Get Your Fall Fashion Fix From Down Under: The 12 Must-Know Designers From New Zealand Fashion Week Inline
Photo: Courtesy of James K. Lowe1/9Twenty-Seven Names
Just ten of the 24 models who walked the opening show at Twenty-Seven Names were white; and for a collection celebrating strong female icons, there couldn’t have been a better label to set such a precedent for diversity. Designers Rachel Easting and Anjali Stewart, who first met in primary school (the Kiwi version of elementary school), looked to strong, confident women like New Zealand’s second female prime minister, Helen Clark; Beyoncé; Mindy Kaling; and Judy Chicago for their Fall collection of warm and wearable separates. We loved the three-piece linen pant- and skirtsuits, the heavy button-up pinafore worn under a white T-shirt, and the slouchy canvas trousers—all paired with pristine white sneakers.
Photo: Courtesy of Stolen Girlfriends Club2/9Stolen Girlfriends Club
Inside Auckland’s famed St. James Theatre, the Pixies blared as cool-girl model Derya Parlak, wearing a mock band shirt, forwent the traditional pose-and-pivot to dive headfirst into the crowd. It was a rebel moment that succinctly summarized the Stolen Girlfriends Club girl: cool, confident, and sexy. Celebrating the label’s ten-year anniversary, the Fall collection featured its usual rotation of nineties party dresses, leather motorcycle jackets, and ripped denim, with some added-value extras like boxy tartan coats and oversize sheepskin outerwear.
Photo: Courtesy of Michael Ng3/9Harman Grubisa
This was the fourth season from this one-year-old brand and the first time designers Madeleine Harman and Jessica Grubisa (pronounced Groo-bees-a) have shown at New Zealand Fashion Week, and boy, did it make an impression. Titled Dakota (after the iconic apartment building of the same name on the Upper West Side of New York City, home to legendary women such as Lauren Bacall and Roberta Flack), the Fall collection will no doubt be the most sought-after come fall—mostly thanks to some expertly dyed Mongolian lambskins and one statement-making gray coat.
Photo: Courtesy of Olivia Hemus4/9Lucilla Gray
Wellington-based Lucilla Gray is just two seasons in, but she is already gaining traction as the young designer to watch with her striking digital prints (which Gray designs herself) and conceptual silhouettes—think bell-shaped accentuated sleeves, thigh-high splits, and oversize wide-leg pant pleats.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Campbell Luke; Photo: Courtesy of AJ Bradley5/9Campbell Luke and AJ Bradley
A group show titled Miromoda and celebrating Maori culture unearthed a crop of talented new designers taking inspiration from their kaupapa, the foundation of New Zealand’s heritage. Recent graduate Bobby Luke, 22, of Campbell Luke was a favorite, showing beautifully tailored linen pieces that put a modern spin on traditional Maori silhouettes. Similarly, the Gisborne-born AJ Bradley used natural fabrics and New Zealand sheepskin for a relaxed but polished collection of charming separates.
