Burgers and reality TV weightloss: How the men of Myer prepared for the runway

One snacked on burgers and practised his prancing on a four-metre catwalk in his home for weeks.

The other came close to starvation in a makeshift "jungle" in South Africa for more than a month.

Derek Zoolander had nothing on the blokes on the runway for Myer's first Fashion Runway that wowed more than 1500 customers in the retailer's CBD store on Thursday night.

The department store staged the inaugural customer-focused event in Sydney with three headline acts. Face of the brand Jennifer Hawkins, break-out star of I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here Kris Smith and the artist formerly known as The Bachelor, Tim Robards.

"I had a burger the other day," Robards laughed when asked about how he prepared for his first runway show in 10 years. "I've been rehearsing at home in front of Anna [Heinrich, his girlfriend] and her mum and sister. I can turn left though so that's what I bring to the show," he said referencing Zoolander's famous "I'm not an ambiturner" line.

After spending five weeks on the I'm a Celebrity reality series that is essentially a prison camp with producers, Smith lost more than nine kilograms and is glad to be back in Myer's bosom.

"The customers are the ones who drive the store, it's great to have that interactive element with them," he said.

This holy trinity of beautiful people wowed the crowd at the surprisingly intimate event, in a format usually reserved for Melbourne's Fashion Festival. Unlike most fashion shows where the models act like attractive robots, Hawkins waved and chatted to the front row, while Smith – a favourite of the ladies – high-fived and stopped for selfies as he made his way around the 200-metre catwalk that snaked through the racks of womenswear.

Thirty models showcased more than 100 autumn-winter looks from 20 of Myer's local and international high-street brands including Asilio, Politix and Dom Bagnato.