The future of Australian Fashion Week (AFW) is under question with another senior executive departing the ranks of event organiser IMG Fashion Asia Pacific.
Event director Lucia Labbate will leave the company this week, following 16 years with the iconic trade showcase.
This follows the recent departure of IMG Fashion Asia Pacific general manager Daniel Hill, who left earlier this month, and marketing executive Graeme Lewsey, who reliquished his role to take up as CEO of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.
Australian Fashion Week founder Simon Lock departed the firm in November last year.
IMG Fashion Asia Pacific could not be reached for comment at time of press. However, when speaking to www.ragtrader.com.au about his departure earlier this month, Hill said it was not unexpected.
“We had been in discussions about this [stepping down] for a while. It was just time to pass the role onto someone else,” he said. “In the past few years we have taken the two events [Australian Fashion Week and the Sydney Fashion Festival] from mid-range to high performing, but it's come to a point where the events require new thinking – it's time for some fresh blood.”
IMG Fashion Worldwide senior vice-president and managing director Peter Levy said it was likely that the company would have a new team structure in place “by the end of the year”.
He said IMG would spend some time in close consultation with the team in Sydney, the industry and others discussing the best approach forward and added it's likely that there could be changes applied the event's management structure going forward.
"We will be taking a look at the most effective structure of the IMG Fashion team in Australia moving forward,” he said.
Hill has played a significant role in the organisation of both Australian Fashion Week and the Sydney Fashion Festival since starting his role as MD at IMG four years ago, including the resigning of Mercedes-Benz as a major sponsor.