Buyers from the likes of Selfridges, Galeries Lafayette and Harrods have swarmed the twelve Australian designers that featured in a showroom hosted by the Australian Fashion Council and backed by the Australian Government.
This comes off the back of another successful export mission last month, held at the fashion trade event Centrestage in Hong Kong.
Twelve Australian designer labels, including Ngali, Caroline Reznik and Ilio Nema, took part in the Australian Fashion Rooms activation at Paris Fashion Week SS27, which wrapped up earlier this month. According to the AFC, over 240 appointments were held across five days, with the designers meeting with some of the world's most influential retailers, including Harrods, Selfridges, Lane Crawford, Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.
Presented as part of AFC’s Global Gateways program, and by Austrade's Accessing New Markets Initiative (ANMI) and Create NSW under the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025–2028, the showroom ran from September 30 to October 4 at Galerie Poggi, in the heart of Paris' Marais.
The full cohort comprised Ngali, Caroline Reznik, Ilio Nema, Miimi & Jiinda, Madre Natura, Esse Studios, Haluminous, Paolo Sebastian, Buai, Amy Lawrance, Romance Was Born and Maara Collective, spanning couture, ready-to-wear, First Nations-led practice and craft-led design.
The program combined appointment management and sales support from brand agency Catinella, with brand and market positioning led by Samuel Willett at The Future School of – a teaching platform for designers.
Australian Fashion Rooms launched with a reception at the Australian Embassy in Paris, where Ambassador Lynette Wood addressed over 110 guests, including international buyers, media, designers and government stakeholders, such as fashion critic Suzy Menkes, Christine Centenera of Vogue, Tim Ada – the GM of Europe for Austrade, and Austrade trade commissioner Jean-Baptiste Nithart.
“Australia has extraordinary design talent,” AFC executive chair Marianne Perkovic said. “Our role as the industry’s peak body is to work with members, industry and government to turn that talent into commercial opportunity, opening doors that can be difficult for individual businesses to access.”
Perkovic added that Paris is a key fashion gateway to Europe, and a meeting point for buyers from around the world.
“Seeing our designers in direct conversations with some of the world’s leading retailers is an encouraging first step. The work now is to help turn that interest into orders, stockists and lasting relationships.
“In a challenging trading environment, access to new markets can help Australian brands diversify their revenue and build stronger businesses. When international growth supports production in Australia, the benefits also flow to local makers, skills and jobs.
“This work continues beyond the showroom. We will support designers as they follow up with buyers and share what we have learned across our membership. We thank Austrade and Create NSW for helping us build these international opportunities for Australian fashion.”
Esse Studios founder Charlotte Hicks said being part of this export mission and showing alongside eleven other designers was a key milestone.
“There was a genuine sense of support and appreciation for one another’s work,” Hicks said.
“The conversations we’ve started this week are incredibly valuable – not only for Esse, but in continuing to shape the conversation around Australian fashion and ensuring it has a strong and relevant presence on the international stage.”
Global Gateways is a key part of the AFC's international strategy to strengthen Australian fashion's position globally. It takes Australian brands directly into key international markets, which has so far generated over 500 buyers, media and industry connections to date.
Australian Fashion Rooms will return to Paris in 2027, supported again by Create NSW, following AFC Australian Fashion Week.
Details on the next cohort will be shared with AFC members and wider industry soon, and the AFC will share program insights and market learnings with members to support brands preparing for international expansion.