(SYDNEY) 31 January 2023
Today, IMG announced its lineup of designer runway shows and programming for Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW): The Experience. Taking place from 15 – 19 Mayat Carriageworks, AAFW: The Experience gives consumers exclusive access to designer shows and events on the official AAFW schedule. Tickets are limited and available now at AAFW.com.au.
“This year’s five day program features Australia’s most exciting designers showcasing their creativity on the Asia-Pacific’s biggest global fashion stage,” stated Natalie Xenita, Vice President-Managing Director of IMG Fashion Events and Properties, Asia-Pacific. “The consumer integrated Fashion Week model was pioneered right here in Australia, and the line-up of runway shows and experiences offers fashion fans an unrivalled opportunity to experience the excitement of Fashion Week in person and at AAFW.com.au, the digital destination for AAFW, where they can tune into the shows from anywhere in the world live and on demand.”
AAFW: The Experience will feature runway shows from new and notable names in Australian fashion, including Michael Lo Sordo, Gary Bigeni, Karla Špetić, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Erik Yvon and Cue, alongside group showcases including David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects runway presented by Afterpay, TAFE NSW’s Fashion Design Studio and DHL Next Gen, AAFW’s emerging designer program.
AAFW: The Experience will close with a groundbreaking showcase championing Australian fashion. The final runway show is a collaboration between Afterpay, the leader in ‘Buy Now Pay Later’ payments, and #WeWearAustralian, an initiative established to empower the fashion sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, who will create an immersive runway featuring over 50 Australian brands and giving consumers the chance to see more of the brands they love on the runway.
The Talks presented by Glenfiddich, AAFW’s series of informative panels with industry leaders, artists, and icons will return this season with topics including:
- Identity and Agency: Gender Diversity and the Fashion Industry: Designer Jackie Wu and model Kai Warr come together for an insightful discussion about establishing a framework for working with trans and gender diverse talent while empowering them in the workplace.
- I Love the Nightlife: Club Culture and Fashion: Join multidisciplinary artist Byron Spencer, model and casting director Basjia Alaaman and Sydney queer icon Jonny Seymour for a conversation exploring the lineage of Sydney’s club culture, revealing it’s continued influence on Australian fashion.
- New Voices in Fashion Criticism: Take part in a roundtable discussion with the leading voices who have built their own success spearheading a new wave of fashion criticism.
- On Trend: Key Directions in Australian Fashion: Taking place on the final day of AAFW, this panel brings together four leaders in fashion including Harper’s Bazaar features and fashion news director Patty Huntington, stylist Miguel Urbina Tan, Urban List fashion editor Sammy Preston, and IMG Fashion Events and Properties Asia-Pacific’s vice president-managing director Natalie Xenita in a conversation moderated by POPSUGAR’s Amanda Bardas. Together, they will discuss Fashion Weeks’ key trends, from runway collections and shows to the emerging values and perspectives shaping the future of the industry.
Additional conversations will include:
Women With Drive: Lesleigh Jermanus:Porsche presents a conversation with ALÉMAIS’s Founder and Creative Director Lesleigh Jermanus following her AAFW debut.
Sustainability and Industry 4.0: City of Sydney presents a discussion about the sustainable fashion technologies shaping the future of fashion with the University of Technology Sydney’s Dr Lisa Lake, BONDI BORN founder Dale McCarthy and Style Atlas founder and CEO Pete Smit.
Carriageworks, AAFW’s official event hub, will engage and entertain attendees and guests between shows with food and beverage offerings by Hendrick’s Gin, Glenfiddich Whisky, Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate, and Disaronno, alongside bespoke activations from Afterpay, BYHEALTH, ebay, LG Laundry Appliances and Porsche. Carriageworks is open daily from 9am to 10pm during AAFW.
AAFW is an IMG event supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.
Minister for Tourism and the Arts Ben Franklin said: “The NSW Government is proud to support Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, which not only contributes to the cultural offering of Sydney but also helps grow our state’s creative and retail industries by providing opportunities for designers to showcase their creativity and forge new pathways to market. Afterpay Australian Fashion Week is a signature event on our state’s cultural event calendar, putting a spotlight on Sydney as the fashion capital of Australia and underscoring the importance of retail tourism to the NSW visitor economy.”
Co-founder of Afterpay, Nick Molnar said “We’re so thrilled to be returning for our third year as title sponsor and partnering with #WeWearAustralian on our closing multi-brand consumer show. We are also delighted at the calibre of talent that will feature in this year’s event and look forward to being part of an incredibly passionate group that puts Australian fashion on a global stage. We are equally excited to offer tickets to AAFW’s shows to consumers via Afterpay, making AAFW even more accessible to a wider fashion forward audience.”
In addition to Afterpay and Destination NSW, AAFW is made possible through the support of sponsors ALIVE Synbiotic, BYHEALTH, City of Sydney, David Jones, DHL, Disaronno, ebay, Glenfiddich Whisky, Hendrick’s Gin, LG Laundry Appliances, Made by Fressko, Porsche, Qantas Frequent Flyer, Redken, SanPellegrino, SKYE Suites and Wynn’s Coonawarra Estate.
The digital destination of Fashion Week is AAFW.com.au, where fashion fans can stream AAFW’s runway shows and programming, live and on demand. Followers can also experience the best of AAFW by following @ausfashionweek across Instagram and Facebook, @AUSFW on TikTok and Twitter and through the official event hashtag #AAFW.