IT WAS the show to put our Fashion Week on the international stage but, in a slap in the face, luxury brand Oscar de la Renta sent old clothes down the Aussie runway.
Despite only 24 hours earlier showing its latest Resort 2017 range in New York, de la Renta unveiled a collection in Sydney on May 20 that had already been released last December, yet was billed as “Summer 16”.
When contacted this week, the label’s New York office confirmed its Australian offering was a curated pre-fall collection mixed with commercial look book ensembles.
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READ NOWIn other words, de la Renta had fresh material ready to go, but sent us last year’s leftovers.
Fashion Week organisers IMG have refused to comment.
At the very least, IMG should have been transparent and promoted the event as a trunk show — complete with billionaires’ wives front row.
Instead, the de la Renta front row spent the duration of the Carriageworks showuninterested in a range they had already seen.
Some senior Australian fashion names were outraged.
“It is insulting that they thought we wouldn’t notice that they presented a collection a season old. I would have preferred to have seen a local designer take the closing spot to pioneer resort,” luxury boutique owner Eva Galambos said.
While it is a smart marketing move to invite global labels to Sydney, Vogue editor-in-chief, Edwina McCann wants Australian Fashion Week to be a commercially viable trade show that will attract the world’s best media and buyers.
“We can own resort, but it’s important that IMG remains transparent on whether it is either marketing or a trade show, otherwise we are jeopardising what we’re trying to do long term,” McCann said.