An enduring partnership

It’s often said that great ideas come from great partnerships. You might not think that a fashion media brand and a luxury automotive brand would have many shared objectives, but a decade ago InStyle and Audi created an idea that has since become one of the most respected award initiatives in the country. 

For 10 years, the InStyle and Audi Women of Style awards have honoured the diverse achievements of women from a range of backgrounds including business, charity, technology, environment, sport, science and design. 

Some of the recipients are among the most recognisable actors, models and designers in Australia, while others are humble trailblazers, charity workers and entrepreneurs paving the way for a new generation of women. 

“Having the opportunity to work on these awards is the best thing I've ever done in my career,” InStyle editor Emily Taylor told Audi magazine.

“It's such a privilege. Every woman brings something different and it's amazing to see the uniqueness of all the stories.”

With 2018 dubbed ‘The Year of The Woman’ and female empowerment front and centre in global conversation, the awards - now already preparing for their 11^th year - were remarkably ahead of their time when they first began. 

“InStyle and Audi have been recognising women for a decade and now it’s really top of mind globally which is wonderful,” Taylor says. “It’s very much part of the zeitgeist right now but we've been doing it quietly for quite a long time.”

One of the most respected and anticipated events on the social calendar, industry experts, judges and guests have remarked that the longevity of the awards – and the enduring partnership between Audi and InStyle – is testament to their calibre.
“I think we really hit the mark because there's not many properties and events that you see last for a decade,” says Taylor. “The industry changes all the time, focuses, priorities and trends change so I think we're really proud of the fact that Women of Style is still so relevant and there isn’t that fatigue around it.

“We had a lot of lovely feedback that the 10 year celebration was the best one yet which goes to show there is such a big opportunity to be holding up the achievements of women.

Taylor says she is constantly asked how the Women of Style awards consistently find incredible new women to feature year after year.  But she believes the difficulty lies in narrowing the list down, not compiling it. 

“There's just so many incredible Australian women and their achievements that the difficult thing is to work out which women we honour as opposed to 'how can we find another 10 for another year'”. 

Actor Cate Blanchett, artist Del Kathryn Barton, OzHarvest founder Ronni Kahn, model and businesswoman Elle Macpherson and Canva founder Melanie Perkins are among those who have been recognised. But there are just as many innovators and quiet achievers who have also had their stories shared. 

“Women from the charity, community and tech world are really important for us to find because they’re the stories that you don’t often hear about and make you think 'wow, how have I never heard of this person?’”

The only restriction for entry is to be female, which has seen the awards honour women of all ages – from 93-year-old culinary icon Margaret Fulton in 2016 to 16-year-old young adventurer Jade Hameister this year.

Taylor says recognising Fulton was one of the most memorable moments of her career.
“That was really special, she was such a champion,” she said. “She actually wrote a note to me on her menu on the night and I kept it and got it framed. It was such a special moment for me to have her there. She's an incredible Australian woman.”

The InStyle team have already been inundated with nominations for next year with the days and weeks following the awards the busiest time for suggestions. 

Over the coming months, judges including Audi Australia’s Marketing and Communications Director, Anna Burgdorf, Nicole Kidman, Deborah Lee Furness and Dame Quentin Bryce will peruse the list ahead of next year’s event. 

All the while both brands are busy building on their partnership, with Audi launching the #DriveProgress communications campaign at the awards this year which begins with a celebration of some of the past InStyle Women of Style winners.

“We have a really special partnership with Audi,” says Taylor. “It's a very close collaboration. It’s made people realise that Audi really is a brand that has women front of mind.

“We're really looking forward to the Audi and InStyle #DriveProgress event in a couple of months time so the partnership has really evolved and there's a really nice synergy between our brands and the messages that we're trying to convey.” 

The affiliation has even created an important new personal partnership for Taylor – with her beloved Audi A1. 

“It’s nice because people do actually buy Audis because of this Women Of Style partnership,” she says. “I have, a few girls on my team have, women who have worked on the campaign in various ways have also bought one. 

“I now proudly drive an Audi A1 which I named Olaf because he’s ‘glacier white’. He reminds me of the snowman from Frozen who is my favourite character. It’s perfect for me.”