Australian Fashion Week operator IMG announces exit after 20 years, industry devastated

Australia’s fashion industry is reeling after the owner of the country’s leading runway event confirmed it was exiting the event after 20 years.

The owner and operator of Australian Fashion week has withdrawn from the event after 20 years. Picture: Brendon Thorne

Australia’s fashion industry is reeling after confirmation the country’s leading runway event is on its deathbed.

The owner and operator of Australian Fashion Week, international talent agency IMG, on Wednesday announced it will exit the Sydney held annual event of more than 20 years.

It will also cease running its associated fashion prize, the Australian Fashion Laureate.

IMG was looking to buyers to take ownership before pulling out of the event. Picture: Supplied

It was no secret the event was in trouble, with NewsCorp reporting IMG was looking to buyers to take ownership, with a rumoured asking price of $1m in June.

The event made history, hosting the first-ever Indigenous designer runways, including a groundbreaking solo show from Melbourne Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco, founder of clothing label Ngali in 2023.

The event hosted the first-ever Indigenous designer runways, including designs by Melbourne Wiradjuri woman Denni Francisco. Picture: Stefan Gosatti

Fashion insiders say the news is devastating, giving many independent designers and artisans a platform, with many already committed to participating in the event in May next year.

“We are incredibly proud of IMG’s many accomplishments leading Australian Fashion Week for the last 20 years,” said Natalie Xenita, Vice President & Managing Director of IMG Fashion Events Asia Pacific.

“The event has played a key role in ushering the industry forward. We navigated a changing industry by introducing new initiatives including the strategic refocus on Resort collections, a consumer integrated model that has been replicated globally, waiving participation fees to support designers since the pandemic, and hosting the first-ever Indigenous designer shows.”

IMG has pulled the plug on its famed Australian Fashion Week. Picture: Stefan Gosatti

Edwina McCann, the editorial director and publisher of News Prestige and Condé Nast Titles Australia and former editor-in-chief of Vogue Australia, said Australian Fashion Week was “an important platform for launching Australian designers on a local and global stage”.

“While it’s sad to see IMG Events exit the market, it’s also an opportunity for the industry to come together under the leadership of the not-for-profit Australian Fashion Council to decide how this event might be reimagined to best serve Australian designers and the industry in the future,” McCann says, noting that the Australian Fashion Week has been a launch pad for brands like Zimmermann, now one of the country’s most successful fashion exports.

The Australian Fashion Laureate on November 21 in Sydney will be IMG’s final fashion event in Australia.