$100k-plus for 10 minutes on the Australian Fashion Week catwalk: Designers on why they did it

With the average Australian Fashion Week show costing more than $100,000 to produce, designers say there’s no longer certainty the hype equals business success. So is it worth it?

Australian Fashion Week is an expensive gamble for designers, who this week have forked out hundreds of thousands of dollars to showcase their wares on the Sydney runway.

With the average show costing in excess of $100,000 to produce, designers say there’s no longer certainty that media buzz generated at the glitzy week-long event will translate into sales.

So is it worth it?

Merryn Kelly heads out of her first solo showing at Australian Fashion Week under no illusions that the industry’s annual showcase will deliver instant business success.

“Putting on a fashion show is a very high-cost activity,” the Third Form designer said. “Taking part is certainly risky for businesses, and certainly at the moment, when retail is not at its strongest. We did take a bit of a gamble.”

Merryn Kelly thanks the audience after the Third Form show during Australian Fashion Week on Wednesday. Picture: Getty Images

Heritage label Carla Zampatti is rumoured to have spent $500,000 on their show this week.

Pip Edwards and her models at the end of the P.E Nation. Picture: Getty Images

“It is a branding exercise rather than a sales funnel marketing event,” Vogue Australia’s Edwina McCann said.

“Different brands want different things.

“I think it has been a bit subdued this year — we’ve seen really good-quality fashion shows, but definitely cost of living has had an impact.”

Kelly’s womenswear label first showed at Australian Fashion Week in 2016, in the introductory Next Gen group showcase in 2016. Taking part, she said, “gets you in the room with key and elevated media, and creates brand awareness.”

The Sydney designer decided to present this year despite “a lot of brands pulling back,” from the event due to financial constraints.

Supermodel Linda Evangelista with designer Alexander Perry at the 1997 Australian Fashion Week parade.

“There are people who’ve decided not to show, where we did the opposite,” Kelly said.

“I thought ‘we’re ready, let’s roll the dice and see if we can use this moment to cut through’.

“The reality is, there’s always trials and tribulations in the world. If not this year, then how do we know if next year will be any better?

“We just have to commit and be happy with the decision and see what happens.”

These days, Australia Fashion Week presented by Pandora is just one element of a broader marketing strategy for designers such as Kelly. And while it’s still an industry fixture, it’s smaller, has fewer big names and is, insiders say, more of a numbers game.

“It’s a captive audience, the press exposure is unparalleled, and the global platform is worth its weight in gold, especially because of the statement we were making as a brand,” P.E Nation designer Pip Edwards said.

“It’s down to what aligns with your business goals and this year, the timing of Australian Fashion Week and the opportunity it presented ticked every box.

“Runway shows create energy that’s hard to beat when it comes to live fashion events.”

Designer Liandra Gaykamangu said her show was viable thanks to paid partnerships. Picture: Getty Images

It’s a far cry from the halcyon days of the late 1990s, when publicist Simon Lock created Fashion Week in 1996 to put Australian designers on the global stage. With international media and guests such as supermodel Linda Evangelista, who walked the runway here for Alex Perry in 1997, the event was considered both celebratory and non-negotiable for Australian brands.

The event has in the past attracted a larger contingent of international department store buyers and media, as well as celebrities. This year, there’s buyers and media from territories including the UK, Europe, the US and the Middle East.

Designer Emma Mulholland said the event “definitely feels different”, noting that many of the A-list singers, actors and invitees have since been replaced with content creators.

“It is a lot more corporate now and a lot more influencer-based,” she said.

However, Mulholland believes there is still immense value to be found in pulling off a runway.

“It is one of the easiest ways to portray your vision to a wide amount of people in the shortest amount of time. The results you get from that one 15-minute show is something you can’t really portray with photographs or in video.”

Liandra Gaykamangu, founder of Liandra, said her solo show would “not have been viable,” without numerous paid partnerships from Schwarzkopf, Indigenous Business Australia, Ultraceuticals, Pared Eyewear, and eBay.

These days, fashion’s star power has dimmed. But in an increasingly challenged retail environment, for many emerging designers it’s still considered a must as part of an overall marketing strategy.

“Fashion Week is a significant investment for us in terms of time, resources and capital,” Gaykamangu said.

“The investment ultimately comes back to us through the huge boost in brand awareness in press and social media, but the commercial benefit through international and local buyers as well, as the sales we eventually see when releasing the collection later in the year.”

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