Rosemount Australian Fashion Week
With the international recognition of Australia and the Asia Pacific’s fashion industry steadily increasing for more than a decade now, Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW) event organisers, IMG Fashion, is expecting a powerful international presence.
RAFW will take place at the spectacular Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney from 28 April – 2 May 2008, and international representation is proving to be strong across all areas of the event including established designer brands that already have an international following, high profile buyers and media from around the world and models flying in specifically for the event. It is expected that this year will be a bumper year in terms of content and quality industry attendance.
“Our industry has grown, developed and matured to the point where the whole world is watching to see which great creative talents RAFW will reveal this season”, said Daniel Hill, General Manager, IMG Fashion Australia .
RAFW registered delegates will be able to see several generations of the most innovative and directional designer collections for the spring summer season, showcased in new look venues at the event's harbour-side home. With several established brands such as; Alex Perry, Anna Thomas, Kirrily Johnston, Lisa Ho and Zimmermann leading the charge, the 5-day schedule of individual and group collection shows is destined to showcase 100 plus designer labels from around the Asia Pacific region.
The official schedule will also incorporate the revamped Emerge @ The Source - a conceptual area within the event that will showcase the debut collections of 25 plus talented and hand-picked emerging designers. This initiative provides each designer with an ideal platform to participate in the heart of RAFW alongside our region’s leading collection show designers, offering an opportunity to increase brand awareness, generate sales and gain entry into the global market place.
The international buzz surrounding the participation of so many stand out designers has helped Austrade (a Federal Government export division) and IMG Fashion’s own international marketing teams to deliver the strongest line up of international buyers ever seen, with registered buying representation from Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Russia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the USA. Stores including Harrods, Lane Crawford, net-a-porter.com, Selfridges, Urban Outfitters, and Villa Moda will be represented. For further international delegate updates please contact the Media Centre onsite.
Austrade's project managers for RAFW, Lucy Coward and Vivien Lim, commented “We are really pleased that buyers have shown interest to come from around the world. This is a result of the ongoing work that Austrade does in-market throughout the year to raise the profile and image of Australian brands. We work closely with buyers to highlight the quality, creativity, innovation and freshness of the Australian fashion industry."
Simon Lock, Managing Director, IMG Fashion Asia Pacific added, “Our industry has been steadily working away at the international market and increasing its visibility for such a long time, with strong performances of our designers, models and creatives on the global stage. Australia and the Asia Pacific really is a focal point of international awareness, with so much attention focused on the economic growth expectations of the region. The whole industry stands to benefit at RAFW as this global reputation results in a marked increase in the quality and quantity of international attendees.”
RAFW’s official hotel, The Westin Sydney, will play several important roles this season, hosting international and interstate buyers and special guests offering RAFW VIP discounted room nights to designers and delegates. It is also home to RAFW's Agent Designer Suites. This year the suites, with dedicated concierge, will showcase some innovative brands, all conveniently located close to RAFW harbour-side hub. Recent international surveys have voted Sydney the most desired travel destination in the world and, with international registrations at a record high, this title has also certainly helped draw a star-studded line up of international delegates.
The world’s largest modelling agency, IMG Models, will also fly a sizable contingent of some of the hottest international models into Sydney for the event. While RAFW is long renowned for launching the international careers of model names like Gemma Ward, Catherine McNeil, Abbey Lee and Alice Burdeau, this will be the first time the event has seen so many international models flown in specifically. Each of the girls will be placed with an Australian Model Agency and will be available to work with local designers, advertisers, and editorial teams.