Fashion week sales set to soar

SYDNEY: The chance to kick up their heels on an enlarged world stage has had Aussie designers clamouring for spots at this month's Mercedes Australian Fashion Week (MAFW).
High profile labels including Akira and camilla and marc, which gained their start at the event, are set to claim the windfall generated by MAFW's alignment with international fashion marketing firm IMG.
The five-day event, staged in Sydney's Circular Quay, will be the first since the event management company acquired Australian Fashion Innovators - the business owned by event founder Simon Lock - last October.
Lock, now IMG Asia Pacific managing director, said that while the format itself of the event had not altered with IMG's involvement, it was behind the scenes where the relationship had really begun paying dividends.
Now able to tap into IMG's global resources, labels at the show would be exposed to a greater audience with increased media focus, including a new MAFW-based publication, and a new television distribution deal helping up the ante.
A unique global online deal should also help boost sales, Lock said.
The alignment had also helped MAFW attract additional partners with organisers signing cosmetic brand M.A.C, which also has deals with the IMG-run Olympus New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week, as a premium sponsor.
But the momentum doesn't stop there.
This year's spring/summer 06/07 event would see around 50 shows, involving more than 100 designers, Lock said.
The move has forced organisers to spread the event across five days rather than the traditional four.
"The exciting thing from our perspective is that we've never had this much demand in the past and that's across individual shows, group shows and [emerging label exhibition area] The Source. I think last year we had around 44 shows in total," he said.
An interim schedule posted by IMG Asia Pacific last week (March 30) showed up to 30 individual labels, each of whom have parted with an estimated $17,000 to stage their own show, have so far been confirmed. These include MAFW regulars Akira, Alannah Hill, Fashionassassin, Bare by Rebecca Davies, Lisa Ho, Zimmermann, Leona Edmiston, Material Boy and New Zealand labels Zambesi and World.
Wayne Cooper, who was forced to withdraw from last year's event due to financial difficulties, will again show at the event.
There are several high profile labels yet to confirm their appearance with Tsubi, Lisa Gorman, Bec & Bridge, Dorian Ho and sass & bide - which pulled out of last year's show - among them.
Lock said the alignment had also attracted additional attention from guests with a large contingent of international buyers set to make the trip down under.
Representatives from Hong Kong's Harvey Nichols, Lane Crawford and Joyce Boutique joining others from Browns Focus and Antipodium (England) and Brown Thomas from Ireland are among those who have confirmed attendance.
The final line-up and confirmed timings will be launched early next week (April 10).