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Founder of Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) Simon Lock has called on the industry to consider major changes to the event.

Lock has suggested that the Australian fashion industry skew its focus to creating a retail available, consumer focussed event following similar decisions recently made by global designers Tom Ford and Burberry.

Lock said that despite the industry's efforts to move MBFWA to May in a bid to showcase Australia as a 'resort' destination, designers are missing out on major commercial benefits.

“MBFWA should be the first fashion week in the world to make the complete change from a wholesale based event to a retail available consumer focussed event.

“The event has always been an innovator and it should again lead the world.

“For sometime now we have foreseen the catalytic change that social media has been having on fashion weeks around the world.

“Via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter consumers have had a front row seat to the best designer shows in the world including Australian designers.

“This has created immediate demand for these designs which are not available in store for another six months.

“It was only a matter of time before designers realised this was a huge wasted commercial
opportunity.”

As such Lock has suggested that MBFWA be moved to August in line with the arrival of Spring/Summer collections in stores in September.

“Recently MBFWA has again changed its dates back to the original timing of May to align with the northern hemisphere ‘resort collection’ buying season.

“There was logic in this positioning and timing in the past but no longer.

“International buyers have reduced their travel significantly over the past years especially to MBFWA.

“In a different fashion environment in the mid 2000s fashion week attracted at its peak 284 international buyers.

“Last season international buyers were counted in single digits.

“This is no fault of the event organiser IMG, or the calibre of the designers, it is purely a factor of the changing nature of the business of fashion.”

Last month the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) announced a review of New York Fashion Week (NYFW) to consider changing to the consumer based model.

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has also committed to increasing consumer focussed events as part of the official schedule during London Fashion Week.

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