Fashion designer Melissa Greenwood named her 2024 resort collection Yarilla – which means to light up and illuminate.

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It’s a Gumbaynggirr word that also represents what Australian Fashion Week means for Indigenous designers, Greenwood said.

“It highlighted our culture, our talent and our cultural storytelling to a global audience,” she told AAP.

Last week the owner and operator of Fashion Week, IMG, announced it would quit the event after a 20-year involvement, leaving its future in doubt.

It’s a blow for the industry in general and for Indigenous designers especially, with the annual week of runway shows in glamorous Sydney locations providing them with vital international exposure.

The departure of IMG followed naming rights sponsor Afterpay pulling out after the 2023 edition (replaced by Pandora in 2024) and a trail of the most successful brands, such as Zimmerman, opting to show overseas.

Greenwood’s label Miimi & Jiinda launched its first ready-to-wear resort collection at Fashion Week in 2023, with Indigenous models on the runway including her mother and brother.

“It was such an incredible moment for my family and community,” she said.

“We all had goosebumps and were in tears – our ancestors would have been incredibly proud.”

While she aspires to show her collections in New York, it’s no surprise Greenwood feels Fashion Week is irreplaceable for Indigenous designers.

“It would be devastating if it wasn’t around because it’s something we can do on our own country,” she said.

The event had become a pipeline for talent, with the Indigenous Fashion Projects organisation showcasing up-and-coming designers through a runway show supported by David Jones.

In 2024, it featured Miimi & Jiinda, as well as Gali Swimwear, Ihraa Swim, Joseph & James, and Lazy Girl Lingerie.

Another Indigenous label, Ngali, achieved a milestone in 2023, presenting the first-ever First Nations solo runway show at Fashion Week.

At the time, Ngali founder Denni Francisco hoped her history-making show would be the first of many for Indigenous designers – but now, that may not happen.

“I hope we can reinvent fashion week by acknowledging and leveraging all the event has achieved … to create a new, exciting and innovative event,” she told AAP.

Broadly speaking, the move by IMG puts the spotlight on the industry’s peak body the Australian Fashion Council, which agreed there is now an opportunity to explore new ways to show Australian talent.

“The AFC, as the peak body for fashion and textiles in Australia, will lead this conversation,” chair Marianne Perkovic and chief executive Jaana Quaintance-James said in a joint statement.

By Liz HOBDAY, AAP