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 collectsion 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 collectsion 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 collectsion 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 collectsion 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 collectsion of charming separates.
Photo: Courtesy of Michael Ng6/9Kate Sylvester
What makes a muse? Kate Sylvester set out to celebrate women who inspire for her Fall collectsion, using core assets like “complexity, strength, style, beauty, and eccentricity” as a starting point for sharp tailoring and clashing prints. Highlights include buttery leather dresses, long coats that nip in at the waist, structured skinny suiting, and louche, slouchy tweed.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Zambesi; Photo: Courtesy of Michael Ng7/9Zambesi and Nom*D
Pillars of the New Zealand fashion industry, Zambesi and Nom*D, in business for 35 and 27 years, respectively, have long inspired how women dress Down Under. Neither label “does trends,” opting instead to design to the beat of their own dark drums. At Zambesi, we suggest the wool bouclé coats and the possum silk merino blankets capes. At Nom*D, go for the plaid shirtdresses, forest green bomber jackets, and floral burnout prints.
Photo: Courtesy of Harriet Were8/9Harriet Were
Harry Were’s Handknits, by Harriet Were, is the greatest thing to come out of New Zealand since Marmite on Vogel’s toast. Using handspun wool made in the Marlborough Sounds, a one-hour drive down windy shingle roads from Havelock, Were creates limited-edition chunky knit sweaters like your grandma used to make—just ten times better. Cozy and chic, they are the perfect winter equation.
From left: Photo: Courtesy of Steven Chee; Photo: Courtesy of Andrei Blidarean9/9Ruby and Georgia Alice
Cool, classic, and wearable, both Ruby and Georgia Alice make the kind of effortlessly confident clothes every woman needs in her wardrobe. Ruby designer Deanna Didovich created a Fall collectsion inspired by Russian-born ballerina Alexandra Danilova, with blush pink coats, lace playsuits and dresses, and ballet-inspired silhouettes. Georgia Alice’s new collectsion is comprised of luxe staple separates, like slouchy jeans, a soft gray hoodie, one “killer” black dress, and a statement floor-length skirt.
