IMG announces schedule for Afterpay Australian Fashion Week

Carriageworks

IMG, the official owner and operator of Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW), today announced its schedule of events and programming for AAFW 2022. Fashion Week will take place May 9 – 13 live at Carriageworks and virtually at AAFW.com.au. The schedule was announced at Shell House this morning and is now available at AAFW.com.au/schedule.

“The 2022 schedule of designer shows, programming and special events features some of the industry’s most noteworthy names, all gearing up to showcase their creativity and hard work against the vivid backdrop of Sydney, the resort wear capital of the Asia Pacific region,” stated Natalie Xenita, Vice President[1]Managing Director of IMG Fashion Events & Properties, Asia Pacific. “As the cornerstone for growth and recognition, AAFW celebrates the ingenuity of Australia’s top designers and creators, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their creativity and innovation across Australia and around the globe.”

Expanding on its initiative launched in 2021 to celebrate a collective of names leveraging fashion as a cultural catalyst and defining the future of Australian fashion, IMG also announced it’s 2022 Changemakers who will participate in AAFW in various capacities including programming, content integrations and runway shows. They include Alix Higgins, Byron Spencer, Charlee Fraser, Charlotte Agnew, Danielle Plaisted, Eugene Leung, Hanan Ibrahim, Laura Mazikana, Liandra Gaykamangu, Sean Brady and Serwah Attafuah. This year, IMG collaborated with Serwah Attafuah, the trailblazing self-taught digital artist from Western Sydney who has gained international notoriety for her 3D animations and hyper-fantastic worlds, to bring each of the Changemakers to life through her unique lens. Please see imagery here.

Kicking off with a Welcome to Country produced by First Nations Fashion + Design, AAFW will feature 50 live runway shows and presentations. Designer shows include Aaizel, Adaptive Clothing Collective, Aje, Alix Higgins, All Is A Gentle Spring, Anna Antal, Apartment, Asta Resort, Auteur, bassike, Beare Park, BEC + BRIDGE, Bianca Spender, BONDI BORN, By Weave, Daniel Avakian, Dyspnea, Emma Pills, ERIK-YVON, ESSE, First Nations Fashion + Design, Gary Bigeni, Gyre, Hansen & Gretel, Haulier, Henne, Indigenous Fashion Projects, Injury, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Jordan Dalah, Joslin, Karla Špetić, L’IDÉE, Mariam Seddiq, Matteau, Nicol & Ford, One Mile, Oroton, Romance Was Born, Rumer, sass & bide, St. Agni, The Curve Edit, The Innovators: Fashion Design Studio TAFE NSW, TORANNCE, We Are Kindred and Wynn Hamlyn, among others.

This year, AAFW: The Talks presented by Glenfiddich will explore a range of topics including:
Empowering Voices: Fashion’s Cultural Impact on Representation and Inclusion featuring designers Jordan Gogos and Jessie Sadler, fashion educator Bryce Alexander McIntosh and First Nations model Bijang Slabb
Digital Fashion: The New Frontier, in conversation with designer Charlotte Hicks and augmented reality specialist Caitlin Lomax
First Nations Fashion + Design: Yours, Mine and Ours with Grace Lillian Lee
Back of House with IMG FOCUS. Managing Director Dominic Kaffka, Lara Inc Events event director Lara Karamian and stylist and BONDI BORN Creative Director Karla Clarke

For consumers seeking an elevated and immersive way to take part in Fashion Week, tickets are available to a selection of runway shows and programming via AAFW: The Experience, AAFW’s integrated consumer offering. Experience tickets are limited and available now at AAFW.com.au.

As Australia’s only international fashion trade event, AAFW attracts over 18,000 attendees and participants across the five-day schedule including international media, industry, consumers, talent, crew, and international buyers.

In continued partnership with City of Sydney, IMG will cement AAFW as a leader in sustainably produced fashion events globally. Entering its fourth year, the strategic roadmap supports sustainable event operations via waste minimisation, resource management and energy efficiency. Sustainability partner Made By Fressko will provide approximately 2,500 reusable water bottles to all staff, significantly minimizing the presence of single use plastic.

AAFW is an IMG event supported by the NSW Government through its tourism and major events agency Destination NSW.

Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade and Minister for Tourism, Stuart Ayres, said: “The NSW Government is proud to support Afterpay Australian Fashion Week, which not only contributes to the cultural offering of Sydney but also helps ignite growth in our state’s creative and retail industries by providing opportunities for designers to showcase their creativity and forge new pathways to market. This year’s schedule of events illustrates why Sydney is recognised globally as a hub of inspiration and innovation in the fashion world. Fashion Week also underscores the importance of retail tourism, which is a key pillar in achieving our goal of making NSW the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.”

In addition to Afterpay and Destination NSW, AAFW is made possible through the support of sponsors City of Sydney, David Jones, DHL, Disaronno, eBay, GlamCorner, Glenfiddich Whisky, Hendrick’s Gin, LG Laundry Appliances, Made by Fressko, Peroni, Pommery, Porsche, Redken, San Pellegrino, Shopify, SKYE Suites and Vittoria Coffee.

The digital destination of Fashion Week is AAFW.com.au, where fashion fans can get a front row seat to fashion shows and programming, live and on demand. Followers can also experience the best of AAFW by following @ausfashionweek across Instagram and Facebook, @AUSFW on TikTok and Twitter and through the official event hashtag #AAFW.