Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is a great boost for Australian labels but not everyone’s a winner
AUSTRALIAN designers are anticipating a huge boost to their bottom line following a successful Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule — proving the event, now in its 23rd year, goes beyond air kisses and Insta-moments.
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AUSTRALIAN designers are anticipating a huge boost to their bottom line following a successful Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week schedule — proving the event, now in its 23rd year, goes beyond air kisses and Insta-moments.
Having invested between $40,000 to $80,000 for a plum spot on the fashion week schedule, designers are not only looking to garner international prominence, but secure new global stockists and increase their profits.
Designers including Camilla and Marc, We Are Kindred, Camilla, Thurley and Bianca Spender confirmed they have expanded their market with new sales in the US, New Zealand, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Traditionally following fashion week, designers have to wait two months for deals to be brokered.
Lizzie and Georgie Renkert confirmed their brand We Are Kindred secured three new stockists — Anthropologie, Yoox and Harvey Nichols — and are expected to sign two more in coming days.
Co-founder Lizzie Renkert said although designers have to outlay a considerable amount of money to take part in the world-renowned event, it’s a profitable investment.
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“There is no denying it is expensive to put on a show, it is a huge amount of money for a 10-minute show, but if you are clever about it and think of it as more than just a PR exercise, it is totally worth it,” Renkert said.
“We wouldn’t invest the money if it wasn’t. Fashion week has been incredible for our label.”
Design duo Mikey Nolan and Toby Jones, who are the brains behind vivid retro shirt brand Double Rainbouu, are reaping the rewards of their celebrated fashion week show, confirming a number of new stockists in the US, Europe and Asia.
The pair, who have shown at MBFWA for the past three years, are now stocked in up to 20 stores in the US including Barneys, ShopBop and Opening Ceremony, three in Canada, 11 in Europe, 20 in Japan, one in Korea, and two in Hong Kong.
“We had great success with growing our international wholesale business at Fashion Week in 2017,” Nolan told The Sunday Telegraph.
“At the time we had good accounts in the USA and Japan, but predominantly mens. After our show we picked up Net-a-Porter, Selfridges women’s, Browns men’s and women’s, Lane Crawford women’s and Joyce men’s.
“We also grew the order size of our pre-existing international stockists.”
Local label Thurley was picked up by Harvey Nichols Doha and Superette NZ; Bianca Spender’s newest collection was bought by Lane Crawford and Browns, and kaftan label Camilla, which closed the seven-day show, expanded its selections of the brand’s ready-to-wear elements in stores including Revolve, Net-a-Porter, Matches and Neiman Marcus.
While the event proves financially advantageous for some brands — with one telling The Sunday Telegraph their $80,000 show resulted in $300,000 worth of sales — others are yet to be convinced.
Rachel Motteram and Jameen Zalfen, who founded label Dyspnea, first showed at MBFWA in 2015 and have previously stated it took them three years to pay off the debt.
Championing the initiative is NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events Adam Marshall. The NSW government contributes to the event financially as its strategic sponsor through marketing via Destination NSW’s marketing channels, and through its visiting journalist program, which paid for overseas fashion titles’ travel to Sydney to cover the event.
“Fashion is a powerhouse industry that drives annual retail sales of around $9.2 billion and employs some 77,000 people in NSW across manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing,” Marshall said.
“MBFW creates valuable business and export opportunities for our fashion industry.”
Organiser IMG’s Natalie Xenita said the event helped designers grow a global brand: “Sydney is a standout among other fashion markets, and we are excited to continue enhancing the event to best shine a spotlight on Australia’s incredible local talent.”