Bec + Bridge’s delayed show caused a domino effect

It’s hip to be late — or so it seemed on Monday as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia got into full swing for its first full day of programming. And a couple of minutes to some may have cost some designers important sales.

It’s hip to be late — or so it seemed on Monday as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia got into full swing for its first full day of programming.

Bec + Bridge’s 10am show started about 45 minutes late, which had a domino effect on the rest of the day’s schedule.

Fashion Week organiser IMG said the delay wasn’t the designers fault.

“There are a number of factors that contribute to the success of a live event, in this case a runway show,” IMG said in a statement. “The delayed start of Bec & Bridge show was outside of the designers’ control, as they were given a 10:30am start time.”

The Bec + Bridge show started 45 minutes late, which led to a domino effect on the rest of the day’s shows. Picture: Stefan Gosatti/Getty Images

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While some fashionistas claimed the “same thing happens every year”, Confidential understands designers that followed Bec + Bridge were miffed as the tight scheduling threw out preparations for their runway shows and meant a number of guests weren’t able to attend, including valuable buyer delegates from overseas.

International sales delegates are in town from the US, Europe and Asia.

“Sure, it is fun to have celebrities there but the main objective of the week is to sell our clothes,” one source, who was left fuming, said. “The fact we know some key buyers missed out on our show because of the scheduling problems, is a huge issue and could result in a loss of sales.”

Some models were forced to run from one show to another due to the delays. Picture: AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts

Fashion designers pay anywhere from $80,000 to host a show as part of the week and some shows have been known to cost more than $250,000.

One show had as many as 17 ‘runners’, models who run from one show to another, meaning they had to start their hair and make-up from scratch and again put the timing back further.

“The whole thing could have been prevented if there was more transparency about what models were walking in what shows,” another source added.