Before a single thread hits the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week catwalk, Daniela Aroche gets an exclusive preview of the key fabrications and looks from select designers taking part.

Australian designers will be hoping for a resurgence in TOP line spending for the spring/summer SEASON. IbisWorld Analyst Rachel Lohan reports on demand for luxe.

This year, Wenzel Australia becomes one of the centenarians of australian fashion. Erin O'Loughlin catches up with the man at the helm of this stoic, 100-year-old fabric supply business.

PERTH: Premium accessories retailer Sambag will launch its first store in Perth this June and has developed a luxury silk line to boost its product offering.

As head of the TAFE NSW Fashion Design Studio, Nicholas Huxley has trained the icons of Aussie fashion – dion lee, alex perry, Lisa Ho, Michelle Jank, Akira Isogawa and Marnie Skillings. He recalls his own career path to Assia Benmedjdoub.

Product collaborations between designers and retailers is not a new trend, but Assia Benmedjdoub discovers the latest round of partnerships is moving decidedly upmarket.

Insight will open its first retail venture in the US market this month with the debut of a combined store and showroom in California's Venice Beach.

With an emphasis on technology, 18-hour trading days and Tokyo-inspired design, Sydney's newest retail development is all about catering to the under 40s. Erin O'Loughlin gets the low down on Central.

Luxury womenswear designer Collette Dinnigan is set to ramp up her exclusive diffusion line with UK department store Marks & Spencer, following the success of a relaunch collection last year.

Sydney: Luxury lingerie label Honey Birdette will launch a store at Westfield Parramatta in July along with a new website and a diffusion line later in the year, marking the start of an aggressive expansion strategy for the brand.

SYDNEY: Mulberry's local sales have exceeded forecasts by 50 per cent since its 2010 Australian debut, the company behind its operations claims.

The inner-city suburb of Surry Hills is known for its directional fashion boutiques. Assia Benmedjdoub looks behind the concept of +EstateofMind, which opened its doors late last month.

The Australian retail scene is changing as international brands edge their way into the market. But there is much that can be learned from these foreign invaders, as Daniela Aroche finds out at a retail forum.

Melbourne-based label Nique is preparing to expand into the denim category with the launch of its own line and has recruited former Country Road denim designer Jess Cheung to lead the design direction.

MELBOURNE: Pacific Brands has acquired the Australian licence for Diesel, marking a reinvestment in the denim category after shedding labels Lee and Wrangler.

NATIONAL: The Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA) has confirmed it is investigating a number of leading fashion brands, including womenswear label Anthea Crawford and designer label Scanlan & Theodore, in relation to possible breaches of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Industries Award and issues with their supply chain.