Afterpay Australian Fashion Week is back in 2021, marking the very first in-person Fashion Week event globally since the pandemic. Australia’s commendable response to COVID means the long-anticipated affair can return safely, and the fashion industry — from stylists and designers to photographers — couldn’t be more excited for a reason to get dressed up again.
On Tuesday 17 April, at a morning event at the Sydney Opera House, it was revealed Afterpay Australian Fashion Week would take place from May 31 to June 4, 2021. Like in previous years, Carriageworks in Eveleigh will serve as a base, while shows and events will be held all over Sydney.
So far, 36 live runway shows and five digital presentations have been confirmed to showcase the Resort ’22 collections of around 70 designers, some of which include: Anna Quan, Alice McCall, Albus Lumen, Bassike, Bondi Born, Christopher Esber, Commas, Ginger & Smart, Macgraw, Manning Cartell, KitX, Oroton, Rebecca Vallance, Romance Was Born, Zimmermann, and emerging designers Auteur, Jordan Dalah and Jordan Gogos. In addition, 12 Indigenous designers will showcase in three separate Indigenous fashion events: Welcome to Country, the First Nations Fashion and Design Runway and the First Nations Fashion and Design Talk.
Some familiar names there, and some exciting newcomers we can’t wait to see hit the runway for the first time, but in another Australian first, Afterpay Australian Fashion Week will be stepping up its digital presence. According to WWD, all shows will be either live-streamed or later uploaded to IMG’s OTT platform ausfw.com, allowing for fashion-savvy viewers to tune in from around the world.
Tickets are already available for sale, starting from $59 for the talks and $129 for the shows. AAFW is also calling for volunteers who may be seeking experience in events, PR, fashion, media and production to register their interest now.
