultures.

To symbolise liberation for Afghan women, Humaira Fayazi was inspired by legendary Dr Sima Samar who created 100 schools for girls in Afghanistan. Humi designed her dress as wings, a recurring symbol of freedom in her art practice.

Leila Ashtiani created a statement jacket from her fabric, inspired by her admiration for the art of Iranian artist Shirin Nishat.
The African traditional garb, which has become less distinctive in the younger society, has been revitalized by Abouk Giir.

Inspired by her hometown's resilient and patriotic female figure, Marvi, Rahila Zeehan fashioned a velvet jacket with a fabric trail.
Sofie Dieu chooses to create a cape inspired by her Gaulish culture and the emblematic figure from her hometown Joan of Arc, a rebel young woman who challenged gender roles.

This project has given a space to share the unheard stories of women’s bravery among these five artists and the resulting designs were photographed with a crew of multicultural talents.

📸 behind the scenes Laura Alicia Gonzales
👗stylist
💄MU&H
Model
Project manager Sofie Dieu
Photoshoot assistant
Dress design giir
leila ashtiani artist

This project is supported by the Victoria Women's Benevolent Trust alongside the Australian Government's Multicultural Grassroots Initiative program.

18/04/2025

Multicultural Women Fashion is a perfect example of how the support from organisations working to benefit women from diverse backgrounds can result in the betterment of an individual woman’s future.
at Multicultural Women Victoria we provide a meaningful platform inclusive of all age, and background.

Our collaboration with The Social Studio for this project means artists leila ashtiani artist-Leila Ashtiani (Iran), Sofie Dieu (France), Humaira Fayazi (Afghanistan), Abouk Giir (South Sudan), and Rahila Zeeshan (Pakistan) have additional ways to polish their creativity and acquire new skills to complement their talent.

After preliminary storyboards were set, the artists met TSS to discuss their designs for creating a fashion capsule. Each artist designed an outfit inspired by their culture. Follow us to see how this project becomes part of Melbourne Design Week and much more!

The Australian Government has assisted this project through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. This is also supported by the Victoria Women's Benevolent Trust and the Australian Government's Multicultural Grassroots Initiative program.

04/04/2025

Following the successful exhibitions of the fabrics and portraits from the project Our Plant, Our Heritage, artists leila ashtiani artist (Iran), Sofie Dieu (France),Humaira Fayazi (Afghanistan), Abouk Giir (South Sudan), and Rahila Zeeshan (Pakistan) gathered once again in Feb to bring life to their respective textiles and turn them into garments.

Inspired by the resilient and bold women in their culture they created a capsule fashion collection with the help of The Social Studio. The Social Studio currently being developed! These are exciting times indeed.

The Australian Government has assisted this project through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. This is also supported by the Victorian Women's Trust and the Australian Government's Multicultural Grassroots Initiative program.

Follow us to see how this project becomes part of Melbourne Design Week and much more! , Multicultural Women Victoria

.australia

27/03/2025

🌸Great shot of Mums & Bubs from MWV Mother’s Playgroup for the International Women’s Day. 🌸

Thanks Aswita- Project leader for the great photo shoots.

24/03/2025

🎉Last week we had a busy Cultural Diversity Week with a number of celebrations across Melbourne in the City of Monash, City of Casey, City of Wyndham and Melbourne CBD.

🎊We are from many nations sharing culture and food in a land we never envisaged as children to call home.We celebrate one of the most important aspects of humanity – The diversity.

🎊We are celebrating as the world we live in today is more interesting because we became aware of many cultures. – The meeting of the east and the west through the spice, silk, and commercial trades of hundreds of years ago, made us the diverse and culturally rich human beings we have today. Even though the sad history of our past (in particular those who come from colonized countries) has not always been ‘proper”, we are here, together, strong and hopeful we can always build better understanding of each other, share our culture and stories and conquer all of those who wants to divide us.

Supported by City of Monash, Alcohol and Drug Foundation, in collaboration with Wyndham Women's Magazine and Kritha Community