Author(s): Simon Lock

Fashion

Simon P. Lock knew from a young age that Australia had more to offer than the world gave it credit for. 'Throw another shrimp on the barbie' ads to promote the country and scandals about unoriginal Australian designers who simply copied international styles just made him cringe. He was a fashion outsider. But armed with a good idea, and with every cent he owned invested in it, he somehow managed to convince some of Australia's and the world's leading figures in industry and fashion to come on board. In doing so, he created what became an internationally renowned Fashion Week that took the world by storm and introduced some of Australia's most successful and innovative designers. But it wasn't always smooth sailing. In just its second year the event was dubbed 'Fashion Weak' and Lock faced an industry not yet confident enough to take the king hit. But this just fuelled a determination within him to outride the tall poppy syndrome and to prove to the world that Australian designers could compete with the best in the sophisticated world of ready-to-wear fashion. Twenty years on, Australian Fashion Week is a major event in the global fashion calendar, alongside New York, London, Milan and Paris. This book for the first time lifts the curtain on Australian fashion week and provides readers with a front row seat in this intriguing, sometimes controversial and often hilarious journey.