Fashion Week's New Sponsor Is Sending Oscar de la Renta to Australia

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WME-IMG just picked up a major long-term partner to support 17 fashion week events across the world. Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced its global fashion week sponsorship today.

This is the first multinational, multi-year airline sponsorship supporting the fashion industry. Etihad Airways will become the official airline of fashion week events in New York, London, Milan, Berlin, Sydney, and Mumbai this year, and by 2017, will sponsor a total of 17 men's and women's fashion events.

To kick things off, Etihad is helping bring Oscar de la Renta to Sydney to show its summer 2016 presentation at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia on May 20th. It will be the brand's debut runway show in Australia. Cynthia Rowley is headed to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, too, according to WWD.

For fashion industry folks, this partnership could have some perks — like comped flights. Etihad Airways and its partner airlines will develop "travel-oriented relationships" with fashion designers, models, stylists, journalists, photographers, suppliers and sponsors.

If you'll remember, Mercedes-Benz dropped out of its title sponsorship of New York Fashion Week in 2015, but still sponsors fashion weeks around the world. Sports and media management company IMG-WME bought NYFW in 2001, and acquired competitor Made Fashion Week in 2015.