Australian Fashion Council Expands U.S. Activities
SYDNEY — The Australian Fashion Council, Australia’s peak fashion and textiles industry body, is ramping up its promotional activities in the U.S. over the coming months.
First up, the organization is supporting Australian hospitality brand Bluestone Lane’s Beach Collective combined retail and café space at 786 Montauk Highway.
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The second iteration of the café chain’s summer Aussie fashion pop-up in Montauk, which first bowed in May 2018, the 2019 Beach Collective opened on May 25 and will run until Oct. 14, trading seven days a week and showcasing nine Australian brands.
Swimwear line Matteau — which attracted considerable international buyer attention with its runway debut at last month’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia — will be joined by women’s label Hansen & Gretel, men’s wear brand P Johnson, ath-leisure line The Upside, sleepwear line Desmond & Dempsey, accessories brands State of Escape, Mara & Mine and Pared Eyewear, and Dr Roebuck’s skin care.
“The success of Australian labels internationally is based on having great networks — the collaboration with Bluestone Lane provides a unique opportunity for our designers to connect with the U.S. fashion community and consumers, where long-term relationships can be built,” said David Giles-Kaye, Australian Fashion Council chief executive officer.
During New York Fashion Week, the AFC will also throw a party for 150 celebrating “Australian Fashion in NYC” at the Bluestone Lane Bowery Café in NoLIta and Bluestone Lane will stage a one-day Beach Collective pop-up store at boutique hotel 11 Howard.
The AFC’s New York party will be along the lines of a similar event that was held in Paris in September at the residence of the Australian ambassador to France, during the spring 2019 shows.
The events are an extension of the organization’s now discontinued “Australian Designers Abroad” pop-up showroom series that ran in Paris, London and New York from 2015 through 2017.
In addition to the party at the Bluestone Lane Bowery Café, the AFC is also planning to stage two business development round-tables during the spring 2020 show season in partnership with management consultancy firm McKinsey & Co. and luxury retail consultancy Lambert & Associates; one in New York, one in Paris and both aimed at connecting Australian designers with key international fashion industry representatives.
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