Fashion Mingle Australia Launch Connects Industry VIPs from Sydney to New York

Set at the iconic Sydney Opera House restaurant Bennelong, Fashion Mingle, a global network for fashion industry professionals, officially launched in Australia during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The Fashion Mingle Australia luncheon was hosted by the Fashion Mingle team from New York, which included CEO, Melissa Shea and Director of Business Development, Sneha Andani with the Australian team, Jude Kingston of JMK Style and Sonya Mefaddi, Company Director of Fashion Palette.

The launch was spearheaded by fashion industry consultant Jude Kingston of Brisbane-based JMK Style, who recruited Fashion Mingle to come to Australia for their first international launch after attending Fashion Mingle’s NYFW Networking Party and joining the team.

“After attending the Fashion Mingle Networking event at New York Fashion Week last September I was so impressed with not only the event, and the contacts that I made, but the unique platform and what it offers to the Fashion Industry by way of connections to fellow professionals.” said Jude Kingston. The fashion industry consultant spoke with founder and CEO Melissa Shea about expanding globally and launching Fashion Mingle in Australia and less than 9 months from that initial conversation, the official Australia Fashion Directory was launched.

Australia Fashion Industry VIPs Show Support for Fashion Mingle Australia Launch

Among the VIP Luncheon attendees were Kristian Chase, designer of Aqua Blu Swimwear, which debuted it’s latest collection during fashion week at Carriageworks; Vesna Perry, cofounder of Fashion Palette, and fashion stylist Mary Centofanti. Chloe Naughton, Fashion Programmer for Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival; and Sarah Stavrow and Bryce McIntosh from the Fashion Institute.

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Kingston says “We have a progressive and growing fashion industry here but are limited with how to connect to a wider audience and other industry professionals not only in Australia but globally”. Kingston believes that the Fashion Mingle platform is the solution to this problem and predicts that Fashion Mingle will be one of the fastest growing networking platforms the fashion Industry has ever seen. “Quite simply, it is the solution to your business needs with global resources at your fingertips”.

Guests mixed and mingled to celebrate the arrival of one of the most powerful ways to connect to a global network of fashion professionals. Publicist Sofie Muir said “With the Sydney Harbour as the backdrop for this amazing networking event, there was no better way to kick off Fashion Week”. Camille Reed of the Australia Circular Fashion Association believes that Fashion Mingle is an incredible opportunity for the  Australian fashion industry to plug in globally. “No doubt after the successful launch at Sydney’s infamous Opera House with an elite group of fashion professionals, Fashion Mingle will be the next go-to resource for Australian fashion businesses”.

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VIPs from the Australian fashion industry were treated to an afternoon of networking and dining on the delectable menu prepared by Chef Peter Gilmore. Guests were gifted a scarf by sustainable designer, Runa Ray, who is a member of Fashion Mingle’s global network.

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Fashion Mingle’s Australian Fashion Directory is already a magnet for fashion industry professionals who want to connect across borders. Fashion Mingle Members Dora Staszko and Kris Kuczynski, founders of Yaskulsky are based in Sydney, but manufacturer their luxury handbags in New York City, and are eager to be a part of the growing network of fashion professionals. “We have no doubt the network will keep expanding and we are excited to be a part of it” said designer Dora Staszko.

Fashion Mingle is rolling out a membership drive over the coming months and Jude Kingston will be recruiting ambassadors for the site in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and Tasmania. Membership will allow those in the industry to tap into the directory’s vast network of members from all over the world, particularly the United States where the company was founded.

Veteran news editor and style blogger Anne-Marie Gale said she couldn’t believe that it’s taken so long for someone to come up with the idea of Fashion Mingle. “It’s like the LinkedIn of the fashion industry where any fashion professional – designer, supplier, manufacturer, consultant or media – can find the resources and partners they need to grow their fashion business. And today, when time is precious and we are so connected through technology and social media, Fashion Mingle is the thread that connects anyone anywhere anytime … it couldn’t be easier.”