Media Release: Australian Fashion Council unveils 12 designers for debut Australian Fashion Rooms during Paris Fashion Week.

For immediate release

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, 7 SEPTEMBER 2026: The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) today revealed the 12 designers selected for the debut Australian Fashion Rooms in Paris, the AFC’s largest international trade initiative to date.

Launching during Paris Fashion Week Womenswear SS27, AFC’s Australian Fashion Rooms will run from 30 September to 4 October 2026 at Galerie Poggi, placing Australian fashion at the heart of the Paris fashion calendar and creating a dedicated point of discovery for international buyers, media and industry.

Led by the Australian Fashion Council, Australian Fashion Rooms forms part of the AFC’s broader strategy to position Australian fashion within Australia’s trade and economic agenda and create stronger pathways for Australian brands into global markets. The AFC has advocated for fashion to be recognised as an important export industry and for greater government and industry investment in international market development.

The program is supported by Austrade through the Trade Diversification Network and by Create NSW as part of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025–2028. Together, this support enables the AFC to provide participating designers with a coordinated pathway spanning export readiness, industry engagement and an in-market platform in one of the world’s most influential fashion and buyer markets.

The cohort of emerging, evolving and established brands includes Amy Lawrance, Buai, Caroline Reznik, ESSE, Haluminous, Ilio Nema, Maara Collective, Madre Natura, Miimi & Jiinda, NGALI, Paolo Sebastian, and Romance Was Born, spanning couture, refined and directional ready-to-wear, First Nations-led practice, artisanal craft and experimental design. Half of the cohort have been platformed during Australian Fashion Week through group shows or solo runways.

Australian fashion has developed at a distance from fashion’s traditional centres, giving rise to a culture of creative independence. What distinguishes it is the breadth of perspectives shaping the work. Designers build from their own cultural, geographic and material realities, from Country and cultural knowledge to migration, regional experience, craft traditions and material experimentation. These influences inform highly individual design languages with a clear sense of origin that can travel beyond Australia.

In Paris, Australian Fashion Rooms brings these distinct perspectives together as a collective expression of Australian fashion today.

The program was guided by an advisory panel drawn from across Australian fashion and industry, whose expertise and market knowledge informed the final line-up: Aje, CAMILLA AND MARC, David Jones and 10 Magazine, alongside Dan Thawley, Kellie Hush and Yatu Widders Hunt.

Australian Fashion Rooms will be staged at Galerie Poggi as a considered, gallery-like environment designed to keep product and individual designer identity at the centre. A broader cultural layer is being developed around the showroom, extending the expression of Australia beyond fashion. Australian chef and food stylist Sian Redgrave has developed a menu that reinterprets familiar Australian flavours, childhood references and everyday classics as a series of contemporary, playful bites, alongside coffee from Sydney’s The Little Marionette. Together, these elements bring a contemporary expression of Australian hospitality into the Paris setting.

Ahead of Paris, participating designers are undertaking a structured readiness program covering market-facing brand positioning, wholesale and export preparation, and the presentation of their collections to international audiences.

The program will officially open with a reception at the Australian Embassy in Paris, hosted by Ms Lynette Wood, Australian Ambassador to France, bringing together participating designers with international buyers, media, cultural figures and government stakeholders.

AFC Executive Chair Marianne Perkovic said: "Australian creativity is distinctive, globally relevant and deserves to be seen on the world stage. AFC's Australian Fashion Rooms creates a genuine point of discovery in Paris, connecting 12 Australian designers directly with the buyers, media and industry leaders who can turn international interest into commercial opportunity.

This is part of a deliberate AFC strategy to build sustainable global pathways for an industry that contributes $27.2 billion to our economy and generates $7.2 billion in exports. With the support of Austrade and Create NSW, our ambition is not simply to showcase Australian fashion to the world, but to help our brands build lasting global businesses."

Jay Meek, General Manager for Austrade's Trade Diversification Taskforce said: "This cohort of 12 Australian fashion designers showcases the value of the Trade Diversification Network in action, bringing together Austrade's global reach and the AFC's industry expertise to connect Australian designers with international buyers and new growth opportunities. Austrade is pleased to be working alongside Create NSW and the AFC to take Australian fashion to the world."

Australian Fashion Rooms will be open from 9.30am–7pm, 30 September–4 October 2026, at Galerie Poggi, 135 Rue Saint-Martin, 75004 Paris.

Buyer and industry appointments can be requested via showrooms@ausfashioncouncil.com, with further information available through the AFC website.

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Download images here or for further information contact:

Prue-ellen Thomas
Head of Marketing and Communications, AFC
pthomas@ausfashioncouncil.com +61 439 882 788

DLX Paris
Romain Gauvin
romain@dlx.co

DLX Paris
Addie Christianson
addie@dlx.co

 

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ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION COUNCIL: The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) is a not-for-profit and the peak body for the Australian fashion and textile industry, representing the sector for over 70 years. AFC members are Australian founded or majority owned businesses involved in producing fabric, clothing, footwear or accessories, including individuals that contribute creatively and economically to the Australian fashion and textile industry. The AFC champions and advocates for a prosperous and creative Australian fashion and textiles industry, with the purpose of building a vibrant, inclusive ecosystem for our member community through education, collaboration and innovation.

ABOUT AUSTRALIAN FASHION ROOMS: Australian Fashion Rooms is the international showcase platform of AFC Global Gateways, the Australian Fashion Council’s market development program for Australian fashion. Launching in Paris during Paris Fashion Week 2026, Australian Fashion Rooms brings together Australian designers to connect with international buyers, media and industry through collection discovery, appointments and in-market engagement. The platform is designed to support greater visibility, stronger market relationships and continued international development for Australian fashion over time.

ABOUT AFC GLOBAL GATEWAYS: The AFC's Global Gateways program is Australia's peak body-led international fashion export platform, operating across multiple markets with the support of Austrade's Trade Diversification Network under the $50 million Accessing New Markets Initiative and Create NSW. The program delivers structured in-market activations that combine a dedicated trade showroom, diplomatic engagement, and pre-and post-activation commercial support. Previously activated in Hong Kong, the Paris 2026 activation is the program's largest to date, with additional markets planned for 2027.

ABOUT AUSTRADE'S TRADE DIVERSIFICATION NETWORK: The Trade Diversification Network (TDN) is the delivery model for Austrade's Accessing New Markets Initiative (ANMI), a $50 million program to help Australian exporters diversify into new and emerging markets. The TDN brings together 40 national peak industry bodies and Austrade to design and deliver sector-specific export initiatives that build Australia's long-term trade resilience.

ABOUT CREATE NSW: Create NSW is the NSW Government's arts and culture agency, responsible for developing and delivering policy, programs and funding that support the growth of NSW's creative industries. Create NSW developed the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy - the first government fashion sector strategy of its kind in Australia - to accelerate NSW's position as a global leader in high-quality, innovative and inclusive fashion.

ABOUT THE NSW FASHION SECTOR STRATEGY 2025–2028: The NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025-2028 is the first of its kind in Australia, developed in partnership between the NSW Government, Create NSW and the Australian Fashion Council. It sets six strategic priorities for the NSW fashion industry, including establishing international export pathways for NSW designers. Create NSW's investment in Global Gateways: Paris 2026 delivers directly against that priority.

Media Release: Australian Fashion Council announces Paris showroom for Paris Fashion Week 2026

Supported by Austrade's Accessing New Markets Initiative and Create NSW, the AFC will open a dedicated Australian showroom at Paris Fashion Week in September, with applications open to emerging, established and First Nations designers from NSW and across Australia.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA, [5th June, 2026]: The Australian Fashion Council (AFC) together with NSW Government and Austrade today announced it will deliver its most significant international trade mission to date, establishing a dedicated Australian showroom at Paris Fashion Week Womenswear SS27 (28 September - 6 October 2026) as the next milestone in its Global Gateways export program.

The announcement follows a landmark week for AFC Australian Fashion Week 2026 presented by Shark Beauty, held 11-15 May at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, delivering 51 events including 32 runway shows from 39 Australian designers, alongside an international buyer and press delegation representing some of the world's most significant retail and media platforms. Australian fashion contributes $27.2 billion to the national economy, employs approximately 489,000 Australians (77 per cent of them women) and generates $7.2 billion in exports annually.

AFC’s Global Gateways: Paris 2026 will take up to 15 Australian designers to a centrally located showroom at Paris Fashion Week, supported by a structured pre-departure export readiness program, engagement at the Australian Ambassador's Residence, and a cocktail reception bringing together international buyers, press, and Australia's leading designers active in the Paris market during the week. The program is delivered with the support of Austrade through the Accessing New Markets Initiative's Trade Diversification Network, and Create NSW as part of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025-2028.

Minister for the Arts John Graham said:

“Australian Fashion is both a celebration of creativity and a very serious economic driver. In NSW, the fashion industry contributes $9.7 billion to the state economy and employs more than 174,000 people.

“That is why we were pleased to partner with the sector to develop the country’s first ever fashion sector strategy. During that process the number one priority industry put to us was the need for industry and governments to work together to grow export pathways for Australian designers. 

“Australian designers, with their iconic and fresh styles are already internationally sought after, but the truth is, we have more talent to share.”

Applications will open to designers and AFC members nationally across two pathways: an AFW Track for designers who presented at Australian Fashion Week in 2025 or 2026, and a national competitive application open to the broader AFC membership. The cohort will include both emerging and established designers, with dedicated places for First Nations designers. NSW designers are specifically supported through Create NSW's investment in the program, with places available for designers from across Australia through Austrade's Trade Diversification Network.

AFC Executive Chair Marianne Perkovic said the Paris activation marks a structural step-change for how Australian fashion engages with global markets.

"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.

"AFC’s Australian Fashion Week, presented by Shark Beauty, saw international buyers from Al Tayer, Browns, Liberty, Net-A-Porter, Revolve and Selfridges saw what Australian fashion can do on home ground. In September, we take that offer to Paris - the single most concentrated buyer market in the world - and we do it as a national industry. This will be a significant moment for Australian fashion on the world stage and we look forward to working with our partners at Austrade and Create NSW to support the global growth of the Australian fashion sector.”

The program is supported by Austrade through the Accessing New Markets Initiative (ANMI), the Australian Government's $50 million export diversification program jointly delivered by Austrade and industry. The AFC is one of 40 national peak industry bodies selected to participate in ANMI's Trade Diversification Network, through which government and industry work together to design and deliver sector-specific export initiatives. The national reach of the Trade Diversification Network enables emerging, established and First Nations designers from across Australia to apply.

Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australian fashion is a top export industry, supports nearly 500,000 Australian jobs, and that this is exactly the type of initiative the Trade Diversification Network was designed to enable during a challenging period in the global trading environment.

“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.”

Jay Meek, General Manager, Trade Diversification Taskforce, Austrade, said: "The Trade Diversification Network was built on a simple premise: government and industry working together, using the combined reach of Austrade's global network and the sector knowledge of peak bodies like the AFC, to get more Australian businesses into more markets. Global Gateways: Paris is precisely the kind of activity the program was designed to deliver - structured, commercially focused, and built on a clear understanding of where global buyers are and what they need to see. Australian fashion has the product and the ambition, and we’re pleased to support its continued growth.”

Create NSW's investment in Global Gateways: Paris 2026 delivers directly against the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025–2028, Australia's first government fashion sector strategy developed in partnership with the AFC. Establishing international export pathways for NSW designers is a core strategic priority of the Strategy, with $250,000 allocated specifically to support emerging designers to grow their export markets. Funding in the Paris program is ring-fenced for NSW designer participation, with dedicated places for emerging, established and First Nations designers.

Applications are now open for Global Gateways: Paris 2026 on the AFC website here. The final cohort will be announced in July 2026, with the pre-departure export readiness program commencing immediately. The Paris showroom will run from 28 September to 6 October 2026.

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