Australia news and archive

Australian Fashion Week secures government support

Following the exit of former partner IMG, Australian Fashion Week (AFW) has confirmed a new collaboration with the New South Wales Government to ensure that its next edition will go ahead as planned. Scheduled to take place from 12 to 16 May 2025, the forthcoming season of AFW will be backed by the NSW Government’s tourism and major events...

Business

Oxfam calls on Australian brands to pay living wages to garment workers

An analysis by Oxfam Australia has claimed that a number of notable Australian brands are underpaying their garment workers despite raking in over one billion dollars in revenue last year. According to the nonprofit organisation, Kmart Group, Big W, Cotton On, Rip Curl, Kathmandu owner KMD, Myder and Bonds’ parent company Hanes “still don’t pay...

Business

Authentic secures Aus and NZ licensee deal for Champion

Authentic Brands Group, the new owner of Champion, has appointed Brand Collective as the new licensing partner of the sportswear label in Australia and New Zealand. Australia-based Brand Collective currently serves as the operating partner to brands such as Canada Goose, Clarks, Hush Puppies and Authentic-owned Reebok, while further owning the...

Fashion Featured

Australian Fashion Council to offer “new vision” for Australian Fashion Week

Australian Fashion Council (AFC), the not-for-profit organisation representing the Australian fashion and textile industry, has confirmed the show will go on for Australian Fashion Week (AFW) in 2025 following last week’s announcement by IMG that it is withdrawing as owner and organiser of Australian fashion events. In a statement, the AFC said...

Fashion

IMG withdraws as owner of Australian Fashion Week after 20 years

American media company IMG is withdrawing as owner and organiser of Australian Fashion Week. Australian Fashion Week plays an important role as a springboard for Australian designers, having put local talent, such as Dion Lee, Zimmermann, Romance Was Born and Akira Isogawa, in the spotlight since its inception in 1996. Summary • IMG withdraws as...

Business

Accent Group to distribute Lacoste and Dickies in Australia and New Zealand

Accent Group has announced its appointment as the exclusive distributor for Lacoste and Dickies in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) regions. The two brands are currently sold in ANZ through direct-to-consumer channels, online and owned stores and via wholesale – the former into department stores and other specialty retailers, while the latter...

Business

Debenhams plans new websites for Ireland and Australia

Boohoo-owned Debenhams is preparing its expansion into international markets, with new websites set to launch in Ireland and Australia before Christmas. This is according to CEO Dan Finley, who confirmed in an interview to Drapers that the return to these markets was part of a wider expansion drive. This will also involve the launch of a Nasty...

PeopleFeatured

Ksubi names Pip Edwards as its creative director

Australian-born streetwear brand Ksubi has announced that Pip Edwards is returning to the brand where she began her fashion career in the early 2000s as its new creative director. Edwards worked in various capacities during the early days of Ksubi, including design, marketing, and brand strategy, where the brand states she was “instrumental in...

Business

Frasers Group snaps up shares in Australia’s Accent Group Limited

Frasers Group has made a strategic investment into retail, wholesale and distribution company Accent Group Limited as part of efforts to grow its presence in Australia and New Zealand. In a regulatory filing, the UK fashion giant announced that it had purchased shares of 14.65 percent in the firm, which specialises in brands positioned within...

Retail

Ksubi returns to Australian retail with first flagship store

After cementing its presence in global cities, streetwear brand Ksubi has returned to its home country of Australia to open its first flagship store in the region. Located in Melbourne, the store itself “signifies the brand’s continued growth”, a press release read, offering a curated selection of Ksubi’s global collections within an “elevated...

BusinessFeatured

Brand Machine Group expands into Australia

Brand Machine Group (BMG), the international fashion brand owner and licensing house, has expanded into Australia with a new showroom in Syndey to showcase its portfolio of fashion brands. BMG's Sydney showroom, located in Surry Hills, is part of the group’s broader expansion strategy into Asia Pacific and will give buyers across the region...

BusinessFeatured

Australia Institute calls for fast fashion regulation as textile waste consumption rises

The Australia Institute, a public policy think tank, has called on the country’s government to regulate the fast fashion industry as the consumption of textile waste almost surpasses that of the US. In a new discussion paper entitled ‘Textiles waste in Australia’, Nina Gbor, the institute’s director of the Circular Economy and Waste programme,...