When Australian Fashion Week’s future was cast into uncertainty late last year, Sydney designer Alvi Chung, the creative force behind the label Speed, decided it was time for a bold move.
As global fashion giant IMG stepped away from the event and the Australian Fashion Council (AFC) took the reins, Chung and her partner, cultural strategist Daniel Neeson, developed WINGS—billed as “Australia’s Inaugural Fashion Festival.” The event is a direct response to what they saw as a stripped-down, commercialized version of fashion week, with less room for creative risk-takers.
“With IMG leaving Fashion Week and the AFC taking over, they have expressed that they’ve gone more wholesale, and we did see a cut in a few conceptual designers that took more risks,” Chung said. She had showcased her label at Australian Fashion Week in both 2023 and 2024.
“It’s a very pointed message to send someone… that the industry doesn’t support you,” Neeson added. “So we wanted to create a space emerging designers can look forward to.”
WINGS features five independent labels—Catholic Guilt, Speed, Joteo, Amiss, and Jody Just—who will present their collections in an unconventional, immersive showcase at Sydney’s Plaza Hotel. The multi-level venue will feature live music, large-scale installations, and performance art, offering an alternative to the traditional catwalk.
The event arrives at a time when Australian Fashion Week has made notable omissions. Designer Gail Sorronda is absent from the schedule, and for the first time in 25 years, TAFE Fashion Design Studio will not present its graduates.
Neeson, who spent 20 years in London’s music industry, sees WINGS as a creative force that could revive Sydney’s cultural nightlife. He drew inspiration from Blitz, a legendary London club night from the late ’70s and early ’80s that helped launch the careers of fashion figures like Stephen Jones and Ian Griffiths. It also served as a hub for artists, musicians, and writers.
While pushing avant-garde design remains central to Chung’s vision, commercial viability is also a priority. Following the two-day festival, a two-week pop-up store will run at The Plaza Hotel. The event is ticketed, and Chung hopes revenue from ticket sales will help participating designers recover production costs.
Among the featured designers is Ella Jackson, founder of Melbourne-based label Catholic Guilt. Jackson has shown her work at Paris Fashion Week and designed a custom outfit for actress Julia Fox for the NGV Gala last year. Her presentation at WINGS is a tribute to women lost to domestic violence.
Jackson emphasized the need for more institutional support, such as mentorship, business management guidance, and funding options. “A lot of us are learning on the fly,” she said. “It can be scary being put in situations like fashion week where you have to be managing so many people and laying down so much of your money.”
Despite landing a sponsorship from The Plaza Hotel, Chung and Neeson said securing additional support—especially from public and private sectors—was a major challenge.
According to Chung, what local designers urgently need is more meaningful government backing. “More government support is something designers are crying out for,” she said.
WINGS represents more than a festival—it’s a defiant stance from Australia’s independent designers, demanding recognition, resources, and a place for creativity to thrive beyond the constraints of mainstream fashion.
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