‘Shock and disbelief’: The goth girl gone from Australian fashion week

Interweaving the gothic glamour of Nosferatu and Picnic at Hanging Rock, the dark designs of Gail Sorronda have been celebrated by industry legends Karl Lagerfeld and Dolce & Gabbana, but that doesn’t cut it with Australian Fashion Week’s new organisers.

Sorronda’s application to return to the AFW runway in Sydney with her flowing white gowns, crisp black tunics and dramatic coats was rejected last week.

“I felt shock and disbelief,” Sorronda says of receiving the impersonal “Dear applicant” email response. “I’m incredibly disappointed we are unable to celebrate our 20th anniversary at the event that launched my career in 2005.”

Fashion designer Gail Sorronda with Liana Lottie in an outfit from her In Dreams collection for Australian Fashion Week 2023, photographed at Oxford House.Credit: Steven Siewert

Sorronda’s application was rejected by new event organisers The Australian Fashion Council who assumed operation of the Sydney-based AFW after it was dropped by IMG in November. Kellie Hush, former Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief and brand manager for dress hire platform The Volte, started as AFW chief executive in January.

“I have spoken to Gail since the letter went out,” Hush says. “Following a survey of the industry it has been made clear that AFW needs to be a trade event. We are focusing on businesses ready to wholesale locally and internationally. In her application Gail indicated that she wasn’t.”

The AFW selection committee is headed by Simon Lock, co-founder of AFW, who sold the event to IMG in 2005 before moving overseas to launch online wholesale marketplace The Ordre Group.

Having had her designs stocked in stores in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Milan, as well as operating a standalone boutique on James Street in Brisbane, Sorronda was surprised by her early elimination from the 78 applications received by AFW.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t interested,” Sorronda says. “I would be interested in focusing on wholesale at a calculated risk. I’m a businesswoman. I’m not a graduate. I’m not naive.”

Hush is still determining the final number of brands that will make it to the new-look runway when AFW starts on May 12. The program size will be determined by the amount of funds made available from government support from Destination NSW and future sponsorship agreements.

“We will announce the program soon,” Hush says, “We have a mammoth job starting from scratch. IMG had a year to organise AFW. When I started it was 100 days.”

Despite being snubbed by the event where she staged an impressive show in 2023, leading to orders from leading Sydney boutique Parlour X, Brisbane-based Sorronda has found support further south.

Sorronda’s latest collection will appear alongside Aje, Bianca Spender, Macgraw, Manning Cartell, Ngali, Romance Was Born and Viktoria & Woods in the opening show of the Melbourne Fashion Festival at the Royal Exhibition Building on March 3.

“Gail has a lovely sweet spot of being both creative and timeless in a way that is quite unusual for Australia,” says Caroline Ralphsmith, Melbourne Fashion Festival chief executive. “She’s proven that she can sell a quality product over a long period of time and belongs in our opening show.”

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