Australian Fashion Chamber is merging with the Council of Textile and Fashion. Australian Fashion Chamber is a key fashion industry body. The Council of Textile and Fashion is the peak body for Australia’s clothing, textile and footwear industries.

The new industry body will benefit from having established offices in the country’s two largest cities and a combined membership that spans the entire Australian fashion and textile industry value chain. Sydney-based AFC boasts of 90 designer members, while the Melbourne-based CTF has several hundred members, ranging from textile manufacturers to fashion tech startups through to large retailers.

AFC benefits from some federal backing for its Australian Designers Abroad pop-up multi brand showrooms staged in Paris and New York during the collections seasons. Both not-for-profits are privately funded through memberships.

The proposed union of the two organizations is an incredibly exciting opportunity for Australian fashion, with the prospect to really expand and build on both organizations’ achievements to a great future. It is also seen as representing a turning point for the Australian industry and comes at a timely moment to strategically shape its future across the whole spectrum of design and textiles.

A name for the merged group is yet to be decided on but the Australian Fashion Council could be one of the possibilities.