IMG ANNOUNCES MERCEDES-BENZ FASHION WEEK AUSTRALIA
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE

IMG today announced the preliminary schedule for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) 2019, taking place 12-18 May at Carriageworks in Sydney.

MBFWA will debut Resort 2020 Collections from the region’s most prominent fashion designers, alongside a curated program of emerging talent and international labels. To date, MBFWA 2019 designers include: ALBUS LUMEN, ALICE MCCALL, ANNA QUAN, AJE, AQUA BLU, BASSIKE, BEC & BRIDGE, BENJAMIN GARG, BONDI BORN, CHLOE MOTTAU, DOUBLE RAINBOUU, EX INFINITAS, HANSEN AND GRETEL, JONATHAN SIMKHAI, JUSTIN CASSIN, LEE MATHEWS, LEO & LIN, MADISON HISLOP, MARIAM SEDDIQ, MATTEAU, MNDATORY, PARED EYEWEAR, P.E NATION, TAFE NSW FASHION DESIGN STUDIO, TEN PIECES, THURLEY, TIGERLILY and WE ARE KINDRED.

Designers were announced at the schedule launch event on Monday 25 March, held at Rosetta, The Rocks, Sydney. MBFWA 2019 highlights include:

–       AJE will open MBFWA 2019 with the Mercedes-Benz Presents show on Sunday 12 May
–       BEC & BRIDGE will open the first day of shows on Monday 13 May
–       Numerous Australian designers will return to the MBFWA schedule, including ALBUS LUMEN, ALICE MCCALL, ANNA QUAN, BEC & BRIDGE, DOUBLE RAINBOUU, HANSEN AND GRETEL, JUSTIN CASSIN, LEE MATHEWS, LEO & LIN, MARIAM SEDDIQ, TAFE NSW FASHION DESIGN STUDIO, THURLEY and WE ARE KINDRED
–       TAFE NSW FASHION DESIGN SCHOOL will celebrate 21 years showing at MBFWA
–       LEE MATHEWS will celebrate 20 years in business with her MBFWA 2019 show
–       TIGERLILY returns to MBFWA after 17 years, having last showed in 2002; a leader in conscious, sustainable fashion, the brand will showcase an elevated Resort collection of women’s apparel, swim, and accessories in a return to its DNA
–       ALICE MCCALL will celebrate 15 years in business with her MBFWA 2019 show
–       JUSTIN CASSIN (menswear) celebrates his third consecutive MBFWA show, returning to the schedule after officially launching in China, Singapore and South Korea
–       Designers debuting on the MBFWA schedule this year include BONDI BORN, EX INFINITAS, JONATHAN SIMKHAI, MATTEAU and PARED EYEWEAR
–       Celebrated American designer JONATHAN SIMKHAI will debut his Resort collection at MBFWA for the first time
–       EX INFINITAS (menswear) will debut at MBFWA and has confirmed Fabien Montique, Image Director for Off-White and creative consultant to Kanye West, to creative direct
–       St.George NEXTGEN will once again provide emerging designers an opportunity to show in front of an international audience; this season’s participating designers are BENJAMIN GARG, CHLOE MOTTAU, MADISON HISLOP and Brian Huynh for MNDATORY

Providing business opportunities beyond the runway, The Suites at MBFWA will return for a third year, offering participating designers exclusive trade showroom appointments with global buyers, media and industry professionals who support in sales and brand promotion. In 2017, The Suites’ inaugural year, participating designers held 720 sales appointments representing an approximate total investment of $770,000 AUD, and in 2018 participating designers almost doubled.

To date, The Suites will feature designers to include: BEST JUMPERS, CLEONIE SWIM, DUSKII, ET CETERA, FILLYBOO, JASMINE ALEXA, LÉ BUNS, MAISON DE SABRÉ, MOUNTAIN AND MOON, NATALIE ROLT, NIQUE, PARED EYEWEAR, P.E NATION, SILK LAUNDRY, TIGERLILY, TWOOBS and WE ARE KINDRED.

From 2017 to 2018, MBFWA saw 35% increase in international media attendance, 5% increase in global buyer attendance, and 13% increase in designer participation – both on the runway and via The Suites. Now in its 24th year, IMG has again engaged the support of the New South Wales (NSW) Government for MBFWA 2019, further solidifying Sydney as a global fashion capital.

“We are thrilled to welcome a diverse and talented group of seasoned and emerging designers to the fourth season of MBFWA Resort,” said Natalie Xenita, Executive Director of IMG Fashion Asia-Pacific. “The continued support from the domestic and international fashion community for these designers, their collections and Sydney as a Resort destination makes this event one of the fashion world’s finest. We look forward to welcoming the industry to our newly-imagined runway showrooms at Carriageworks this year, which we continue to evolve each year to provide designers with world-class facilities to showcase their Resort Collections to Australia and the world.” 

Destination NSW Chief Executive Officer Sandra Chipchase said the 2019 MBFWA schedule will put Sydney in the spotlight among industry and media.

“As the Strategic Sponsor of MBFWA, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW is committed to keeping Sydney as the fashion capital of Australia and the 2019 schedule certainly reflects that. It’s fantastic to see NSW-born, internationally renowned brands Alice McCALL and Bec & Bridge return to the schedule among many outstanding NSW, national and international labels. The line-up represents the best in the business while also providing a global platform for emerging talent, all of which will unfold with iconic Sydney as the backdrop.”

In addition to Mercedes-Benz and Destination NSW, MBFWA is brought to life with the support of City of Sydney, St.George Bank, AEG, Moet & Chandon, TONI&GUY, Amazon Fashion, Swarovski, Carriageworks, Sanpellegrino, Superga, Hewlett-Packard, Ovolo Hotels, Tempus Two, Vittoria, Disaronno and Peroni.

Schedule announcement press imagery is currently available for download here and schedule launch event imagery will be available for download here (available from 9pm).

Press and industry registrations are now open at auregistration.mbfashionweek.com.

For more information, please visit Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia online at mbfashionweek.com/Australia, or follow @fashionweekaus, #MBFWA and #MBFWE across Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for exclusive designer content, livestreams and more.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia is an IMG event.