Australian Fashion Week 2025 has launched today, running at Carriageworks in Sydney until 16 May.
The future of the event was in jeopardy at the end of last year, when major backer IMG withdrew their financial support after nearly two decades.
However, the Australian Fashion Council stepped forward to fill the void and now this year's line-up marks the first time that AFW will be non-profit.
Carla Zampatti, an Australian women'swear designer, will kick off proceedings tonight with her show at 6 pm (AEST) followed by the AFW opening party.
AFW 2025 includes more than 30 designers, 320 buyers and over 1,300 delegates.
Additionally, more than 2,700 consumers are registered for the Fashion Pass, which allows the general public to visit the AFW site at Carriageworks to experience the activations and watch the runway shows via a live stream, while show attendance is invite-only.
Vogue Australia reports that the nation's fashion and textile sector currently contributes $28 billion to the economy.
Exports reach over $7.2 billion each year, more than wine and beer put together, and employs more people than the mining and utilities sectors combined, totalling around 500,000 people, within a workforce of which women make up 77%.
