The fight to keep Australian Fashion Week alive and in Sydney

“We could have the event in Sydney in August, which is when the store wars took place and David Jones and Myer used to have their shows,” says fashion publicist Adam Worling, who has worked with Carla Zampatti, Lisa Ho and Thread Together. “It’s a time when designers need commercial support. MFF is similarly timed to help designers.”

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MFF occurs at the end of February, the same time as Milan and Paris fashion weeks, when designers are eager to promote sales.

Former IMG Fashion head Emily Leiding, who was replaced by Natalie Xenita running AFW in 2016, has concerns with timing as well as AFC’s leadership role.

“We’d all like to see a not-for-profit body run AFW, but we have to ask designers and the industry at large if they feel the AFC has delivered to date,” Leiding says.

“We shouldn’t restrict opinions and ideas behind a membership paywall.

“In the future, AFW could be an industry week with a curated schedule of designers, with no participation costs, no expensive overheads, salaries or egos to feed.”

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