The absence of some of Australia's biggest designers at Australian Fashion Week in May, including Wayne Cooper, Charlie Brown and Akira Isogawa, made room for some new faces to shine.

Josh Goot wowed critics with his simplistic but elegant creations.

Eccentric fashion duo Ksubi, whose designers have previously let rats loose on the runway and had models jump into Sydney Harbour, made their triumphant return to the event, rodent-free.

sass&bide also pulled out of the event after designer Heidi Middleton was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Melbourne-born Kylie Minogue, recovering from breast cancer and the much publicised split from her actor beau Olivier Martinez, made headlines with her striking transformation.

Stella McCartney thrilled fashion lovers on a budget when she launched an affordable 42-piece range in selected Target stores.

The daughter of The Beatles' Paul McCartney wasn't the only designer to see potential in Australia.

Models Gisele Bundchen and Rachel Hunter both made visits to launch their own fashion collections and burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese launched a range of M.A.C makeup products.

Australian models made their mark on international fashion in 2007.

Perth-born Gemma Ward controversially appeared on the cover of the first edition of Vogue India, sparking outrage about the use of an Anglo-Saxon model rather than an Indian model.

And like every good fashion scene, Australian fashion was marked with debate and controversy in 2007.

Despite some hype around her weight, Australia's Next Top Model winner Alice Burdeu made the coveted cover of Australian Vogue, with a rave review from the magazine's editor.

Queensland girl Maddison Gabriel, 13, caught the attention of politicians when she was chosen as the ambassador for Gold Coast Fashion week, prompting a proposed ban on the use of young models in Australia.

Even Australia's then-prime minister John Howard ignited fashion debate during the APEC forum in Sydney.

Mr Howard was responsible for choosing a traditional Australian dress for each of the 11 leaders to wear on the final day of the conference.

With all the possibilities, some better than others, the choice of an RM Williams Driza-Bone with coloured lapels was a safe one.