AFC launches largest-ever Australian fashion trade mission to Paris
The announcement follows a landmark week for AFC Australian Fashion Week 2026 presented by Shark Beauty, held 11-15 May at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, delivering 51 events including 32 runway shows from 39 Australian designers, alongside an international buyer and press delegation representing some of the world’s most significant retail and media platforms. Australian fashion contributes $27.2 billion to the national economy, employs approximately 489,000 Australians (77 per cent of them women) and generates $7.2 billion in exports annually.
The Australian Fashion Council (AFC), backed by the NSW Government and Austrade, will take up to 15 designers to Paris Fashion Week SS27 through its Global Gateways: Paris 2026 program.
The initiative includes a dedicated Australian showroom, export training and buyer engagement, helping expand global opportunities for emerging, established and First Nations fashion brands.
AFC’s Global Gateways: Paris 2026 will take up to 15 Australian designers to a centrally located showroom at Paris Fashion Week, supported by a structured pre-departure export readiness program, engagement at the Australian Ambassador’s Residence, and a cocktail reception bringing together international buyers, press, and Australia’s leading designers active in the Paris market during the week. The program is delivered with the support of Austrade through the Accessing New Markets Initiative’s Trade Diversification Network, and Create NSW as part of the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025-2028.
Minister for the Arts John Graham said: “Australian Fashion is both a celebration of creativity and a very serious economic driver. In NSW, the fashion industry contributes $9.7 billion to the state economy and employs more than 174,000 people.
“That is why we were pleased to partner with the sector to develop the country’s first ever fashion sector strategy. During that process the number one priority industry put to us was the need for industry and governments to work together to grow export pathways for Australian designers.
“Australian designers, with their iconic and fresh styles are already internationally sought after, but the truth is, we have more talent to share.”
Applications will open to designers and AFC members nationally across two pathways: an AFW Track for designers who presented at Australian Fashion Week in 2025 or 2026, and a national competitive application open to the broader AFC membership. The cohort will include both emerging and established designers, with dedicated places for First Nations designers. NSW designers are specifically supported through Create NSW’s investment in the program, with places available for designers from across Australia through Austrade’s Trade Diversification Network.
AFC Executive Chair Marianne Perkovic said the Paris activation marks a structural step-change for how Australian fashion engages with global markets.
“Australian fashion has always had the talent. What has been missing is the infrastructure – the kind of coordinated, government-backed presence that takes designers beyond individual market forays and into sustained international relationships. Global Gateways: Paris 2026 is that infrastructure.
“AFC’s Australian Fashion Week, presented by Shark Beauty, saw international buyers from Al Tayer, Browns, Liberty, Net-A-Porter, Revolve and Selfridges saw what Australian fashion can do on home ground. In September, we take that offer to Paris – the single most concentrated buyer market in the world – and we do it as a national industry. This will be a significant moment for Australian fashion on the world stage and we look forward to working with our partners at Austrade and Create NSW to support the global growth of the Australian fashion sector.”
The program is supported by Austrade through the Accessing New Markets Initiative (ANMI), the Australian Government’s $50 million export diversification program jointly delivered by Austrade and industry. The AFC is one of 40 national peak industry bodies selected to participate in ANMI’s Trade Diversification Network, through which government and industry work together to design and deliver sector-specific export initiatives. The national reach of the Trade Diversification Network enables emerging, established and First Nations designers from across Australia to apply.
Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell said Australian fashion is a top export industry, supports nearly 500,000 Australian jobs, and that this is exactly the type of initiative the Trade Diversification Network was designed to enable during a challenging period in the global trading environment.
“Australia has just secured a landmark deal with the European Union, which opens up a market of around 450 million people, across 27 countries, to Australian designers.
“We want to see more Australian fashion on the streets and in stores across the globe. Getting more Australian designers in front of international buyers is not just good for the industry, it’s good for Australian jobs and the Australian economy.”
Jay Meek, General Manager, Trade Diversification Taskforce, Austrade, said: “The Trade Diversification Network was built on a simple premise: government and industry working together, using the combined reach of Austrade’s global network and the sector knowledge of peak bodies like the AFC, to get more Australian businesses into more markets. Global Gateways: Paris is precisely the kind of activity the program was designed to deliver – structured, commercially focused, and built on a clear understanding of where global buyers are and what they need to see. Australian fashion has the product and the ambition, and we’re pleased to support its continued growth.”
Create NSW’s investment in Global Gateways: Paris 2026 delivers directly against the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025–2028, Australia’s first government fashion sector strategy developed in partnership with the AFC. Establishing international export pathways for NSW designers is a core strategic priority of the Strategy, with $250,000 allocated specifically to support emerging designers to grow their export markets. Funding in the Paris program is ring-fenced for NSW designer participation, with dedicated places for emerging, established and First Nations designers.
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Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)