"Well, we have come to the end of another Fashion Festival. And what an
amazing week we had! We have seen over 100 designers, retailers and retail
centres; staged 23 events; over 300 models strutted the runway; more than 600
people were employed and over 100 volunteers gave us their time; and 13 of the
15 ticketed events sold out!
The Festival has generated enormous amounts of
national and local media
coverage for this great city and we couldn’t be more proud. Our Group Runway
Shows proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that our home-grown designers and
retailers can cut it on the national and international fashion stage.
Queensland may have had a rough start to 2011 and there are those who would
argue that fashion is a frivolous pursuit in the aftermath of the recent floods
and devastation, but it is especially important now to continue supporting our
local fashion and retail industry and look with optimism and energy towards
Spring/Summer - the season we do better than anyone else!
The Fashion Festival is now in its sixth year and it’s incredible to
see just how far we’ve come. In 2006 we started with one small venue and less
than 12 events, but with our move to the magnificent purpose-built marquee at
South Bank and a variety of locations around the city we have almost doubled
this number. But we’re not slowing down yet - with a near sell-out Festival this
year it’s time again to take it to the next level.
I would like to share with you the vision we have for
the Fashion
Festival moving forward to ensure we cement our position as the premier location in Australia for
releasing Spring/Summer fashions to the rest of the country. Our vision is to
create three or four event spaces, from the more intimate to the full-stage
venue, showcase more local and national designers and even add an international
element. We want everyone, from designers to speakers to leading fashion
identities to descend on this great city from around the country and the world.
But while we want to broaden and develop the scope of the Festival we don’t
want to forget our local industry and will look to the creation of a
significant fashion business award with a focus on our emerging talent.
So although we have wrapped up our spectacular Fashion Festival for
another year, the planning for 2012 has already begun! Watch this space."
Lindsay Bennett
Festival Director
Festival Director
