Australian fashion week to take place May 15

IMG announced on Tuesday its lineup of designer runway shows and programming for Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW): The Experience, taking place from May 15 – 19 at Sydney’s Carriageworks.

​The official AAFW schedule will feature runway shows from both new and returning designer names in Australian fashion, including Michael Lo Sordo, Gary Bigeni, Karla Špetić, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Erik Yvon and Cue.

Group showcases will also take place including the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects runway presented by Afterpay, TAFE NSW’s Fashion Design Studio and DHL Next Gen, AAFW’s emerging designer program.

The exact schedule is yet to be announced.

​“This year’s five day program features Australia’s most exciting designers showcasing their creativity on the Asia-Pacific’s biggest global fashion stage,” said 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.”

Aside from runway shows, the week’s ‘Talks’ series will continue this season, featuring informative panels on topics ranging gender diversity and the fashion industry, club culture and fashion, fashion criticism, and key directions in Australian fashion, among other discussions.

The week will close with a collaboration between buy-now-pay later, Afterpay, and #WeWearAustralian, an initiative established to support the Australian fashion sector in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the creation of an “immersive” runway featuring over 50 Australian brands.

AAFW was ​previously known as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia.