MELBOURNE: L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) organisers will capitalise on a new trade partnership with China next week, launching nine Australian collections at one of the biggest trade shows in the world.
The China International Small and Medium Enterprises Fair (CISMEF) will be staged in Guangzhou from September 15 to 18, with Australia invited to co-host the event this year.
Despite its position as a consumer fashion platform, it was LMFF that was approached to spearhead the fashion component and not other trade event organisers.
LMFF general manager Kiri Delly revealed the approach came from Austrade and the Consul General in Guangzhou earlier this year.
“China is an important market to the Australian fashion industry and a potential audience for LMFF,” she said. “When this invitation was presented, LMFF saw a fantastic opportunity to promote both the festival brand and Australian fashion.”
Nine designer collections will be showcased at a specially branded Australian Pavilion at the fair, with daily catwalk shows, an industry seminar, an LMFF concept booth and extensive coverage in the official printed program aimed at attracting buyers.
Collections from Joveeba, Nevenka, Arabella Ramsay, Nicola Finetti, Aurelio Costarella, Yeojin Bae, Dhini, Alpha60 and Limedrop have been selected to occupy the 10,000 sqm pavilion. Delly said the designers were specially selected to showcase a cross-section of Australian design talent.
“They were also very interested in growing their brands internationally and looking to China as a potential market to explore,” she said. “We hope the designers will use this as a starting point for developing further relationships [and] LMFF will continue its relationship with Austrade for any future possibilities in China.”
Delly revealed LMFF will also throw its attention further north of the equator, through a partnership with the UK’s Australialive (formerly G’Day UK) to build the event’s branding in the market.
The 2009 CISMEF fair attracted some 254, 600 delegates from China and overseas, with business transactions totalling approximately $20.6 billion.
Assia Benmedjdoub