Australian Fashion Week has a new look. Wrapping up in Sydney on April 12, three weeks ahead of its regular time slot, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia’s spring 2013 edition was staged at the event’s first new venue in a decade: Carriageworks, a repurposed 19th-century railyard.
Around 2,000 local and international visitors registered, up 11 percent on 2012. They saw 150 brands, spread across 45 runway shows and presentations at the IMG Fashion-run event, in addition to the Premiere trade show, which is operated by Informa’s Australian Exhibitions and Conferences and was located alongside MBFWA for the first time this season.
Although some missed the Sydney Harbour backdrop of the previous Overseas Passenger Terminal venue, overall visitors and exhibitors — at least those who staged runway shows — gave the new location the thumbs up for its size, facilities and edgy, industrial vibe.
Buyers singled out the wildly colorful Romance Was Born, Easton Pearson and Camilla shows, the latter shown off-site at an Andes-inspired pop-up teepee village in Centennial Park and featuring Georgia May Jagger. Buyers also praised Camilla and Marc, Ellery, We Are Handsome’s graphic print swimwear, Dion Lee’s intimate dinner presentation at the Sydney Opera House, Toni Maticevski’s sculptural Neoprene eveningwear and newcomers Christopher Esber and Michael Lo Sordo.
source: wwd