Dominic Beirne, Australian Fashion Partners (AFP) managing director, said the decision to align MBFWA with trade show Premiere was a step in the right direction.

“I’m pleased to see that the trade shows of Premiere and Fashion Week Australia will be held at similar times,” Beirne said.

“But I would like to see a greater collaboration between the two events.”

He suggested steps, such as ensuring a single accreditation process to enable entry to both events, might be among the initiatives that could be taken.

Beirne said the two events should be more obviously linked so that they complemented each another and added extra value to participating designers and attending buyers and media.

“It’s an excellent first step but, to add value, they need to develop a closer relationship,” he said.

With the consumer event L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival (LMFF) held at a similar time in Melbourne, Beirne stressed companies would need to be clear about the purpose of each occasion.

“The labels exhibiting at these events need a greater understanding of the results they can achieve from each one,” he said.

“Designers showing at LMFF can expect to receive a greater uptake in sales immediately after they show,” he said.

“At Fashion Week, designers can expect to see a greater number of orders placed for delivery for their next season.”

And he stressed the relevance of LMFF for labels that did not wholesale, pointing to brands like Cue and Witchery as examples.

In contrast, those that predominantly wholesaled or had a large wholesale channel might best benefit from MBFWA.

The decision to hold MBFWA in the last week of March was made after a survey of fashion designers and industry professionals.

More than 70 per cent of those surveyed asked for the event to be moved to the last week in March to enable deliveries to coincide with the international fashion calendar and for increased business opportunities for designers.

- Dawn Adams