Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Australian Fashion Week 2024

Australian Fashion Week (AFW) is returning to Sydney in 2024, and with only a few short months to go until the biggest week in Australia’s fashion calendar kicks off, it’s officially time to start planning your outfits.

Each year, for a week in May, the fashion set descends on Carriagworks in Eveleigh, to view the upcoming resort collections, and this year will be no different. Following a Welcome to Country on Monday morning, Albus Lumen will open Fashion Week before designers like Acler and Romance Was Born will be returning to Fashion Week, along with Carla Zampatti (the label’s first show under Creative Director Karlie Ungar).

Like previous years, there will also be a focus on First Nations designers with the fourth-annual David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway, in partnership with Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, as well as emerging designers being spotlighted in the closing show on Friday night.

In January, IMG announced Pandora as the presenting partner of AFW 2024, joining the brand’s other global partnerships, Copenhagen Fashion Week and The Fashion Awards in London. “We are thrilled to announce this first-of-its-kind partnership between Pandora and Australian Fashion Week, APAC’s only international fashion event,” said Natalie Xenita, Vice President-Managing Director of IMG Fashion Events and Properties Asia-Pacific, in a press release. “Together, we are proud to invest in Australian designers to ensure their continued economic success while amplifying on a global stage the cultural power of Australia’s creative talent.”

Keep reading to find out what you can expect from Australian Fashion Week 2024.

True to form, AFW 2024 will take place this autumn, running from Monday May 13 to Friday May 17.

To stay up to date with the programming for each day, head to the Australian Fashion Week official website.

Carriageworks in Sydney’s Redfern has become synonymous with Australian Fashion Week, and just like previous years, it will be the hub for the week. The bigger showings will take place in the larger gallery spaces and panel discussions in the smaller rooms. There will also be shows held at offsite locations each day, with details yet to be confirmed.

The highly anticipated schedule and programming for AFW was released on March 12, so we finally know which local designers will be showing Resort ‘25 collections in Sydney this May.

Carla Zampatti will return to AFW after four years, showing on opening night at Carriageworks in the Carla Zampatti Runway, which was named after the late designer following her death 2021. This will be the first show under the label’s creative director, Karlie Ungar.

Acler will celebrate its 10-year anniversary collection on Tuesday, and Romance Was Born will show on Wednesday. Now in its fourth year showing at AFW, the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway will return in partnership with the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, and the Pandora closing show on Friday night will celebrate up-and-coming Australian designers. Next Gen also returns to AFW in 2024, featuring designers Amy Lawrence, Emily Watson, House of Campbell, and Potirakis.

The full list of designer runway shows and presentations at AFW 2024 includes: Acler, Albus Lumen, Alix Higgins, all is a gentle spring, ANNA QUAN, ASIYAM, Beare Park, Blanca, Carla Zampatti, David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway, EM on Holiday, FDS: The Innovators, INJURY, Iordanes Spyridon Gogos, Karla Špetić, Liandra, madre natura, MASTANI, Michael Lo Sordo, Nicol & Ford, P.E Nation, Romance Was Born, Rory William Docherty, Speed, Third Form, Verner, Viktoria & Woods, and Wackie Ju.

AFW always attracts media folk, as well as designers, influencers and buyers, but it’s no longer just an industry event, with an increasing number of consumer events taking place over the week.

“The 2024 lineup of consumer events offers fashion fans the chance to experience the excitement of the Asia-Pacific’s only international annual fashion event,” said Xenita. “Our curated program explores the cultural zeitgeist influencing fashion’s most creative talent and features blockbuster runway shows, emerging designer showcases, talks, special events and more.”

Tickets are available to purchase on the Australian Fashion Week website, now. The shows will also be streamed on the Australian Fashion Week website, where fashion fans can enjoy the runway shows and other programming from the comfort of their own homes.

In addition to the designer runway shows, there will also be a packed program of conversations and events that are open to consumers and industry-goers alike. These include: ‘Sustainability Symposium: The Future of Fashion’, ‘Go West: The Rise of Western Sydney Culture’, ‘First and Forefront: Changemakers 2024’, ‘Made for Music’, and ‘Now and Next: New Directions in Australian Fashion’.

Carriageworks will be buzzing all week, staying open between 9am and 10pm daily, with spots to settle in for a cocktail and a snack, as well as activations from key sponsors. Most notably, Glenfiddich will be shaking up bespoke cocktails and Redken’s styling pop-up will offer complementary hair styling.

Be sure to check back here in the lead up to Australian Fashion Week, as we’ll be updating this story with scheduling and more exciting announcements.