When you think of Sydney, what comes to mind? The Opera House, the Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, perhaps? The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) certainly reckons so. In its second year as organizer of Australian Fashion Week (AFW), the council has swapped industrial venue Carriageworks for the Museum of Contemporary Art, which sits just in front of these very Aussie landmarks.
The AFC hopes the move will increase the week’s global pull for press and buyers, to better help brands establish themselves not just in the Australian market, but also globally. “We know from past shows that take place [at Sydney landmarks], like Bondi Born and Carla Zampatti last year, that those images go global,” says AFW fashion director Kellie Hush. “There’s nothing more iconic than seeing a model with the Opera House or the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the background.”
The AFC took up the helm of AFW just six months prior to the 2025 event, after IMG, who ran the week for almost 20 years, pulled out in November 2024. Under IMG ownership, brands were faced with terms that made participating unattainable for many. Now, as it moves to a non-profit model, the AFC aims to shape AFW into a more accessible edition that doubles as a launchpad for reaching global scale.
“Australia is a small country,” Hush says. “There are 27 million of us. For a business to really thrive and grow, they have to look to international markets, because considering the size of the market here, you do eventually cap out.” The catch-22 is that international expansion is expensive, which is why Hush is keen to connect brands with wholesalers who can aid the transition. Beyond the shows, buyers will be connecting with brands in showrooms and scheduling meetings, which the AFC also helps coordinate; Net-a-Porter, for instance, will travel beyond Sydney to Melbourne and Byron Bay while in town.
Running from May 11 to 15, AFW kicks off with a traditional Welcome to Country, which is a land acknowledgement ceremony. Then, Carla Zampatti will open the week, followed by a show from occasionwear label Maticevski, whose founder Toni Maticevski will make a return to AFW for the first time in 10 years. The rest of the calendar includes runways from veteran brands such as Aje, Bianca Spender, Beare Park, Ngali, and Nicol & Ford, alongside newer names such as Courtney Zheng and Esse. Fashion favorites Alix Higgins and Iordanes Spyridon Gogos are in the mix as well.
