Congratulations to all the incredibly talented designers who featured in last Sunday's Student Collections runway at Melbourne Fashion Week. The AFC were once again thrilled to support the M/FW Student Award, with this year’s winner Chelsea Subala announced on the night!

Paris Fashion Week will see a host of AFC Members showcasing in runways and trade events this September. The AFC will also be hosting a series of exclusive industry events during the week to celebrate our local designers and facilitate networking opportunities. With special thanks to The Woolmark Company, the Australian Embassy in Paris, Creative Victoria, The Community, Handpicked Wines and Four Pillars Gin. Here’s a look at some of the incredible local designers you’ll find in the global spotlight…

New York Fashion Week will see a host of AFC Members showcasing in runways and trade events this September. The AFC will also be holding a series of exclusive industry events during the week to celebrate our local designers and facilitate networking opportunities. With special thanks to Bluestone Lane, The Woolmark Company, the Australian Consulate-General in NYC, jac + bean, Handpicked Wines and Four Pillars Gin…

This year has seen the launch of some new fashion collaborations including Saint Laurent and Havaianas, Neuw Denim and jewellery designer, Holly Ryan and Gorman and Indigenous artists from the Mangkaja Art Resource Agency Centre.  These pairings give emerging designers much-needed exposure, allow existing labels to experiment and attract new customers and in some cases, make a meaningful contribution.  It’s vital that the parties share the same values, vision and goals for the collaboration.  To avoid a messy break up, it’s critical that the parties see eye-to-eye on legal matters.

The recent Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) and From Country to Couture runway held in August this year has once again highlighted the incredible talent of our Indigenous designers and artists, along with the broader impact that opportunities in the Fashion industry can have for Indigenous communities. The event also saw the announcement of an exciting Industry initiative moving ahead in this space; The Inaugural National Aboriginal Fashion Awards to be launched in Darwin next year.

As an industry notoriously driven by intuition, luxury retailers are beginning to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) for demand-planning and inventory management. By mining social media, a host of AI start-ups are using user-generated content to track the rise and fall of fashion trends.

Sydney designers Song for the Mute (SFTM) revealed a unique immersive concept space based on the narrative of their latest collection, ‘19.2 Hunter’. A long-form story. A male and female cast. Seasons as chapters. Never one the same. Narratives told with exceptional fabrics and experimental process. Founded by Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty in 2010, Song for the Mute is the result of a long-term creative expression between two lifelong friends…

Arnsdorf was proud to announce that it has been awarded a full B Corp Certification after completing a rigorous 12 month audit process. Certified B Corporations​ are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

This article is the second in a series delving into the links between the Sustainable Development Goals and Australia’s textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) industry. In this article we explore the role the TCF industry can play in achieving SDG 6 clean water and sanitation for all.