Saturday 31 October 2020
ROSEHILL GARDENS SHINES AS STARS STEP OUT IN GOLD TODAY: ERIN HOLLAND, SAMANTHA ARMYTAGE, AND SAS AUSTRALIA STARS JAMES MAGNUSSEN AND MERRICK WATTS AT THE GOLDEN EAGLE DAY AND FOMA SHOWCASE.
Western Sydney sparkled on, Saturday 31 October, as racegoers donned a touch of gold to celebrate the 2020 Everest Carnival’s highly anticipated $7.5 million Iron Jack Golden Eagle (1500m), Australia’s third richest race and premier event for four-year-old horses, held at Rosehill Gardens.
Golden Eagle Day Ambassador and classically trained soprano, Erin Holland, performed the national anthem ahead of the second running of the pinnacle race, Holland also formed part of the judging panel alongside Everest Carnival Ambassador, Samantha Armytage and lifestyle fashion journalist, Elle Halliwell, for the digital Spring Fashion Stakes competition, where Australia’s best dressed women and men won cash and an array of exciting prizes.
For the first time, the Australian Turf Club (ATC) partnered with Fabrics of Multicultural Australia (FOMA) to host and showcase a multicultural spring racewear fashion show to celebrate diversity and fashion. The two runway shows featured 16 models from a variety of diverse backgrounds including Aboriginal, Indian, Sudanese, Russian, Ugandan and Dutch, wearing unique pieces from inspiring fashion designers including:
• Colleen Tighe Johnson – Buluuy Mirrii – Descendant of the First Peoples of Aboriginal Australia, a proud Gomeroi woman (regional NSW)
• Gina Barjeel – Australian Jordanian Designer
• Anjilla Seddeqi – Australian Afghani Refugee Designer
• Mayen Benson – Johjos – Nigerian born Australian Designer
• Carole Maher – Contributing Couture Milliner, who has made 45 pieces using fabrics from each designer’s collections for the FOMA runway shows
Golden Eagle Day attracted a capacity crowd in line with COVID Safe regulations and racegoers enjoyed a number of Sydney’s finest food trucks, pop-up bars, award-winning hospitality and a nine-race card of competitive racing. Golden Eagle Day and FOMA was broadcast live and FREE on Channel 7 and on Sky Racing.
The following key influencers and VIP guests were in attendance:
• Excellency, Ali M. Kraishan, Embassy of The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
• Carole Maher, Australian Couture Milliner
• Donny Galella, Celebrity Stylist
• Eloise Jaksic, Sydney Content Creator
• Erin Holland, Golden Eagle Day Ambassador
• James Magnussen, Seven’s SAS Australia contestant and Australian Olympian
• James Tobin, Weekend Sunrise Weather Presenter
• Kate Waterhouse, Fashion icon & 7 Racing Colour Reporter
• Mark Beretta, Seven’s Sunrise Sports Anchor
• Mel McLaughlin, 7NEWS Sydney Sports Anchor
• Merrick Watts, Seven’s SAS Australia contestant and comedian, radio and TV presenter
• Michael Brown, ATC Beauty Expert
• Michelle Bishop, 7NEWS Sydney Sports Reporter
• Nikki Phillips, Model and TV Personality
• Nic Cerrone, Cerrone Jewellers and designer of the Iron Jack Golden Eagle Trophy
• Rey Vakili, Socialite & fashion entrepreneur
• Richard Lavender, Fiancée of Samantha Armytage and horse breeder
• Samantha Armytage, 2020 Everest Carnival Ambassador and co-host of Seven’s Sunrise
• Sonia Sadiq Gandhi, Founder of Fabrics of Multicultural Australia (FOMA)
• Trudy Witbreuk, State Director, NSW Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
FOMA would like to thank ATC for their support and are pleased to share that this inaugural initiative will be the first ever of many of collaborative events designed to provide additional and extended opportunities to emerging artists.
These collaborations will serve to further showcase Australia’s diverse creative sector globally and highlight the capacity of this to act as a powerful cultural diplomacy tool. FOMA will continue to work in conjunction with organisations across Australia to deliver exciting new pop-up events, informative panel sessions and discussions, digital showcases, and cultural exhibits that further FOMA’s mission statement whilst providing added value to our annual program and participating artists, models, and stakeholders.
For more information on Fabrics of Multicultural Australia please visit https://www.fomaustralia.com.au/
Social media: @fomaustralia #foma2021 #Diversitydeliverednew
Comments