The future of Australian Fashion Week is uncertain, after media company IMG Fashion Events and Properties announced it will withdraw backing for the event.
The company also announced it would cease running the Australian Fashion Laureate, the associated awards program which recognises outstanding Australian designers.
Australian fashion Week takes place in Sydney each May, and has long been heralded as providing a global platform for distinguished and emerging Australian designers. It was founded by Simon Lock in 1996, and purchased by IMG in 2005.
“We are incredibly proud of IMG’s many accomplishments leading Australian Fashion Week for the last 20 years,” IMG Fashion Events Asia Pacific vice president and managing director Natalie Xenita said in a press release. “The event has played a key role in ushering the industry forward.”
IMG have produced the event with several key partners in recent decades, including Mercedes Benz and, more recently, Afterpay. However, Afterpay exited the event in 2024.
The final Australian Fashion Laureate will take place on November 21 in Sydney. There has been no word on whether the 2025 iteration of Australian Fashion Week will go ahead as planned in May, 2025.
Responding to the news, Australian Fashion Council Chair Marianne Perkovic and CEO Jaana Quaintance-James issued a joint statement, saying, "Turning to the future, we know we need a platform to profile and celebrate Australian fashion. This moment signals an opportunity for the industry to reimagine and reshape how Australian fashion is represented, and provides us all with an opportunity to explore new ways in which to showcase emerging and established Australian talent.
"The AFC, as the peak body for fashion and textiles in Australia, will lead this conversation. We will work with members, government and other stakeholders to consider the future platform needed to position and elevate Australian fashion internationally”.
We'll keep you updated as we know more.
Feature image: Emma Mulholland on Holiday, St Agni.
