The perennial fashion debate pitting Melbourne against Sydney may soon be obsolete as Melbourne Fashion Festival today announces its rebranding to Australian Fashion Festival.

The change is part of a suite of updates that seek to deepen the organisation’s commitment to being a consumer-led program, strengthen designer relationships and reinforce their nationwide celebration of Australian fashion.

“We need to have a national name because the designers aren’t only exclusive to Victoria,” says Launa Inman, chair of the Australian Fashion Festival board, who explains the festival’s usual two-week program will be expanded to include events all year round.

“The fashion industry is changing – consumers now engage with fashion through live events or retail experiences, social media, cultural moments, even destination travel,” she says. “The name change really supported a broader strategy to lift designer engagement, grow our audiences, and then also strengthen our commercial partnerships.”

Though before you rid your wardrobe of black, Inman is quick to note the festival will remain anchored to the Garden City. “It’s still very much going to be based in Melbourne,” she says. “We are not losing sight of our Victorian designers.”

It’s a move supported by the Australian Fashion Council, which oversees Australian Fashion Week, the separate and more industry-focused event that takes place in Sydney every May.

“It’s a good change because Australian designers don’t operate within state boundaries,” says Marianne Perkovic, chair of the Australian Fashion Council. “If we really want to compete and give our designers the best chance to showcase their great talents, we have to start talking nationally, and internationally, about Australian fashion.”

The news comes three months after Caroline Ralphsmith resigned as chief executive of the organisation amid a tough period financially.

According to the last financial report, the event filed a loss of $711,390 in 2025, with revenue falling to $4.57 million from $5.75 million in the 2024 financial year. The financial results for the 2026 festival will be released later this year, though festival attendance was up 47 per cent year-on-year.

“Our financial wellbeing is very important because without us being financially stable, it’s very difficult to be creative,” Inman says, which also goes to explain why they didn’t replace Ralph with a new chief executive.

Rather than installing a new chief executive, they have split the role, hiring Prue Mahar from REA Group and Victorian Racing Group as executive director and Damien Woolnough-Reid (former fashion editor of this masthead) as creative director.

“It’s a strategic investment in the leadership, making sure we’ve got absolutely the right team around us to strengthen the momentum for the festival’s future,” says Inman.

The approach is welcomed by designer Bianca Spender, who is excited about the festival building upon its offering for consumers to engage with designers and their clothes.

“The festival has a really wonderful atmosphere that is very unique,” Spender says. “There’s a lot of noise out there and we’re living in a virtual world in the way that we absorb clothes. Actually feeling it, seeing how the fabric moves, really engaging with it is so important now more than ever.”

Inman agrees: “It’s all about offering those memorable experiences that will help the Australian designers connect emotionally with anyone who loves style.”

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