THE majority of Myer's fashion department bigwigs have quit in the past few weeks but the company is hoping to shore up its fashion commitment by hosting a raft of events at Australian Fashion Week.
"We want to reinforce our commitment to Australian fashion," Myer's director of marketing and creative services Paul Bonnici said yesterday.
The department store will host a series of extravagant breakfasts, lunches and cocktail parties for fashion media and buyers at AFW's venue at Circular Quay, Sydney - the first time Myer has had an onsite presence there in the event's 12-year history.
But members of Myer's senior buying ranks will be thin on the ground when AFW opens in Sydney today.
The company's apparel director, Bob Boutin, responsible for men's and women's clothing, footwear and accessories, resigned last week. His departure follows that of Mark Bingemann, Myer's women's wear business manager last month.
Mr Bingemann's wife and Myer's manager of footwear and accessories, Jasmine Bingemann, also resigned last week, and others to leave Myer's fashion team since the company was sold for $1.4 billion last year include national public relations manager Tracy Baker and events manager Renee Rosen.
Sources close to Myer claim all of the departures are a result of concern about a declining emphasis on designer brands.
"That is absolute nonsense," Mr Bonnici said. "The reason why they left has nothing to do with the decline of designer brands. They all had their individual reasons."
Under new owners Newbridge Capital, the company plans to cut back on smaller, less profitable suppliers and its private label brands.
Already, several notable designers have defected to David Jones, including Anna Thomas and Alex Perry, who are both showing at AFW today.
But Mr Bonnici denied the department store was going downmarket. "Myer is absolutely still committed to Australian fashion," he said. "We believe in it and we are in it for the long haul."
Responsibility for the fashion division now falls to Judy Coomber, who also runs children's wear, intimate apparel and cosmetics. She will attend AFW along with Myer's international and Australian buyer Natalie Stevens.
Myer star designers Camilla and Marc will this morning open AFW, which showcases more than 80 labels over five days.
Natalie Wood yesterday jumped the gun on the event, showing her Something Else label in a studio in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. "Doing something on my own suits my personal style," said Wood of her decision to show off ahead of AFW.
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