The timeless elegance of Carla Zampatti seems a solid bet to begin Australian Fashion Week’s new era.
Not-for-profit peak body the Australian Fashion Council is running the event in 2025, having taken hold of the reins after long-time owners IMG pulled out in late 2024.
Sydney’s week of high style kicked off Monday night with the Zampatti opening runway show at the Museum of Contemporary Art forecourt by the harbour.
The new collection marks 60 years since the Carla Zampatti label was founded in 1965.
An icon of the Australian fashion scene, Zampatti died in 2021 at the age of 78.
The brand returned to Fashion Week last year after a four-year break.
The Zampatti show is the first in a reduced schedule of runways, with the number of shows pared back by about a third on 2024.
But there’s been no reduction in ambition: the stated aim of the event is to reconfirm Australia as a global leader in fashion, creativity and innovation.
That’s against a backdrop of fast fashion and a cost-of-living crisis, when many designers choose to promote their collections via Instagram rather than expensive runway shows.
Still, labels making a return to Fashion Week include not only Zampatti, but also Aje, Romance Was Born, Gary Bigeni and Iordanes Spyridon Gogos.
During its two decades under IMG, the event shifted from targeting overseas buyers to attracting the general public, keen to see ready-to-wear collections available for instant purchase.
That division between industry and the merely fashion-enthused is still evident, with industry delegates invited to shows, and fashion pass holders able to access a public area called The Studio instead.
AFC Australian Fashion Week runs until Friday at Carriageworks in Redfern, Sydney.
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