Australian Fashion Week confirms 2022 schedule

IMG has confirmed that 50 catwalk shows and presentations will take place at this year's Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW) at the Carriageworks in Sydney from May 9 to 13.

AAFW will feature a mix of emerging and established designers such as Sass & Bide, Romance Was Born, Oroton, Bondi Born, Aje, Matteau, and Bassike. Bec + Bridge is also on the schedule, returning to the catwalk following a two-year hiatus to present its resort 2022/23 collection.

The event will kick off with a Welcome to Country showcase produced by First Nations Fashion + Design, followed by sustainable womenswear designer Bianca Spender, who is returning to the event for the first time since 2018. Other catwalk shows to watch out for include the Indigenous Fashion Projects, Hansen & Gretel, and Dyspnea, as well as Woolmark Prize finalist Jordan Dalah.

Natalie Xenita, vice president-managing director of IMG Fashion Events and Properties, Asia Pacific, said in a statement: “The 2022 schedule of designer shows, programming and special events feature some of the industry’s most noteworthy names, all gearing up to showcase their creativity and hard work against the vivid backdrop of Sydney, the resort wear capital of the Asia Pacific region.

“As the cornerstone for growth and recognition, AAFW celebrates the ingenuity of Australia’s top designers and creators, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their creativity and innovation across Australia and around the globe.”

IMG announces Afterpay Australian Fashion Week line-up

There will also be a focus on emerging talent, with IMG’s 2022 Changemakers, “a collective of names leveraging fashion as a cultural catalyst and defining the future of Australian fashion,” including Alix Higgins, Byron Spencer, Charlee Fraser, Charlotte Agnew, Danielle Plaisted, Eugene Leung, Hanan Ibrahim, Laura Mazikana, Liandra Gaykamangu, Sean Brady and Serwah Attafuah.

IMG has also named four emerging brands as winners of its Next Gen initiative, which aims to maximise visibility and sales for new talent with a catwalk showcase during AAFW. The 2022 winners are Asiyam, Clea, Phoebe Pendergast, and Not A Man’s Dream. The Next Gen catwalk show will take place on May 13.

Xenita added: “Next Gen recognises the new guard of innovators influencing the future of fashion design in Australia. The 2022 winners have demonstrated talent not only in design, but in harnessing fashion’s power as a tool for communicating social and environmental messages that influence culture.”

To complement the catwalk shows, IMG is also hosting a series of talks, including ‘Empowering Voices: Fashion’s Cultural Impact on Representation and Inclusion' featuring designers Jordan Gogos and Jessie Sadler, fashion educator Bryce Alexander McIntosh and First Nations model Bijang Slabb; ‘First Nations Fashion + Design: Yours, Mine and Ours’ with Grace Lillian Lee; and ‘Digital Fashion: The New Frontier’, in conversation with designer Charlotte Hicks and augmented reality specialist Caitlin Lomax.

AAFW is Australia’s only international fashion trade event and attracts more than 18,000 attendees and participants across the five-day schedule. AAFW will run from May 9 to 13.