SYDNEY — The Australian Fashion Council has launched a campaign to promote its new Australian Fashion brand.
Unveiled at a Melbourne Fashion Week event on Thursday morning Melbourne time, the digital campaign, which is titled “Down Under in Front” and will appear across the AFC’s social channels, was photographed by Charlie Dennington , styled by Bridie Gilbert and features new faces of Angelina. Kendall, Finn Vojlay and Tatyana Perry, an indigenous teenager from Darwin.
The first cohort of 32 companies accredited under the new federally funded industry certification program includes Aje, Romance Was Born, Nobody Denim, Ngali, Carl Kapp, Helen Kaminski and Dinosaur Designs.
First presented at Australian Fashion Week last May, the Australian Fashion program aims to promote the country’s fashion both nationally and internationally. Brands can apply for certification through the Australianfashion.org website and must meet at least two of the following criteria: demonstrating a contribution to employment and the local economy; have a majority of Australian employees and be Australian-made, Australian-owned or Australian-registered. They must also commit to making commitments to uphold standards of creative integrity and authenticity and social and environmental responsibility.
The AFC is developing point-of-sale material for brands and aims to target the UK as its first international market for the programme, ideally timed to coincide with the imminent implementation of the Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement. Kingdom, which was signed in December but has not yet taken effect.
“No other country in the world has attempted to brand and market its national fashion identity before,” said AFC Executive Director Leila Naja Hibri, noting of the campaign name, “Australia wakes up first and celebrates the Year New before the rest. of the world. We organize the first Grand Slam of tennis and the first Grand Prix of each year. Our seasons start before the rest of the world, not the other way around. Down Under in Front celebrates the joy of our effortless, raw, limitless and fearless creativity and lifestyle.”
Bassike, Sydney’s sustainable brand, was the first to gain accreditation, adding to its growing list of credentials. The company, which operates eight of its own stores in Australia and has more than 80 international wholesale distributors, commits to manufacturing 95 per cent of its production in Australia. Bassike, certified carbon neutral under the Australian government’s Climate Active standard, also achieved B Corp certification in July.
“Consumers around the world are looking for more of our key values in the brands they choose to wear: integrity, sustainability and responsible business,” said Bassike co-founders Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan. “This trademark and campaign puts us front and center, with authentic design and forward-thinking values that put people and planet first alongside prosperity.”
Source: wwd.com