News Coverage:

10 Years Young and Proud
By: Michelle Taylor

MILAN, Apr 18, 2005/ FW/ –There is a week of merriment set to take place in a little over two weeks in the southern hemisphere that is bound to rock your style socks off.

Sydney’s fashion elite will be sporting their fanciest frocks from 1-8 May as Mercedes Australian Fashion Week celebrates ten years of fashion.

Steady growth from 1996 has seen not only the official calendar grow from an initial 17 collection shows to a spring summer 2005 season of 40, a significant name change to The Asia Pacific Fashion Week that sees Sydney as ‘the’ place to show in the Asia Pacific region, but will also see the event generating close to 60 million Australian dollars worth of wholesale orders and attracting over 1 billion dollars worth of international media coverage.

Between rising stars and established designers, this milestone is worth a little celebrating and will be filled no doubt with attractive people at exclusive parties, dinners galore and recognition award ceremonies.

Yet the five-day full schedule is not only devoted to ready-to-wear runway strutting, but will also accommodate 100 plus labels showing in the boutique space know as The Source @ MAFW, as well as agent showrooms.

Helping to maximize this year’s event, MAFW has joined forces with Austrade, a division of the Federal Government to help attract some of the most influential international buyers to the likes of Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman and Selfridges of London as well as many other top boutiques and department stores as far spread as Japan to Canada.

And as Simon P Lock, Founder and CEO of Australian Fashion Innovators says ‘MAFW’s position as a beacon in the region will continue to grow from strength-to-strength and attract participants and delegates that want to be part of one of the most innovative and dynamic markets in the world (the Asia Pacific). A market that is evolving, and one that is a force to be reckoned with. Something we are extremely proud to be part of.’

So for those of us lucky enough to be heading off to the land of sunshine, BBQ’s, wonderfully charming smiles and strange Anglophone accents, the counting down of the days cant come quick enough.