Sydney fashion becomes a weekend habit

SYDNEY: Organisers of London Fashion Week are capitalising on the recent boom in consumer fashion shows.

UK-headquartered company Single Market Events, in collaboration with Australian lifestyle magazine Shop Til You Drop, is set to launch a multi-million dollar shopping fair dubbed 'Fashion Weekend' in Sydney. This is the second major consumer event to hit the city this year, with IMG Fashion Asia Pacific announcing the launch of the Sydney Fashion Festival in August.

Womenswear designers Alex Perry, Fleur Wood, sass & bide, Kate Hurst, Leona Edmiston, Marnie Skillings, Valerie Tolosa and Tim O'Connor have already enlisted for the inaugural Fashion Weekend, which will run from May 9 to 11 at the Royal Hall of Industries in Moore Park.

First launched in London eight years ago, the event attracts 16,000 visitors per season and generates $2.4 million in clothing and footwear sales from over 150 high-end designer stalls.

Event director Jo Duncan said consumers attending the Sydney instalment could expect premium designer sales, a series of 450-seater catwalk show and live demonstrations.

"The event is [also] an excellent way for designers to clear excess stock, samples and one-offs in a controlled, stress-free environment," she said. "It's consistent with the brand identity of a top-end designer label allowing them to create a new market and reach a broader audience."

Designers are charged $750 for a stand at the fair, plus a 20 per cent commission on sales generated over the two days and one night. Each exhibitor is allocated their own space with rails, shelving and a changing room for customers. 
Sydney designer Kate Hurst said she saw the event as a good avenue for building her profile while also streamlining her inventory.

"At the end of each season, there can be a quite a lot of left over stock that sits around for months and this way we can offer sale stock to the public in a convenient and hopefully very fun event," she said. 

Duncan said organisers hoped to draw 10,000 visitors to the first instalment and had invested in excess of $500,000 for a six-month advertising campaign. This included an editorial and advertorial partnership with Shop Til You Drop, outdoor advertising on the back of 200 Sydney taxis, guerrilla marketing initiatives and promotions across television, radio and newspapers.

"[Our goal is] to be successfully launched in several cities around Australia and to be seen as the ultimate local consumer fashion event."

By Assia Benmedjdoub