Styleaid: Phoenix—WAAC
Statement
Hon Ayor Makur Chuot (5:41 pm): Last Friday I attended a very important and unforgettable fashion event called Styleaid: Phoenix. Some people may be wondering why am I talking about a fashion event in Parliament. I have a very strong relationship with the fashion industry, as someone who had 10 years' experience on the runway and in magazines. I have been featured in many things. I used to have very nice short hair. Some members may have seen me in one of the magazines when I was a model at that time. I have been part of the Styleaid event since I was a model every time I was in Perth. It is a fashion charity event that I like to support and have been a part of for many years.
The event was first launched in 1997. Styleaid quickly became a cornerstone of the Perth fashion and fundraising scene. It has run annually for the last 20 years. Over that time Styleaid raised more than $20 million for WAAC to directly fund essential services for people living with HIV and, of course, the broader LGBTQIA+ community and the community as a whole. Beyond the glamour of Styleaid and its fashion sense, this year's event was very crucial because it did not host the event for a few years. It was quite exciting for the many people who have supported Styleaid to attend the wonderful event on the night. We celebrated the 40th anniversary of WAAC, formerly known as the WA AIDS Council. We came together to raise essential funds for HIV and LGBTQIA+ and health programs across Western Australia.
The runway was a dazzling display of talent and featured Western Australia's finest designers, such as my favourite designer, Empire Rose; I like her clothes and have a few jumpsuits in my wardrobe. One Fell Swoop is another great designer in the fashion industry. I have modelled all the designers I have mentioned in the past. I admire them so deeply. I cannot forget Kirrikin and Empire Rose, which were part of Friends of Fashion when we had our first fashion event in Parliament House. Zhivago is another fantastic and amazing designer who was showcased on the night. C.Design and many more emerging designers attended. Our current designers are going through the South Metropolitan TAFE and North Metropolitan TAFE. Curtin University showcased as well.
When I used to be a model, my favourite part of modelling was putting on an outfit from a student. I remember that when we used to do Perth Fashion Festival, my favourite runway was the one for student designers. Either is going to be very entertaining. It would take 20 minutes to put on the outfit because they were just so creative. Of course, when you walk out, the piece is so amazing. The amount of love and work they put in is just amazing. I say again that that is one of the reasons why the fashion industry is so important. Do not criticise models, because models are the mannequins. When we see an outfit on a model—my colleagues Hon Dr Katrina Stratton, Hon Dr Parwinder Kaur and Hon Klara Andric and I sometimes talk like this about fashion—we want to buy it. That is exactly what the modelling industry is about. The night was all about that. The creations were amazing, as I have just put forward.
On the night, I remembered my dear friend Aly May, who was so dear to me. Aly May's legacy was remembered on the night. On the night, I called Aly May my fashion mum, as did many people. She was the woman who photographed me for my first magazine spot. She was very fair. When I talk about fairness, she made sure she looked after everybody around her. I have been wanting to talk about Aly May in Parliament, but sometimes I get a bit emotional. It was really lovely to see her daughter on the night. I remember having a conversation with her and she said, "What is so beautiful is how I shared my mum with you guys", because that is what she did. She was in the fashion industry—the industry that she loved. She had done so much. She taught me what it really means to do community service.
The fashion industry is a creative industry in which people struggle because they are competing with fast fashion. It is an industry that has designers. The other person I have to remember is my good friend Ruth Tarvydas, whom I dearly miss. I remember when we used to do fashion Friday. I saw the significant challenges that she faced in her business, but, again, we still have to try our best as a society to support this wonderful industry. It is a great industry. I may look like an African woman, but, actually, the fashion industry is my other family. I love that industry. It is an industry that I hold so dear. I was so proud that the President gave us permission to create the Parliamentary Friends of Fashion with Hon Samantha Rowe and Hon Klara Andric and a few other people who supported us in the last Parliament.
I give a big acknowledgement to Mark David Reid for his many years of contribution to this event and all the creative team behind the scenes who put together the event to support the wonderful cause of the WAAC. Before my time finishes, I acknowledge and thank the amazing designer Jonté for dressing me on the night. I looked very stunning. I have not shared the pictures yet on Facebook. The dress was so beautiful. It was like—wow. I thank him for dressing me up on the night.
Also, it was fantastic reconnecting with many old friends from the industry—talented designers, models and creative industry people I have known. I would also like to give a big shout-out to my dear friend Hon Dr Katrina Stratton and Sook Yee Lai for hanging out together. We were the parliamentarians supporting the fashion industry on the night. I thank them for coming on the night. We were on a table with Busi Oyewopo and Hannah Collard, First Nations models. We were making jokes at the table: "How come we're not on the runway? We're too old for the runway." Kimberley Wynhorst, another great fashion industry model, was also there. We used to model together. Ciara Galega, who used to be an actress and is currently in a wheelchair, was there. She just loves fashion and you could see how much she enjoyed the event. Of course, I will give a shout-out to the lovely Michelle Pike, Jonté's mum, who was there. Actually, I had to go to her house with my outfit because it requires someone to dress me. Talk about creative industries! Her daughter is in Dubai and she was the person who put everything together. I just want to say thank you. It was really lovely to be on that table with wonderful people. Again, I could go into detail about the so many wonderful friends I have met through that night.
I will talk a little bit about stats for work done in the industry. In 2023 and 2024, this work made a significant impact across our community, including 1,000 counselling session for people living with HIV and our LGBTQIA youth in both the metropolitan area and the regions. There were 137 peer-lead drop-in sessions held by this wonderful charity organisation. It provides instant support to 425 people living with HIV. These people will benefit from the event as well. There were 691 instances of one-on-one peer support for people living with HIV. Again, we have seen 7,168 brief interventions provided through the needle and syringe exchange program, which is supported by this wonderful event. There have been over 1,000 workshops, talks and educational sessions.
