About SYDFW
Fashion first.
Purpose throughout.
Sydney Fashion Week by MCR 2027 is an independent, public-facing fashion festival. International in outlook, grounded in Sydney and connected to the people who make the city.
Meet the teamOne festival.
Many perspectives.
International and Australian fashion meet through runway presentations, cultural exchange, education and designer discovery. The festival is produced by MCR Media Pty Ltd.
Purpose is specific to each experience: a dedicated opening fundraiser, designer and market connections through the showcases, and cultural connection through Global Village.
Take partTeam / Leadership
The people
behind SYDFW.
Founder-led, with a team spanning production, operations, technology and partnerships, and guidance drawn from major events, philanthropy and inclusion.
Founder
Sarah Quinn
Founder & Managing Director, MCR
A lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sarah Quinn is the Founder and Managing Director of MCR, leading the vision, partnerships and commercial strategy behind the platform. She has led teams that have raised more than $400 million for Australian charities. Through My Charity Runway and now Sydney Fashion Week by MCR, she brings designers, partners and charities together in a new model of runway experience: a cultural exchange platform with fashion at its heart, delivering both cultural relevance and measurable impact. Her focus is a scalable platform that supports emerging designers, engages high-value audiences, creates meaningful outcomes for charities and brands, and builds a lasting community. Sarah believes fashion has the power to define the next decade — what we create, what we buy, how we connect and how we give.
“Redefining fashion through purpose and experience.”
Leadership Team
- 01
Marianne Mapa
Head of Partnerships & Corporate Strategy
Marianne leads partnerships and corporate strategy across the festival — corporate sponsors, cultural and community organisations, and the working connections between Sydney and New York. A relationship-driven strategist with more than 17 years across corporate social responsibility, communications and program leadership, she holds a Global Master of Business Administration from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management. She currently leads communications and partnership development at Reledev Australia, building education and community programs for students from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds. Her belief is simple: impact happens when people feel valued, connected and trusted.
Profile - 02
Gary Holmes
Director — Event & Production
Gary leads production and delivery, bringing together the creative and technical elements of the runway. He has more than 25 years across media and fashion photography and more than 14 years in talent management, event production and campaign delivery, and produced the inaugural My Charity Runway show in Sydney. His focus is turning a concept into an experience — creative direction, runway design, show flow and backstage execution — so designers and partners are shown in a premium, editorial environment. He also serves on the Gala Events Committee for Tour de Cure.
Profile - 03
Ben Taber
Chief Operating Officer
Ben oversees operations and marketing, with more than 20 years in the fundraising sector. He runs the day-to-day delivery of the festival and the marketing that brings designers, partners and audiences to the runway.
- 04
Simon Quinn
Chief Technology Officer
Simon leads technology and digital infrastructure — the designer application process, data systems and the online experience behind the festival. He builds the platform that lets designers, partners and charities take part, from first application through to the night itself.
Advisory Committee
- 01
Sandra Chipchase AM
Advisory Committee
A leader in international tourism, business events and major events, Sandra was CEO of Destination NSW and Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney. She previously led the Melbourne Convention & Visitors Bureau, worked with Tourism Australia across Europe and the USA, and headed Australia’s presence at World Expo 2000.
Profile - 02
Albert Wong AM
Advisory Committee
Originally from Hong Kong, Albert has more than 40 years in investment banking and stockbroking and is a Director of Aland Equity Group. A Board Member of Children’s Medical Research Institute since 2013, he also serves on the UNSW Foundation and GWS Giants Foundation boards, and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017.
Profile - 03
Michael Claessens
Advisory Committee
CEO of Project Independence and former CEO of Regional Development Australia (ACT), Michael brings more than 20 years across industry, investment, the not-for-profit sector and Federal Government. He believes social responsibility and inclusion should go hand in hand with business success.
Profile
2026 / The founding impact platform
My Charity
Runway.
My Charity Runway brought designers, charitable causes and a broader audience together in Sydney on 28 August 2026 — a night of fashion with purpose that became the foundation of the festival.
The 2027 festival builds on that story. My Charity Runway remains a distinct programme: the opening presentation and fundraiser for brighter futures for children.
The first runway / 28 August 2026 / Sydney
The runway walk / Sydney 2026
The final walk.
Nicole’s archive pieces, reinterpreted by a new generation of models on the My Charity Runway catwalk.
Bridging cultures / Sydney ↔ New York
Two cities.
An open conversation.
Sydney’s diverse creative communities and New York’s international fashion perspective meet through a shared language: design. Sydney Fashion Week by MCR builds on that connection, bringing different experiences, cultural identities and ways of seeing into conversation.
The ambition is exchange in both directions — introducing international perspectives to Sydney while giving emerging Australian designers a platform to share their own. First Nations voices and the city’s multicultural communities are part of that conversation, not a footnote.
From the Day 2 designer showcases to the Global Village closing presentation, the festival asks how fashion can express where we come from — and the future we want to share.
Creative connection / MCR 2026
Different origins.
A shared runway.
The festival’s next chapter brings emerging international, Australian and First Nations designers together. Collections carry personal stories, cultural heritage and new possibilities.
Meet the designer programme