MAFS 2023: Reality stars ‘blacklisted’ from Australian Fashion Week
Only a ‘select group’ of reality stars will attend Australian Fashion Week 2023 next month, with the rest blacklisted to protect the event’s reputation.
Only a handful of brides from this year’s season of Married At First Sight have been invited, after a deluge of fame-hungry contestants flocked to the Carriageworks venue in Sydney last year.
Evelyn Ellis, Janelle Han and Tahnee Cook, who are already working in the fashion and influencer world, are among the lucky few.
Duncan James and Sandy Jawanda will also be present.
These VIPs will be at the side of Australia’s fashion elite, who will be allowed to sit in the front two rows at all catwalk presentations.
Only a ‘select group’ of reality stars will attend Australian Fashion Week 2023 next month, with the rest blacklisted to protect the event’s reputation. (Pictured: MAFS Bride Evelyn Ellis)
With only an elite group of glamorous and well-edited MAFS stars attending Fashion Week this year, the rest of the cast is said to be ‘feeling the FOMO’.
An unnamed cast member from this year’s season bombards designers with unsolicited messages, begging for the chance to be seen in their clothes.
Another has resorted to emailing one of the featured brands, pointing out the number of followers they have on Instagram.
Only a handful of brides from this year’s MAFS season have been invited, after a deluge of fame-hungry contestants came to Carriageworks last year. Evelyn Ellis, Janelle Han (left) and Tahnee Cook (right), who already work in the fashion industry, are among the lucky few
With only an elite group of glamorous and well-edited MAFS stars attending Fashion Week this year, the rest of the cast is said to be ‘feeling the FOMO’
The question on everyone’s lips is whether Fashion Week 2023 will be all business or whether reality stars and influencers will once again steal the front row spotlight.
The usual suspects, including Phoebe Burgess, Nadia Fairfax, Holly Kingston, Francesca Hung, Simone Holtznagel, Imogen Anthony, Jack Vidgen, Nikki Phillips, Kate Waterhouse, Anna Heinrich and Ksenija Lukich, are all expected.
Fresh from her stay in the jungle, MAFS alum Domenica Calarco has also secured her seat and is expected to appear on multiple shows.
Rumors are swirling that Hollywood actress Mischa Barton could also be in attendance after landing a guest star role on the Neighbors reboot.
The question on everyone’s lips is whether Fashion Week 2023 will be all business or whether reality stars and influencers steal the spotlight. (Pictured: Phoebe Burgess and Kate Waterhouse)
Rumors are swirling that Hollywood actress Mischa Barton (pictured) could also be in attendance after guest starring in the Neighbors reboot
It comes after MAFS “bad guy” Olivia Frazer ruffled the feathers last year when she took a front row seat at AFW despite being given a second row seat.
An audience member told Daily Mail Australia that she would have sat next to them in the second row during the Be + Bridge show.
“I saw Olivia mingle with the people in the front row trying to figure out where she was sitting,” they said.
It comes after MAFS ‘bad guy’ Olivia Frazer ruffled the feathers last year when she took a front row seat at AFW despite being given a second row seat
Also at the 2022 event, fame-seeking MAFS groom Nasser Sultan was put on notice for his rowdy behavior.
Security at Carriageworks, the Sydney venue where most of the runway shows were held, issued a stern warning to the 56-year-old to ‘stop being a nuisance’.
The caution was issued after Nasser was pictured harassing former NRL WAG Phoebe Burgess in the front row at the Oroton showcase.
Also at the 2022 event, fame-seeking MAFS groom Nasser Sultan was put on notice for his rowdy behavior. Security at Carriageworks, the Sydney venue where most runway shows were held, issued a stern warning to the 56-year-old to ‘stop being a nuisance’
Nasser had briefly sat in Kate Waterhouse’s racing seat when she walked away and tugged at Phoebe’s designer coat to get her attention.
However, the ex-wife of retired NRL star Sam Burgess turned his back on Nasser when he repeatedly asked for a photo and tried to strike up a conversation.
An apologetic Nasser told Daily Mail Australia he was “very embarrassed” about his behavior around Phoebe, but denied crashing the show or stealing anyone’s chair, as previously reported.
‘[The incident with security] I was really ashamed. I felt like an asshole… but I didn’t seat anyone or sneak in,” the former music promoter said.
The caution was given after Nasser was pictured harassing former NRL WAG Phoebe Burgess (right) in the front row at the Oroton showcase
“I was invited to that show, saw Phoebe come by to say hello. Why can’t you say hello to people these days?
“Security said I stole Kate Waterhouse’s chair. I do not have. I was there for a few seconds taking a picture with Phoebe and then went back to my seat.”
He added: ‘They said I was a nuisance and the designers didn’t want me at their shows… that’s not true. I’ve been invited to many shows.
‘I’ve been going for years. I’m not ashamed to sit in the back row. I’m glad I’m just here.’
“Security said I stole Kate Waterhouse’s chair. I do not have. I was there for a few seconds to take a picture with Phoebe and then went back to my seat,” Nasser explained
Australian Fashion Week, which runs from May 15 to 19, features 10 runway shows a day as designers showcase their Spring/Summer 2024 resort collections.
Popular names such as Aje, St Agni, Bondi Born, Anna Quan and Bec & Bridge are among the brands on display this year.
The week will feature a wave of promising talent and fresh faces including Asiyam, Youkhana, Erik Yvon, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Wackie Ju and Nicol & Ford.