Hot on the heels of accusing Australian Fashion Week of not being the right calibre for big labels, Danny Avidan’s lili label has ambushed the fashion week with their own pop-up fashion parade.
Models who had been smuggled into the Fashion Week site at West Circular Quay were pushed back as they tried to make their way down an unofficial red carpet unfurled for the Lili label.
But security guards intervened within 30 seconds to remove the first model and put her back in a truck.
Avidan then moved the seven-minute show for his Lili label outside nearby Customs House, following earlier unofficial displays outside Wynyard train station and opposite Town Hall.
If you’re one of the people who doesn’t think there’s enough buzz surrounding Australian Fashion Week, then you’re not alone. Danny Avidan, part-owner of well-known labels Charlie Brown and lili, believes the big labels are avoiding Australian Fashion Week because their appearance would be like Madonna competing on ‘American Idol’.
The businessman says the fashion week organisers, IMG Fashion, had erred in focusing on new talent and failing to persuade more of the country’s top operators back to showcase their latest designs.
“I think in this week they got it wrong and therefore they’re suffering the consequences, financial consequences and attendance consequences,” Avidan said.
His lili label is not on the catwalks this week as he believes IMG did not provide the right conditions for him to appear in the biggest annual week in Australian fashion.
“We were in fashion week on the basis that we had what we wanted, which was the right time-slot, the right international talent that IMG assured us they would assist us in bringing,” Avidan said.