The Australian Fashion Council (AFC), together with NSW Government and Austrade, is bringing up to 15 Australian designers to a dedicated showroom at Paris Fashion Week Womenswear SS27 (28 September – 6 October 2026), the next milestone in its Global Gateways export program.
Delivered with the support of Austrade's Trade Diversification Network and Create NSW as part of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025–2028, the program includes a pre-departure export readiness program, engagement at the Australian Ambassador's Residence, and a cocktail reception with international buyers and press.
Paris Fashion Week is the single most concentrated buyer market in the world, and Global Gateways: Paris 2026 is the AFC's most significant international trade mission to date, giving Australian designers the infrastructure to access it as a coordinated national industry presence backed by government. NSW Emerging and First Nations designers participate at little cost in Year 1, with established and non-NSW designers contributing 50% of participation costs.
Designers can apply across three pathways: an AFW Track for those who presented at Australian Fashion Week in 2025 or 2026, a national competitive application open to the broader AFC membership, and a dedicated First Nations track. NSW designers are supported through Create NSW and places are available nationally through Austrade's Trade Diversification Network. Applications are determined by an advisory committee and close 30 June 2026.
Export Readiness Program
As part of the Global Gateways program, we're offering AFC Members and Industry an Export Readiness Program to help you work out if it's time to take your brand overseas. Hong Kong and Paris are two of the strongest wholesale markets for Australian fashion, with real buyer demand and a clear path in through AFC's Global Gateways trade missions. Across three sessions, you'll cover the funding, entry models, pricing and buyer expectations that turn a market visit into a stockist. Register Below.
Global Gateways: Paris 2026 takes Australian fashion to the world's most concentrated buyer market, building the coordinated, government-backed presence the industry needs to move beyond individual market forays and into sustained international relationships.
A small group of Australian designers spanning emerging, established and First Nations talent from across Australia, will present collections to international buyers and media at a centrally located Paris showroom.
In the lead-up to Paris, selected designers will take part in a structured pre-departure export readiness program, a series of targeted webinars and sessions designed to prepare the cohort for successful commercial outcomes on the world stage.
With buyers from some of the world's most significant retail platforms including Al Tayer, Browns, Liberty, Net-A-Porter, Revolve and Selfridges, Paris Fashion Week offers an unmatched opportunity to convert local momentum into global growth. The delegation will also engage at the Australian Ambassador's Residence, further strengthening the cultural and diplomatic ties that underpin long-term trade relationships.
"Australian fashion has always had the talent. What has been missing is the infrastructure - the kind of coordinated, government-backed presence that takes designers beyond individual market forays and into sustained international relationships. Global Gateways: Paris 2026 is that infrastructure.
Marianne Perkovic, Executive Chair, Australian Fashion Council.
“Australia has just secured a landmark deal with the European Union, which opens up a market of around 450 million people, across 27 countries, to Australian designers.
We want to see more Australian fashion on the streets and in stores across the globe. Getting more Australian designers in front of international buyers is not just good for the industry, it’s good for Australian jobs and the Australian economy.”
Australian Trade Minister, Don Farrell
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