Fruitful fall for designers in NY
In what is anticipated to be a major drawcard for international buyers and media, Australian designers have been given the opportunity to showcase their collections in two major fashion events - New York Fashion Week (NYFW) and the highly publicised Ford Supermodel of the Year Competition in February.
Austrade New York senior trade commissioner David Howard said while the event had been running for 21 years, this was to be the first time all finalists would be clothed in Australian designer labels.
"There is definitely an increasing awareness and interest in Australian designers in New York in recent years. We expect at least half the value of designer participation to be what they learn about the New York market [specifically]."
Keen to exploit the buzz surrounding local fashion brands, designer Toni Maticevski will unveil his Fall 2007 collection in the second largest showroom at NYFW. This comes atop his spectacular debut at the UPS-sponsored show last year, which managed to garner attention from media giants American Vogue, WWD and The Washington Post.
Australian heavyweights making their NYFW debut this year include Jayson Brunsdon and Ray Costarella - of label Aurelio Costarella - who have both stated their intentions to bolster distribution and increase brand awareness within the region.
This is also the case for womenswear powerhouse sass & bide which estimated that its ongoing participation in NYFW had seen the brand grow 50 per cent per annum in the US alone.
Co-founder Sarah-Jane Clarke said this year, the event presented sass brand with a unique opportunity to fortify its assault on the American market.
"Exposure wise, we're looking to build the brand without having to go through direct advertising. It means we can be based in Sydney, show our collection in New York and generate some press without having to be there all the time."
Although business partner, Heidi Middleton has pulled out of this season's event due to an impending pregnancy, Clarke said this would not disrupt the brand's NYFW schedule.
"It just means we will have to do all of our styling in Sydney and add the final touches in New York."
Joining Middleton in her absence is designer Kit Willow Podgornik; who has also pulled out due to family commitments. While representatives from her company, Willow, have maintained all of their sales and media appointments, the designer herself said she hadn't had sufficient time to prepare an entire catwalk show for fall 2007.
Womenswear designer Josh Goot and New Zealander Karen Walker have also tweaked their plans this season; deciding to show off-schedule in New York City instead.