BRISBANE: More than 30 local designers have been confirmed to show on schedule at the fifth annual Mercedes-Benz Fashion Festival in Brisbane.
Speaking at the event launch party, held in Brisbane this morning (May 27), festival director Lindsay Bennett said the event's 2009 instalment would showcase a total of 31 local designers among them Queenslanders Easton Pearson, Juli Grbac and George Wu.
Other retailers and brands with a confirmed presence include Akira Isogawa, Lisa Ho, Kirrily Johnston, Nicola Finetti, Jean Brown, Canargue, Frockshop.com.au and Flamingo Sands.
Bennett said the consumer program, taking place August 23 to 28, would also feature a national media luncheon, a fashion forum, a series of industry workshops and several free events open to the public.
A key highlight of the six-day show is the acclaimed Australian Fashion Graduate of the Year Awards, which was won last year by Dion Lee.
Costing upwards of $850,000 to stage, Bennett said the festival represented a "significant and timely" statement of confidence in the resilience of the Australian fashion industry.