This year, New Zealand Fashion Week celebrates its 10th anniversary. Back in 1999 ‘secret squirrel’ like talks were going on with fashion insiders as to how to keep the industry alive and in the public eye. So 2001 saw the birth of NZFW by Pieter Stewart and her fabulous team.
New Zealand Fashion Week – 10 years strong
From its early youthful beginnings, New Zealand Fashion Week has come a long way and now is rated highly amongst the Pacific fashion shows. The week long catwalk shows stand their ground alongside Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore fashion weeks. It is a great platform for local and national designers to showcase their work.
This year saw an eclectic mix for the A/W11 collections and an interesting insight for a fashion writer who is already working this Autumn/Winter and profiling S/S11. Sophisticated lines and structured tailoring are maintained in A/W 11, from this season but the Australasian designers have their own unique edge and cuts in their collections.
Carr Heel, Frith Heel, Alanna Heel, by Kathryn Wilson
Shoe Designer Kathryn Wilson staged one of the most applauded shows of the New Zealand Fashion Week. The designer had her debut catwalk show this year, she has loyal friends and customers who buy up to eight pairs from her collection each season. Her amazing shoes are seen as investment pieces with prices ranging from £110 to £250. Kathryn’s brand has been on the rise for seven years, rapidly growing from a small, fledging label into a significant player in the new tidal wave of New Zealand’s fast-paced and youthful fashion scene.
New Zealand Fashion Weekend
As with London Fashion Week, there is also a weekend event at NZFW whereby the general public and budding fashionistas can attend catwalk shows, shop at the Herald Designer Garage Sale and learn top tips from makeup artists and stylists. New Zealand Fashion Weekend ran from 25th to 26th September at the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland. The event included the PWC New Generation show which featured up and coming designers as well as models from New Talent (NZ version of Britain’s Next Top Model). Phoenix House of Makeup had lessons and free makeovers in the Moët champagne bar, whilst there were seminars on cosmetics, skin care and styling classes from Signature Style. The IBM Designer Selection Show was the catwalk to be front row at. The LadyM Presents team sat on the front row and eagerly awaited the three parades of over 50 designers with in season S/S outfits and sneak previews at A/W 11 pieces.
New Zealand Fashion Week, Auckland 2010
IBM Designer Selection Show
The catwalk show was lively and colourful. Mixing summer looks with previews of next autumn. Designers included Cybèle, Blak, Twenty-Seven Names and Jimmy D and Zambesi. The summer looks featured a lot of girly detailing, florals and light materials. Silks, chiffon and mesh were heavily present in the collections.
IBM Designer Selection Show, NZFW 2010
The girls in Cybèle walked in some fabulous black loungewear, simple cuts and sophisticated silk dresses. Whilst Twenty-Seven Names brought us ‘country chic’, playful short playsuits in floral and outfits set off with heavy brogues. Never Black set the tone through elegant evening wear, with metallics and mesh and some fabulous cut out shoes from the Kathryn Wilson collections.
Zambesi & Twenty-Seven Names, NZFW 2010
Annah Stretton, the designer who founded her fashion empire in a Waikato dairy farm in the early 1990′s, showcased girly frills and old-fashioned lace. Her collection was described by online magazine Stuff.co.nz as “her strongest collection yet”. Whilst Michelle Yvette, known for her bright colours and elegant dresses gave us a flash of colour with canary yellow and peach silks, strong looks with feminine style. New Zealand fashion favourite and designer for many celebrities, Trelise Cooper, hit the runway in a theme of red, white and blue, with playful and light outfits mixed with statement shoulders and structured lines. Her collection was a big hit this year, as always and her quirkiness and originality showed through.
IBM Designer Selection Show, featuring Trelise Cooper
The show was a mixture of concepts, sometimes confusing with so many new names popping up on the screen behind the models as they walked on to the runway. There was no clear definition between S/S and A/W but styles that were maintained throughout were simple, yet sophisticated silk dresses and strong prints. The girly girl look for day time and elegant evening wear for after dark is still a stronghold in fashion.
Front Row at Sera Lilly, NZFW 2010
NZ Fashion & Blogging
There was much talk this year at the show about the rise of the following of fashion week on the internet, with fashionistas and editors tweeting away the hashtag #NZFW and much coverage of the shows by fashion bloggers such as Isaaclikes.com and Emma Gleason of Rag Pony. Anjali Stewart of local label Twenty-Seven Names commented that she has “no doubt that social media has led to an increase in her brand profile both in New Zealand and overseas”. (Canvas Magazine, Weekend Herald, 28th Sept 2010).