Across the ditch and just as winter comes to a close in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand has been celebrating its 15th Fashion Week (24-30 August). Here are our highlights.
Featuring several L’Officiel favourites, we also welcome a run of newcomers who are shaking things up. At times awash with rain, the models soldiered on in the name of fashion.
Among the head turning newcomers is Lucilla Gray (see above), who only graduated from Massey University in 2014 and launched her label at London Fashion Week this year. While her collection subtly references 1960s silhouettes and prints, there is something breathtakingly new, a slice of heaven that could only come from New Zealand. Elsewhere, NZFW has announced to a global audience that our diminutive Antipodean neighbour is a creative force to be reckoned with.
Twenty-seven names
Romantic in pared down monochrome, the nude trenches were on point in the Auckland drizzle on day two of NZFW. Twenty-Seven Names is the brainchild of Rachel Easting and Anjali Stewart, who have been inseparable since primary school. Nostalgia and simplicity in shapes, this label is one to watch.
Kate Sylvester
At L’Officiel, we have adopted New Zealander Kate Sylvester as a local hero, and she appears in the September issue alongside stellar Australian designers. She told L’Officiel that her “conceptual collections always tell a story and play on disparate references both nostalgic and modern, masculine and feminine.” Playing on the binaries at NZFW, her collection is both light and dark, sweetness and grit.
Sure, it’s nice to see old friends at Fashion Week but there are always new faces jostling in the crowd. These might be a few friends you’ll want to add to your fashion rolodex, or perhaps, bookmark as a favourite.
Julian Danger Bringing a touch of street style, New Zealand based designer Amy-Rose Goulding showed off some eclectic prints and brave new directions for her label. Danger often brings the allure of both fun and risk.
HARMAN GRUBIŠA Championing long life fashion and keeping production local, design partners Madeleine Harman and Jessica Grubiša launched their label just last year. Though new on the block, their design identity stands tall (see the runway show). Coming from very different aesthetic stand points, there is a nice take on scale and texture, elements which flirt with classic silhouettes. See more at their website.
Catch up on more at nzfashionweek.com
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