Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA) returns to Sydney in 2019 for the region's most prominent and emerging designers showcasing their Resort 2020 collections, event organisers IMG said on Wednesday.

Scheduled to run May 12-17, Australia's official industry fashion week will be held once again at Carriageworks, with an official designer lineup to be released at a later date.

In its 24th year, MBFWA is fast becoming a must-attend industry event for fashion professionals including foreign editors, and global retailers and buyers, as the latest in leading Australian design is presented for the first time during the event.

In past years, major Australian fashion exports Dion Lee and Ellery have returned to show their collections, despite having already showed that season in New York and Paris, respectively.

In 2017 and 2018, the event recorded a 35% increase in international media attendance, with a 5% increase in global buyer attendance, and 13% increase in designer participation. The increase was seen both on the runway and via The Suites, a curated onsite showroom offering designers a new forum to present their collections, said IMG, adding the positive change made three years ago to make the event exclusively Resort, a world-first in the fashion world.

"The event’s continued growth underscores the value of its 2016 repositioning, which established Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia as the world’s first Fashion Week focused exclusively on Resort Collections,” said Natalie Xenita, Executive Director, IMG Fashion Asia-Pacific.

“We’ve since seen double to triple-digit growth across designer participation, international media and buyer attendance.”

In addition to the fashion week dates, IMG announced that online applications are now open for St.George NextGen, a program to support and mentor emerging Australian fashion designers.

Participating designers will be selected by a panel of industry experts, with winners announced in February 2019. The four designers will also show as part of the NextGen runway show at MBFWA 2019.

As part of the prize, each will receive mentoring, industry networking opportunities, exposure to MBFWA’s attending buyers, as well as marketing, publicity, digital and social media support.

Previous winners include Camilla and Marc, Kate Sylvester, Gorman, Sass and Bide and Akira.
The nation’s premier fashion event, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia (MBFWA), returns to Sydney.
Last season, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia became the international home of resort collections. It presented a unique offering as the only season where northern and southern hemisphere buying calendars align, drawing influential buyers and media to Sydney from across the globe.
This is the second year MBFWA will showcase resort collections. It won’t only promote established Australian designers but provide a platform for emerging talent to launch their collections, positioning Sydney as a fashion capital on the global circuit.

Aje is set to kick off the extravaganza, officially opening MBFWA on Sunday, May 12 with the debut of its latest collection. The label follows in the footsteps of fellow ‘Mercedes Benz Presents’ designers Camilla & Marc (2018), Dion Lee (2017) and Toni Maticevski (2016).
“With this opportunity we want to really connect with hearts and tell our story in the most powerful way yet,” co-founder Adrian Norris told Vogue. 
“The honour is a statement of recognition for our brand, but also for our loyal clients, many of whom have been with us for 11 years, and who continue to grow along this journey with us.”

Then, throughout the course of the week, Azzo and Bondi Born will make their MBFWA debut, while some of the country’s most prominent designers are set to return to the runway – think Michael Lo Sordo, Christopher Esber, Karla Spetic, Holiday By Emma Mulholland, Matteau, We Are Kindred and many more. 
This year’s fashion week is also set to celebrate two outstanding international labels, as the event welcomes labels Jonathan Simkhai and Ex Infinitas to the runway for their first-ever MBFWA showcases. 
After a total of 15 years, having last shown in 2002, Tigerlily will return to the MBFWA runway. A forerunner of conscious and sustainable fashion, the Australian brand will debut its ethical range of women's apparel, swim and accessories for its resort 2020 show.