Latest news with #JaanaQuaintanceJames
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Australian Fashion Week becomes more exclusive as ownership returns to local industry
Australian Fashion Week (AFW) made its annual return last week, but things looked different this year, and it wasn't just the trends. Carriageworks in Sydney was still lined with industry professionals, influencers and fashion lovers strutting the street in their different outfits. But there weren't as many people in attendance, there was a slimmer schedule, and the shows were all invite-only — a change from how it has been run previously where the public could buy tickets. Late last year, the future of fashion week was uncertain, after the New York media agency IMG announced it would no longer run the event, which it has owned since 2005. But soon after that, not-for-profit Australian Fashion Council (AFC) stepped in, announcing it would take ownership of it, in partnership with Destination NSW. After announcing the new ownership, AFC chief executive Jaana Quaintance-James began signalling to the industry the event would focus on sustainability and commercial value. "Our vision is to create an event that not only celebrates our incredible talent but also positions Australian fashion as a global leader, delivering meaningful economic and social benefits for our industry and beyond," Ms Quaintance-James said in a press release. "Fashion Week is so much more than runways and high heels — it's a vital creative platform that shines a global spotlight on Australian fashion." As the first Australian Fashion Week run by an Australian body in more than 20 years, there was a shift away from the usual larger spectacle, with more focus on those who work in the industry. There was a slimmer schedule of shows, too, partly because of the tight turnaround AFC had to deliver the event. All shows were also invite-only, making it more difficult for the public to find ways to participate. One fashion show-goer at Carriageworks said the changes are "unfair" to those who do want to go. Another welcomed the move, saying "it makes it more exclusive, and on the scale of New York". Earlier this week, AFW chief executive, Kellie Hush, said the week was a "trade event" and not "fashion entertainment". "Given the short runway of just four months we had to organise AFW2025, it was decided to simplify the event and focus on the [industry trade] component," AFW said in a statement. In coming months it will liaise with industry to see how best to approach the event going forward. "In respect to future years, we know it's extremely important that Australian fashion engages with Australian consumers." The backdrop to the event was the wide-reaching impact of the US-imposed tariffs that are hitting a multitude of industries, including fashion. The Australian fashion industry is worth about $28 billion and more than $7 billion of this is from exports, according to the AFC. The threat of future tariffs on the industry, combined with a cost-of-living crisis, leaves customers with less to spend, and the industry at an uncertain spot. "We are not set up to make a profit out of Australian Fashion Week; we are here to serve the industry … and make sure it's strong for the future," Ms Hush said. "The domestic customer is really important … what's happening internationally is unpredictable."
ABC News
17-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Push to bring clothes manufacturing back to Australia ramps up due to trade war
During Australian Fashion Week last week, models walked the runway clothed by home-grown designers, but while the designs were local, the outfits themselves were made overseas. As the industry's luminaries gathered to celebrate, the escalating trade war between the United States and China cast a long shadow. Determined to future-proof the industry from rising costs and tariff uncertainty, the Australian Fashion Council is embarking on a bold plan to bring the textile industry home. While welcomed by wool and cotton farmers, there are concerns the economic reality of the supply chain may scupper any home-made dreams. In the 1950s, Australia's 'rag trade' was booming. Surry Hills in Sydney and Flinders Lane in Melbourne were bursting with garment manufacturing factories and workshops. But as worker shortages and rising electricity costs combined with cheaper labour overseas, much of it moved offshore. The fashion council, which represents the industry, now estimates 97 per cent of Australia's $28 billion of fashion is produced overseas. "Our sector is at a critical tipping point," chief executive Jaana Quaintance-James said. "We've identified an urgent need for a national manufacturing strategy — one that safeguards jobs, restores technical capability, and strengthens our global competitiveness." Partnering with RM Williams, which has been manufacturing clothing and shoes in Adelaide since 1932, the council will hold six industry consultation sessions, with the full detail of the strategy to be delivered in late 2025. Ms Quaintance-James said the plan would also help job creation. "You're supporting the payment of local taxes, and a broader kind of economic and social development in Australia," she said. Rising trade tension over tariffs between the United States and China has contributed to the sense of urgency. Ms Quaintance-James said while China was the engine room of global textile production, the US was a growing market for Australian fashion houses. With most of the cotton and wool produced in Australia being processed in China, Australia's fashion industry has become collateral as a key customer goes to war with the industry's main supplier. Ms Quaintance-James said news of a 90-day pause of the escalation between the two nations had come as a relief, but it highlighted the vulnerability at the core of the supply chain. Along with less exposure to global volatility, she said a return to domestic manufacturing offered other practical advantages, such as supply chain transparency and shorter lead times in textile production. To make clothes you need fabric, which can either be synthetic or natural. Most synthetic fibres such as polyester or nylon are made from petrochemicals, and it is estimated 70 per cent of the global supply is manufactured in China. Natural fibres can be sourced from plants, such as cotton, or animals, such as sheep. The raw product needs to be processed, which includes cleaning, spinning and weaving, and like garment manufacturing, it is almost all done offshore. Australia is a leading producer of cotton and wool, though both industries have struggled in recent years; the cotton industry faced a trade ban from China in 2020 while Australian wool production this year fell to a 100-year low. Adam Kay, chief executive of grower group Cotton Australia, said the last local cotton spinning mills moved offshore 20 years ago, under pressure from rising labour costs. He said that issue had largely been overcome through automation, but now the high cost of electricity would be a barrier to re-establishing the industry. Mr Kay said the cotton industry already worked with more than 50 fashion brands across the country to supply Australian-grown cotton. "Having a spinning mill locally and doing that next stage of processing, and maybe going all the way through to garment manufacturer, it really is a more circular economy," he said. "It could really reduce the carbon miles that the products have." As Australian wool producers stare down historically low production, seeing wool take centre stage at the Met gala in New York earlier this month was heartening. Considered fashion's biggest night of the year, the annual fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City invites A-List celebrities to dress in a theme — this year it was "tailored to you". Australian Wool Innovation's global marketing projects manager Catherine Veltman said several major brands chose to showcase wool outfits this year, which would lift the fibre's profile. Attracting 15 million views to its live-stream and countless commentaries, Ms Veltman hoped the exposure would encourage mainstream brands and ultimately consumers to consider wool. If Australia is to turn back the clock textile manufacturing, Ms Quaintance-James said the national strategy would require a co-ordinated effort from government and the private sector. "Tariffs are just the latest example. In COVID, we were unable to produce our own healthcare uniforms," she said. "And we're in exactly the same situation. We have not evolved from that. "So when are we going to learn this lesson?"
