---

Welcome to our exclusive interview with Julz McBain and Christel Ryley, the dynamic co-founders behind the inaugural Toowoomba Fashion Festival. On this International Women’s Day, we’re thrilled to delve into their journey of bringing this exciting event to life, as well as their commitment to diversity and empowerment within the fashion industry.

MC: Hi Julz and Christel — Happy International Women’s Day! I’ve come to town today to celebrate you two in the lead-up to the first-ever Toowoomba Fashion Festival.

Q: First of all, what inspired you to start TFF?

Christel: For about eighteen months, I wanted to get a fashion festival off the ground but didn’t have the knowledge or experience to know where to start. My other business, Ryley Jewellery Creations, was recruiting for a manager, and that’s when the lovely Julz happened to apply. Now, Julz has impressive experience, and I just had to hire her. She’s worked on numerous fashion events on the Gold Coast and has a degree in fashion marketing. I said to Julz, “I’ve got a website set up but that’s about as far as I’ve got…” and she said to me, “Let’s do it!”

MC: What are some of the highlights and challenges you’ve faced when putting together a first-of-its-kind fashion festival?

Julz: One of the highlights has been the overwhelming response we received early on, with key individuals showing their support and helping to shape TFF. However, this positive response also brought challenges we weren’t fully prepared for. Adapting quickly to the scale of interest and convincing others to believe in our vision were initial hurdles we faced. Despite these challenges, witnessing the festival grow so much has been both humbling and rewarding.

MC: As today is International Women’s Day, I wanted to take a moment to honour you both on your beautiful brainchild of a festival. It’s really coming together, and we’ve only got one week left to go!

You have focused a lot on inclusion and diversity in the festival, which is aligned with the theme of International Women’s Month: #InspireInclusion. I wanted to discuss a couple of the ways TFF has championed the inclusivity of women.

Julz: One of the most obvious ways is that our models are diverse. We have a wide range of ages walking the runway: our oldest model is 65 and the youngest is sixteen. All nationalities of women are included, and all sizes — we’ve got from size 6 models up to size 20 on the catwalk! The range of designers is very diverse as well. We’ve got everything under one roof for this fashion show.

MC: Why is diversity so important to you?

Julz: Let’s unpack that. There’s a real lack of representation in society, which imposes an ideology of what women should look like. There’s a lot of pressure on us to look a certain way and act another. If there’s no representation of what diversity can be, then you start having mental health issues, where individuals feel that they don’t belong or aren’t good enough. I believe it’s our job to make an inclusive space for everyone, especially in the fashion industry.

MC: As female founders in the industry, what advice do you have for other women looking to start their own business ventures?

Christel: One of the things that has often held me back is fear. Fear of letting myself down, of letting other people down, fear of judgment… The biggest challenge in starting any sort of venture is just to start. I was speaking to a colleague of mine, and he asked me how I was doing. I said to him, honestly, I’m just putting one foot in front of the other at the moment. But if I were to look at it from a different angle, maybe this is what hustling looks like. So I’m going to go with that!

Julz: I think it’s also important to surround ourselves with people who will help. And then when you do have those people, delegate. So often we think that we can do it all ourselves, but we need the support.

Christel: When we started, we had naysayers. They said many things like, “Why are you doing that, it’s the wrong time of the year…” Lots of reasons people could come up with why we shouldn’t do it. We challenged that every time. We had every single reason to do it. And that’s all that really mattered.

MC: What message or feeling do you want to inspire in your audience on the special day of the event? What would you like them to take away from the festival?

Julz: I want them to feel like Toowoomba is important — That we are a capital for fashion. That’s why I am going with the high-end fashion feel for the runway. I want them to feel like they are in Melbourne or Sydney at one of the runway fashion weeks. I want them to be proud of the town. Same with the designers: I want them to feel proud to put their brand in with TFF and say that they are from Toowoomba or regional areas.

Christel: I really want Toowoomba to be more than a regional centre. I want it to be seen as this creative hub. Toowoomba is so vibrant with art and creativity. We have so many talents that have to go to Melbourne and Sydney to further their training in the fashion industry because those resources are not available here yet. I want people to see that there is a need for this in Toowoomba.

MC: Lastly, in honour of International Women’s Month, what message would you like to share with aspiring female leaders and businesswomen in the fashion industry, and beyond?

Julz: The biggest issue I’ve been discussing recently is conquering ‘imposter syndrome.’ I know many women experience it. I constantly remind myself: Yes, I am qualified for this job, and yes, I am experienced; I know what I’m doing. Women need to recognise how capable they are and that they are exactly where they’re supposed to be. We need to stop doubting ourselves.

Christel: I would add that we need to continue encouraging each other and allowing ourselves to step into our power. When we realize our power, and step into it, that’s when the magic happens.

MC: That’s a beautiful and resounding message that I know all women will benefit from hearing and believing. Thank you for your time today ladies, and see you next week at the Empire Theatre for Toowoomba’s very first fashion extravaganza!

---

Interview, Photography and Content Creation by Melanie Canosa