The Future Of Australian Fashion Week Is At Risk As IMG Exits Event

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: Models walk the runway during the St. Agni show during Afterpay Australian Fashion Week 2023 at Carriageworks on May 15, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images for AAFW)

The brutalist runways of Eveleigh’s Carriagework precinct may be quiet come May as IMG announces its exit from Australian Fashion Week. The future of the premiere industry event is at risk with the New York-based company withdrawing from the annual affair and subsequent industry awards ceremony, the Australian Fashion Laureate. The 2025 iteration of AFW was set to showcase local designers’ upcoming Resort ‘26 collections. Now, the runway shows, talks and panels that typically take place over the five-day week are in jeopardy as IMG confirmed it won’t be involved with next year’s proceedings. 

AFW began in 1996 as a stage for emerging and established designers to showcase their creativity and talent to international buyers, editors and tastemakers alike. Throughout its two-decade history, notable talents like Zimmermann, Christopher Esber—both who now show at Paris Fashion Week—Camilla And Marc and St. Agni leveraged the shows to catapult their labels and capture global interest. 

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MAY 15: A model walks the runway during the Alix Higgins show during Australian Fashion Week Presented By Pandora 2024 at Carriageworks on May 15, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Nina Franova/Getty Images for AFW)

However, a dwindling schedule and the departure of the lead sponsor, Afterpay, in 2023 prompted concern from insiders. Earlier this year, Dion Lee, who was positioned as an Australian success story, shut his business after failing to find a buyer following a three-month voluntary administration process. The brand entered liquidation after 15 years in the business, with some cynics conflating the failure with spelling the end for the formally thriving market. 

Danish jewellery brand Pandora offered a lifeline for AFW in 2024 after coming on board as the official sponsor. The Copenhagen-based label hasn’t announced its intentions to return for another year. “We are incredibly proud of IMG’s many accomplishments leading Australian Fashion Week for the last 20 years,” IMG Fashion Events Asia Pacific vice president and managing director Natalie Xenita said in a press release. “The event has played a key role in ushering the industry forward.”