The Australian Fashion Council is taking a coordinated push into Paris Fashion Week with the debut of Australian Fashion Rooms, bringing 12 Australian designers to Galerie Poggi from September 30 to October 4, 2026.
SPRING SUMMER 2027
Launching during Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Spring Summer 2027, the project represents the AFC’s largest international trade initiative to date. The organisation has designed the five-day showroom as a direct meeting point between Australian labels and international buyers, media and fashion industry representatives.
Australian Fashion Rooms also forms part of a wider AFC strategy to secure a stronger place for fashion within Australia’s trade and economic agenda. The council has advocated for greater recognition of fashion as an export industry and increased investment in international market development. According to the AFC, the Australian fashion industry contributes $27.2 billion to the national economy and generates $7.2 billion in exports.
The participating group includes Amy Lawrance, Buai, Caroline Reznik, ESSE, Haluminous, Ilio Nema, Maara Collective, Madre Natura, Miimi & Jiinda, NGALI, Paolo Sebastian and Romance Was Born. The selection covers couture, ready-to-wear, First Nations-led practice, artisanal techniques and experimental design. Half of the participating labels have previously appeared at Australian Fashion Week through group presentations or individual runway shows.
The designers bring distinctly different perspectives to Paris. Their work draws from cultural knowledge, migration, regional experience, craft traditions, material experimentation and connections to Country. The AFC sees that range as central to how Australian fashion can communicate internationally without relying on a single aesthetic definition.
An industry advisory panel helped determine the final selection, drawing expertise from CAMILLA AND MARC, David Jones and 10 Magazine, alongside Dan Thawley, Kellie Hush and Yatu Widders Hunt.
Before arriving in Paris, the designers took part in a structured preparation program covering brand positioning for international markets, wholesale, export preparation and presenting collections to global audiences.
Galerie Poggi is hosting the showroom in a gallery-style format designed around the individual identities of the participating labels. Australian Fashion Rooms also introduces cultural elements beyond clothing. Chef and food stylist Sian Redgrave created a menu inspired by familiar Australian flavours, childhood references and everyday classics, while Sydney-based The Little Marionette provides coffee.
The program officially opened with a reception at the Australian Embassy in Paris hosted by Australian Ambassador to France Lynette Wood. The event brought designers together with buyers, media, cultural figures and government representatives ahead of the showroom appointments.
AFC Executive Chair Marianne Perkovic said the initiative aims to turn international attention into commercial opportunities and help Australian labels establish lasting businesses overseas.
Austrade supports Australian Fashion Rooms through the Trade Diversification Network, while Create NSW contributes through the NSW Fashion Sector Strategy 2025-2028. For the participating designers, Paris serves a practical purpose: meeting the people who can translate international interest into wholesale relationships, new markets and longer-term commercial growth
