IMG withdraws as owner of Australian Fashion Week after 20 years
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American media company IMG is withdrawing as owner and organiser of Australian Fashion Week. Australian Fashion Week plays an important role as a springboard for Australian designers, having put local talent, such as Dion Lee, Zimmermann, Romance Was Born and Akira Isogawa, in the spotlight since its inception in 1996.
- IMG withdraws as owner and organiser of Australian Fashion Week after 18 years.
- Australian Fashion Week is an important springboard for Australian designers.
- The event will go ahead this year despite IMG's withdrawal, with the Australian Fashion Laureate in November the final event under IMG's leadership.
IMG took over the event in 2005 and has since contributed to the international growth of the platform. The reason for IMG's withdrawal is unclear. No financial figures have been disclosed. Natalie Xenita, vice president and managing director of IMG Fashion Events Asia Pacific, says she is proud of what IMG has achieved over the past two decades.
Despite IMG's withdrawal, the planned programme will still go ahead this year. The final event IMG will host is the Australian Fashion Laureate, the annual fashion awards that will take place in Sydney in November. The ceremony marks the end of a chapter for the event under IMG's leadership.
The Australian fashion community has emphasised the importance of Australian Fashion Week to the industry. In a joint statement, Marianne Perkovic and Jaana Quaintance-James, chair and CEO of the Australian Fashion Council respectively, expressed their appreciation for the event as a platform for both local and international exposure of Australian designers.
IMG announced the dates and partners for the 2025 event in August, including partnerships with Pandora and Business of Fashion. With the firm's departure announced, it remains uncertain how Australian Fashion Week will develop further.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL. It was translated to English using an AI tool called Genesis and edited by Rachel Douglass..
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