Australian Fashion Week founder Simon Lock has been appointed as chair of the 2025 event’s advisory committee, 20 years after selling off the event to IMG.
It comes weeks after the Australian Fashion Council took up the reins of the trade fashion show after IMG stepped away from the event.
“I'm very pleased to be the chairman of the advisory board. This is going to allow for broad industry engagement from all sectors of the industry that are involved - from the creative services, marketing services, from buyers, from media, from other commercial interests,” Lock told Ragtrader.
“So everyone in the industry is going to have an opportunity to have their input into the strategy and journey of Australian fashion week over the years to come. And I think that is absolutely fantastic.”
Amid Lock’s appointment, the AFC is seeking to fill 18 positions in the newly formed advisory committee. This includes representatives from across various designer profiles, as well as creative stylists, marketing, and sponsoring.
AFC is also seeking to fill a selection sub-committee and an international marketing and delegates sub-committee. Nominations can be made via the AFC website until January 17, 2025.
Australian Fashion Week will take place from May 12 to 16 this year and will return to Carriageworks in Sydney.
“We're going to be reinventing the event at Carriageworks,” Lock said. “Creatively, you're going to see very different production techniques applied to the event, which is going to give designers more flexibility and more options in the way they present their collection.
“And also, there's going to be a far greater emphasis on international marketing. This is one area where the event has fallen down in recent years, and we're looking at strategies to engage with big buyers around the world.
“I mean, today, I've been on the phone here in Europe with Myteresa, talking to them about bringing out a delegation.
“It's a return to the core focus of what Australian Fashion Week is all about.”