It was meant to be the week when media, designers, influencers, consumers and buyers gathered together to support local talent.
But in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia has been placed on hold for 2020.
That hasn’t stopped organisers from celebrating the event via Fashion Week Interrupted, a digital execution uniting the global designer community.
A host of industry forces have voiced their support for the event via a video series, sweeping social media channels here and abroad.
Kym Ellery, who placed her local business into liquidation last year, has emerged to lend her voice to the campaign.
Here are the highlights of the campaign:
Georgia Fowler - international model
"I have the fondest memories of Australian Fashion Week.
"I got to walk with some of the biggest Australian designers; Dion Lee and Zimmermann and I was doing five to six shows a day.
“It was an incredible experience and absolute launch pad for me as a model, but also more importantly such a launching pad for the designers."
Camilla Franks - founder, Camilla
"It’s crazy to think it’s been 16 years since I threw myself into a world which I knew nothing about: the Australian fashion industry.
"It has been one wild, colourful, terrifying at times, exhilarating roller coaster ride to say the least.
"I decided 16 years ago that I would launch at Fashion Week in true Camilla style and produce an opera.
"I pushed industry boundaries that I didn’t know actually existed. It was all about celebrating women in all their beautiful forms and that’s always been my philosophy.
"To the Australian fashion industries credit they saw potential in what I was doing and responded so well to this ethos and since then have helped me colour the world in Camilla.
"Australian Fashion week is incredibly important to the industry.
”As a creative it’s literally the ultimate way to freely express our vision, and inspiration to have all the world experience. It goes global for us!
"For each show we try to create magical memories that last a lifetime."
Genevieve Smart - founder, Ginger & Smart
“We think as designers and as an industry we will respond with really interesting ideas to this challenging time with innovation through design, through business and most importantly through sustainability.
"We think we will see the dawn of a new era for our fashion industry."
Kym Ellery - founder, Ellery
"I have been involved in the fashion industry since 2007, when I launched my brand.
"I was 23 years old and in the last 13 years I have grown the brand to be internationally distributed in boutiques all around the world, thanks to being involved in Fashion Week.
"Australian Fashion Week is so important as it gives Australian brands the opportunity to showcase their work to the world.
"Bringing in both the international buyers and press and having the opportunity to meet with them and show your work is something that is incredibly important to grow any business."
Lizzie Renkert - founder, We Are Kindred
"Australian Fashion Week is such an important event for us every year.
"It is incredibly important platform for us to showcase our brand in its entirety to a global audience of customers, buyers and press.”
Dale McCarthy - co-founder Bondi Born
"We are swim and resort wear designer and we very proudly make all our garments ethically and sustainably here in Sydney.
"We are a fairly young company, we spent the first few years focusing on our swim. We did a lot of research and development to find the right fabrics and to perfect our fit and then last year we introduced resort wear to compliment our swim.
"At that point we thought we were really ready to introduce ourself to the world. How do you do that as a small team based in Sydney? Well that’s exactly where Fashion Week fits in.
"We hosted an intimate lunch at one of our favourite restaurants in Bondi called Totti’s and suddenly there we were sharing our collection with Moda Operandi, Net-a-porter, Browns and being interviewed by global fashion press.
"There was no way we could have done that without the unique opportunity that is Australian Fashion Week."