Thought 14th February was noteworthy only for a dramatic increase in restaurant bookings and last-minute bouquet purchases? Think again! It’s also the date this year’s Fashion Accelerator kicks off at Brisbane’s QUT Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA), with five fledgling Queensland designers spending the next six months mastering the skills needed to manage and sustain a successful fashion business.

The fashion entrepreneurs in this year’s program span a broad range of the sartorial spectrum. There’s classic corsetry and knitwear from Lorraine White’s Whitelane Textiles; modern, gender-neutral streetwear from Evie Willsteed’s Genkstacy; sustainable beachwear from Kathrin Bonfigt’s Miss Summer; feminine modernity from Alexandra Coleburn’s Gloria Dulcie; and a unique fusion of art and fashion from Suzanne Knezovic’s SUZII K. Phew!

Australia’s only accelerator program to exclusively support fashion startups, the Fashion Accelerator covers everything from ecommerce and business modelling to range development and branded content. This year’s mentors include Australian Fashion Chamber’s Courtney Miller; fashion designer Lydia Pearson; Blurb Consulting’s Ian Perkins; former director of The Australian Fashion Council Michel Abeysekera; The Fashion Darling’s Vanja Stace and CEA’s Fashion Development Manager Thuy Nguyen. We can’t wait to see what emerges!