Australian Fashion Week cancels 25th-anniversary edition

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia has confirmed that it has cancelled its 25th-anniversary edition in May due to the global coronavirus crisis.

The event, organised by IMG, was set to showcase Australian resort 2021 collections from May 11 to 15 at Sydney’s Carriageworks venue, however, with Australian COVID-19 cases increasing it was decided that the best course of action was to cancel.

“Due to the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC)’s mandate against holding non-essential, organised public gatherings of more than 500 people in light of global health concerns regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus), we regret to share that Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2020 will not take place,” said Natalie Xenita, executive director of IMG, fashion events for the Asia-Pacific region. “We thank our incredible designers, producers, partners and staff for their support of the Australian fashion community and look forward to celebrating our 25th anniversary in 2021.”

Xenita, added: “This decision was made after careful consideration, as the health and safety of everyone involved remains our top priority.”

IMG also added that all tickets already sold would be reimbursed “as quickly as possible”. This would have been the first time the event would have an integrated consumer strategy, with 25 percent of seats at participating shows available for purchase by the public.