Adelaide Fashion Festival Australia to Showcase Importance of Design

AUSTRALIA’S top fashion designers are coming together this year to put on a festival to showcase the importance of design in the industry.

To be held in in mid-October, the Adelaide Fashion Festival will feature the designs of several world-renowned brands including Paolo Sebastian, Sally Phillips, Liza Emanueleand Australian Fashion Labels.

From left to right: Adelaide fashion designers Tiff Manuell, Greta Rumsby, Rochelle Flynn, Paul Vasileff, Kate Anderson, Kellie Gage, Sally Phillips, Chris Kontos and Melanie Flintoft at the launch of the Adelaide Festival on 3 August 2015.

Melanie Flintoft, a director at Australian Fashion Labels, said Adelaide is home to a growing group of designers who have a real global perspective that drives their international success.

“By not having a huge industry in the city, we think outside of Adelaide and Australia. We think globally,” said Flintoft, whose company has more than 3000 stockists worldwide and has expanded from one label in 2007 to five in 2015.

International stylist Nicole Bonython-Hines will return to her hometown of Adelaide to lead the festival’s creative team.

Chris Kontos, the head designer of Australian Fashion Labels’ new TY-LR brand, played a key role in bringing Bonython-Hines on board this year.

“Nicole will add an international touch and finesse” Kontos said.

The festival finale will feature a world-first preview of the Paolo Sebastian 2016 international collection.

Paolo Sebastian design

Head designer Paul Vasileff showcased his collection at the first Adelaide Fashion Festival and is now dressing some of the biggest names in Hollywood.

Held between 22 to 25 October, the Adelaide Fashion Festival will help fill out a busy festival calendar in South Australia. The Adelaide Film Festival and Aboriginal Visual Arts Festival are also scheduled to take place in October, taking up one of the last months without a festival in the state.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill said the festival is a key opportunity to demonstrate Adelaide’s design talent to the world.

“We want to showcase our fantastic fashion designers here in South Australia so the world can understand that we have such extraordinary designers with incredible talent,” Weatherill said, when launching the Premier’s Design Award for final year fashion students.

The festival was launched at celebrity chef Sean Connolly’s Adelaide restaurant, Sean’s Kitchen in early August.

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