Perth Fashion Festival 2010 – getting ready

What PFF 2010 already? You might wonder. Yep, that’s right. Events as big as PFF starts their preparation as soon as the very last show is over. The wrap-up party signals another year of preparation.

Today, I was lucky enough to be invited (not by PFF organisers but by my beloved friend) to an exclusive corporate evening. Under the banner of ‘Invest to Impress’ PFF was trying to tempt large corporations to take out special VIP packages (naming rights, tickets to shows, pre-drinks, awards night, etc). As a commercial entity, PFF is trying to turn the festival into a profitable business. I don’t believe the festival has made a profit for the past 11 years. I personally think having maintained the festival all that time is quite an achievement. It will actually be good for them to become commercially viable so that they have bigger and better festivals each year, supporting more local talent and showing what WA Fashion can offer not just in Australia but around the world.

The proceedings started with the founder’s little speech. The highlight of the evening was really listening to the ever so articulate Karen Davies, the marketing director of PFF, and Lisa Scaffidi, the lord Mayor of Perth. It’s all good fun finding out the business side of the Perth Fashion Festival. I’m not sure whether the packages offered by PFF are attractive to all large corporations in Perth. For me, it was good to see Gemma, Sarah and Jess from Scene wearing Tarvydas and Wheels & Dollbaby.

Oh oh.. I also found out the festival dates – September 9 til 15 – before anyone (well I assume). This means that I can plan for my holiday (ho ho ho), and I also know that Fashion Paramount will be erected again in the Old Gas Works building on Wellington Street.

If anyone would care to listen to what I have to say, I would like PFF organisers to set up a better loo system. Portable toilets in the street seems less than stylish or fashionable. Might be okay for a blogger who’s in jeans & tee but not so for guests in their finest outfits with stilettos. Another thing on my wish-list is getting media access ready early on (so that I don’t have to beg for a pass on the day of the festival). Could I add more? Maybe a little more room in the media pit so that I don’t have to compete with guys in their teens claiming to be paparazzi for a spot. Well, I sound rather bitchy here. For all we know, I may not be around to attend the festival as a blogger/photographer next year. Things change. I hope PFF gets all the sponsorship they need so that upcoming talent can showcase their work and we can have a more polished and well organised festival. It should only get better. After all, WA is booming. Money abounds. Oi, all the fashionable rich in WA, why don’t you spend your money locally – supporting the local fashion festival for one!

Update: I had a chance to have an interesting conversation with Rachel Kemp, one of the project managers at PFF, the day after this event and found out that PFF is a ‘not for profit’ organisation. All the more reason to provide any support so that we can have more interesting designers at the festival.

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