After the recent cancellations of Adelaide and Vogue Fashion Festivals, new four-day event ADL Fashion Week is set to bring the best of South Australian fashion to the city.

ADL Fashion Week (AFW), presented by the Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA), will take place from October 6—9, 2022 and will feature a schedule of events celebrating fashion and shopping in the city.

Rundle Mall will become a hub of activity during the event, with entertainment, free experiences, and events for consumers of all ages and tastes.

AEDA Executive Manager Marketing Michael Rossi says “fashion and retail play an important role in the city’s economy and, as more people return to the city following the impacts of COVID-19, we are seeing strong retail spending figures”.

“Latest AEDA data showed overall retail spend in the city has increased 30.26 per cent since the beginning of the year, up from $59.58 million in January to $77.61 million in July,” he says.

“AFW is a way for local and national designers, peak fashion body South Australian Fashion Industry Association and other prominent faces in fashion to collaborate with AEDA, celebrate the industry and encourage city visitors and residents to enjoy what the CBD and North Adelaide has on offer.

“AFW is expected to bring thousands of people into the city, which will have a flow-on effect on hospitality operators and retailers.”

Shoppers can find the newest looks at AFW events, then take their favourite products home by taking advantage of deals and discounts from stores in Rundle Mall, Rundle Street and throughout the city, as part of the year’s biggest shopping event.

This includes some homegrown designers as well as globally recognised brands.

On the Thursday, Fishbank will host a ticketed lunch to celebrate the event’s opening, featuring established South Australian designers, unique fashion moments, and a live fashion showcase.

The South Australian Fashion Industry Association (SAFIA) and new North Adelaide design hub Fashion Est. (more on that below) will hold ‘Slow Lounge Saturday’, a series of immersive workshops on Saturday in North Adelaide.

Following this will be the opening SA Designer Showcase The Art of Fashion, taking place at the Art Gallery of South Australia and honouring local up-and-coming, ready-to-wear, and couture designers.

Other events include Rundle Street Up Late on Friday and a collaboration with the Adelaide Film Festival, showing the South Australian premiere of Fashion Reimaged on Sunday at Palace Nova Cinemas.

After the premiere, Melanie Flintoft from Sunset Lover and Sophia McMahon from Autark will participate in a Q&A panel.

AFW intends to honour fashion as a form of artistic expression, a thriving retail industry, and a significant economic contributor.

The concept was created in collaboration with city operators, event partners, and industry specialists from the fashion business, including the Media Makeup and Clip Joint teams.

The festival, which is expected to expand yearly, will give local companies and the fashion industry a platform on which to promote their offerings on a national level.

Tickets for the two opening events on Thursday, October 6, which will kick off the four-day festival, go on sale at 9am, Monday, September 5, and more events will be announced soon.

More on Fashion Est.

A formerly vacant shopfront in North Adelaide has been remade as an Adelaide fashion hub, with the launch of Fashion Est, at the North Adelaide Village last week.

In addition to being a retail and events space, Fashion Est. also has studios in which designers can design, cut and machine new garments, offering the public the opportunity to witness the process of creating work.

A set of emerging South Australian designers have been selected to make use of the space: Sophia McMahon (Autark), Petar Prodanović, Patricia Pantelios (Peloponnese the Label), Josephine-Rose Arganese, Rachelle Gosden (Lian by Lian) and Katya Komarova.

Through Fashion Est., the resident designers will be given opportunities to “learn important aspects of running a successful shop, curating retail experiences, customer interaction, media and client events and activations, and offers the crucial infrastructure and elements needed for emerging creative talent to showcase and develop their ideas, designs, and business models”, a press release for the project says.

A piece from Josephine-Rose

Josephine-Rose, who graduated from TAFE SA’s fashion school in 2021, is thankful to be included in the Fashion Est. project. “From a very young age I have always wanted to pursue either a fashion design or creative pathway in my life,” she says.

City of Adelaide Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said in a press release it’s “wonderful to see Fashion Est. come to life in North Adelaide, activating a vacant shop in a prominent retail space, while providing invaluable opportunities for these emerging talents.”

“The fashion industry is incredibly important to Adelaide and with the help of the South Australian Fashion Industry Association we think we have created something pretty unique,” she said.

“It’s not often people can go shopping and see the whole process, from concept to creation, while interacting with the designer.

“These young designers are creating some incredible works and this council initiative is giving them a platform to take their business aspirations to the next level.”

Fashion Est. is located at 61-85 O’Connell Street and is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am ’til 4pm.