Apparel Magazine | March 2018

$ 9.00

MARCH 2018 I VOL 51 I NO 03

VANCOUVER

FASHION WEEK

APPAREL PRESENTS pg.12

SOCIAL SELLING It’s exactly what it sounds like, and no it’s not the same as marketing or advertising on social media. If you haven’t gotten on board yet, you are losing sales to your tech-savvy peers. Social Selling is the art of using social networks (such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and so on) to find, connect with, understand and nurture sales prospects. It’s a modern way of developing and maintaining relationships with potential customers, keeping your brand naturally front of mind for when they’re ready to buy. Social Selling is NOT bombarding strangers with private messages, and mass following and unfollowing. There’s a name for that – spam.

Social Selling allows your team to build real relationships with your customers. People buy off people they like. Making a secure network through all of your social channels creates an immediate sense of trust. Kowtow is a great example of Social Selling, they share photos on their Instagram and Instagram story of their customers in their clothes, and respond almost immediately to customers’ questions and comments.

They are interacting and more importantly – listening. Potential new customers are just a click away, and consumers want to be included, be part of the family – and that is exactly the environment they are making. Maggie Marilyn is also a good example of utilising Social Selling, check out their numerous staff and customer interviews on their Instagram stories. I would recommend starting a ‘Highlight’ on your Instagram profile dedicated to screenshots and images of your customers wearing your pieces and tag them in it. It creates a goal for your other customers to take selfies and pictures of your products to be included in this project on your social profile.

Here are three ways to help you start Social Selling. Firstly, you just have to show up. No one wants to talk to robots, so why use them? You may be tempted to save time with automatic replies, but is a huge turn off for consumers. Secondly, be strategic. Your followers are sharing all of the information, all you need to do is pay attention.

And finally, establish your reputation by consistently

CHAIRMAN

Peter Mitchell PUBLISHER Tania Walters - tania@reviewmags.com GENERAL MANAGER Kieran Mitchell - kieran@reviewmags.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Sarah Mitchell - sarah@reviewmags.com EDITOR Caitlan Mitchell - caitlan@reviewmags.com STAFF WRITER

Mark Fullerton

Georgina Mckimm ADVERTISING SALES Laura Shortall - Laura@reviewmags.com

2 I March 2018

posting thoughtful and relevant content on social media, and the flock will follow.

This joke is for my uncle: A jockey is about to enter a race on a new horse. The horse’s trainer meets him before the race and says, “All you have to remember with this horse is that every time you approach a jump, you have to shout, ‘ALLLLEEE OOOP!’ really loudly in the horse’s ear.

Providing you do that, you’ll be fine.”

The jockey thinks the trainer is mad but promises to shout the command. The race begins, and they approach the first hurdle. The jockey ignores the trainer’s ridiculous advice, and the horse crashes straight through the centre of the jump.

They carry on and approach the second hurdle. The jockey, somewhat embarrassed, whispers “Aleeee ooop” in the horse’s ear. The same thing happens - the horse crashes straight through the centre of the jump.

At the third hurdle, the jockey thinks, “It’s no good, I’ll have to do it,” and yells, “ALLLEEE OOOP!” really loudly.

Sure enough, the horse sails over the jump with no problems. This continues for the rest of the race, but due to the earlier problems, the horse only finishes third.

The trainer is fuming and asks the jockey what went wrong. The jockey replies, “Nothing is wrong with me - it’s this bloody horse. What is he - deaf or something?”

The trainer replies, “Deaf? Deaf?! He’s not deaf.

He’s blind!”

This month we are excited to showcase our first runway show at Vancouver Fashion Week.

Our group show aptly titled ‘Apparel Presents’ showcasing three talented New Zealand emerging designers. Flip to page 12 for more.

caitlan@reviewmags.com

@NZAPPAREL

SENIOR DESIGNER GRAPHIC DESIGNER ISSN 1171-2287

Raymund Sarmiento Ciaran Carroll

Level 3, Suite 9, 20 Augustus Tce, Parnell, Auckland, PO Box 37 140, Parnell, Auckland Tel (09) 304 0142 Fax (09) 377 2794 NZ Apparel is published monthly under licence by Review Publishing Co Ltd. Please direct all enquiries and correspondence to NZ Apparel. The opinions and material published in this edition of NZ Apparel are not necessarily those of the publishers unless specifically stated. All material appearing in NZ Apparel is copyright and may only be reproduced with the consent of the publisher. Copyright 2018 NZ Apparel Magazine.

DEFINING DRESSES: A Century of Fashion

By Arthur Dreyfus

Showcasing 101 ground-breaking dresses from iconic designers, Defining Dresses shows the creative evolution and versatility of the dress over the past Century.

The timeline shows the transformations of dresses not only as a wardrobe item but as a work of art. Specially commissioned photographs feature an array of top international designers including; Chanel, Dior, and Vivienne Westwood.

This book dives deep into fashion archives to select the most iconic and revolutionary dress from each year, recalling some of fashion’s most memorable moments.

DIVING FOR STARFISH

By Cherie Burns

In the mid-1930s, Parisian Jeweller Juliette Moutard constructed one of the most coveted pieces of jewellery in the world – the starfish pin. Made from 71 cabochon rubies and 241 small amethysts, the House of Boivin only made three of them. Both a history of beautiful jewellery and a tour through the secretive world of highend, privately-sold jewellery, Diving for Starfish is a sophisticated detective story following the life of this glittering piece of jewellery.

LOULOU & YVES:

The Untold Story of Loulou de la Falaise and the House of Saint Laurent

By Christopher Petkanas

An exuberantly entertaining oral biography, Loulou & Yves: The Untold Story of Loulou de La Falaise and the House of Saint Laurent, tells the untold story of Yves Saint Laurent and his muse Loulou de La Falaise. A fascinating oral biography, in which the spoken memories of more than two hundred voices are interwoven with LouLou and Yves themselves. Readers will listen to Andy Warhol, Karl Lagerfeld, Mick Jagger and Tom Ford as the uncensored narrative unfolds.

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NEW COUNTRY MANAGER FOR L’ORÉAL

BEAUTY GIANT OPENS IN TAKAPUNA

Mecca Cosmetica has opened its first store on Auckland’s North Shore.

Located in Takapuna, the store can be found at 67 Hurstmere Road. The new luxurious store will offer consumers a vast array of beauty brands and will be the first New Zealand store to provide the MECCA Perfumeria and Trove concepts. The Takapuna store will debut its store-within-a-store fragrance concept which offers the world’s finest fragrance brands and will be home to the MECCA Trove concept that features a handpicked selection of niche and undiscovered beauty brands. Auckland’s North Shore now has easy access to Mecca Cosmetica’s cult-classics and exclusive brands such as Hourglass, Chantecaille, Sunday Riley, Kate Somerville, and NARS.

ONE STOP SHOP Biz Collection provides customers with a one-stop-shop for all their uniform apparel needs. With our large range of products in an array of fabric styles and colours, we can provide all your uniform needs for business, sports, clubs, promotions, schools, charities and individuals. Effective branding can make or break a business, so increased brand recognition is usually one of the most important aspects of marketing any business or organization. Biz Collection offers the opportunity for high visibility mass reach with a quality product at low cost in a variety of colours, styles and sizes to suit any uniform requirement. We do not sell direct to end users, but distribute our range of blank, ‘branding-ready’ products through several channels including agencies and promotional companies.

With 29 years’ experience in apparel across multiple international markets, our ultimate aim is to provide our distributors, and ultimately their customers, with

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SWATCH WATCH

Aurelie de Cremiers has been appointed the role of Country Manager in New Zealand. de Cremiers managers the consumer products business and leads the New Zealand Management Committee.

“We are recognised as the leading beauty company in New Zealand with our products found in all major supermarkets, department stores, pharmacies, hair salons, and boutiques,” explained Rodrigo Pizarro, managing director of L’Oréal Australia and New Zealand. “With the success, she has achieved in 16 years with L’Oréal, Aurelie’s appointment is an exciting development which will further drive our passion to meet the diverse beauty needs of even more New Zealanders.” “I’m honoured to take on the leadership role in New Zealand. There has been outstanding work done to entrench L’Oréal as the beauty range of choice for New Zealanders,” said de Cremiers. “I’m excited to build on this work and make a positive and impactful difference to people’s lives through our people and brands as we look to share beauty with all.”

not only the widest uniform choice but also the best possible quality product at the best possible price, backed by the best possible customer service. Of paramount importance is the quality of our garments, remaining at the forefront of fabric development, maintaining adequate stock levels, and ensuring the latest business infrastructure is in place to enable us to offer and guarantee the best service to our customers.

Over many years we have forged strong relationships with our manufacturers who have the expertise to supply the highest quality products in a ‘just-in-time- delivery process. We have a fully equipped QC laboratory at our head office which ensures that our products not only comply with but exceed their defined set of quality criteria, as well as the requirements of our customers. This is in addition to external QC checks carried out at source.

So, when you are ready to differentiate yourself from your opposition and stand out in the crowd, ask your uniform provider for Biz Collection by name. With coordinating apparel that oozes energy, ideas, variety and style, we have the full range of products to take care of all uniform needs to suit multiple business or team applications. Visit your local Biz Collection website for more product information: www.bizcollection.com.au, www.bizcollection.co.nz, www.bizcollection.ca, www.bizcollection.com

SPONSORED BY

FROM THEIR

COLLECTION

BEFORE THEY WERE FAMOUS

iD D U N E D I N EMERGING DESIGNER SHOW M AY 3 & 4, 2018 iD FA S H I O N.C O.N Z T I C K E TM A S T E R.C O.N Z

46 of the world’s best emerging designers in two incredible shows.

IMAGE: Lisa Liu, University of Technology Sydney apparelmagazine.co.nz

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2017’S BEST OVERALL WORKPLACE

$223 MILLION EXPANSION

Kiwi Property has given the green light to expand Sylvia Park today.

The $223 million retail expansion will focus on the ‘Galleria’ and includes a new two-story 8,100 sqm flagship Farmers department store. The Galleria will also include new international brands and concept stores and will highlight selected retailers from Sylvia Park’s current waiting list of speciality tenants.

The 60 new retailers will span across 18,000 sqm of retail space to the centre including a new generation of cafés, and multi-deck carpark with 900 carparks with direct access to the Galleria. This boosts the total carpark capacity to around 5,000.

As New Zealand’s largest shopping centre, on completion of the expansion, the new and improved Sylvia Park will total over 90,000 sqm. The projected value of Sylvia Park (upon completion) has been assessed by independent valuer CBRE at $1.12 billion. “Our vision for Sylvia Park is the creation of a world-class town centre offering our customers exceptional retail, dining, entertainment and workplace experiences. This latest retail expansion will consolidate the centre’s position as New Zealand’s favourite shopping destination,” said Mark Ford, Kiwi Property Board Chair.

“We have built up considerable momentum in the delivery of our world-class town centre vision at Sylvia Park. Since opening New Zealand’s first H&M and Zara stores in October 2016 we successfully opened The Grove dining district in December 2017, featuring an expanded range of contemporary dining experiences. By mid-2018 we expect to successfully complete construction of our new $80.2 million, 10-level office building on the site and by the end of this year we will complete our new $36.3 million five-level, central carpark building,” added Gudgeon. “We are positioning the centre for the future by constantly evolving our retail mix in response to consumer preferences, focussing on high performing stores and in-demand retailers.”

“From the moment we announced our intention to expand Sylvia Park, we have

Overland Footwear has been named the Overall Winner of IBM’s Best Workplaces 2017. This is the third-time Overland has been awarded the title in the past 18 years. The wellknown and trusted footwear retailer has an array of branches scattered throughout New Zealand with its base in Newmarket, Auckland. Overland Footwear beat 42 other finalists and walked away with New Zealand’s longest running and largest measure of employee engagement. The Awards are based on employee perceptions of their workplace in a confidential survey of key metrics including leadership, culture, recognition, and engagement.

The footwear brand also received a ten-year acknowledgement in the Best Workplaces League Awards. “Earning the title of New Zealand’s Best Workplace is a valuable differentiator for employers aiming to attract and retain top talent. The IBM Best Workplaces Awards recognise excellence in employee engagement and workplace culture based on perceptions of the organisation’s own staff, people who know the culture best,” explained Emma Martin, senior consultant at IBM New Zealand. The survey saw over 35,000 employees from 173 organisations including 27 newcomers – making it the largest study of its kind in New Zealand.

enjoyed strong tenant enquiry from high-quality local retail brands, as well as indemand international retailers, some of whom, if secured, would be new to the New Zealand market,” said Aubrey Cheng, Retail Leasing for Kiwi Property manager.

“We remain encouraged by this strong level of tenant enquiry and look forward to bringing further excitement to New Zealand’s favourite shopping centre.”

Megan Pretorius BINTANG MODELS

If she were not a model, Megan Pretorius would be indulging her creative side styling shoots and travelling to places with a history of the occult.

Having already studied Fashion Design and Fine Arts, Pretorius is now studying a Bachelor of Arts.

Her hope is to specialise in Anthropology, “I have a deep interest in people, the past, religion, art, ritual and occult practices in different cultures and would love to explore these in whatever direction or niche I can find for myself.”

Pretorius became a model at 17 when she went to a casting for a designer looking for non-signed models and ended up signing with her agency.

Since then, Pretorius has been with a few different agencies, but switched to Bintang saw her career take off. Next on the agenda is going international -

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Pretorius would like to be signed by an overseas agency so she can work abroad and experience other cultures. Despite her success and ambitions for the future, Pretorius does not sugar coat a life of modelling; ‘There are a lot of hurdles to overcome in the modelling industry.

Having dealt with anxiety and selfconfidence issues in the past, it’s taken a lot to learn to realise my own selfworth. Being involved in this industry has actually given me a platform on which to be who I want to be.’

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DRIVING SALES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA LIKEtoKNOW launched just over a year ago and already has over a million registered users on the mobile app alongside its rapidly growing sales over US$300 million from its shoppers. The app drives influencer sales for fashion and lifestyle retailers through screenshots of looks on social media platforms like Instagram, Pinterest and across the mobile web. Influencers tag products in their images and LIKEtoKNOW.it delivers the ready-to-shop product details to the customer via the LIKEtoKNOW.it app and email when the item is screenshot or liked. From the app, the customer is able to discover and curate thousands of ready-to-shop images, daily. The app is an extension of rewardStyle, a monetisation solution for digital style influencers. LIKEtoKNOW. it offers seamless social commerce for consumers across social media and mobile web platforms. Recent research carried out in the USA showed that four out of five Nordstrom.com’s mobile web visits were driven by an influencer and that over 70 percent of that came via the app. A seamless cross-channel customer experience across all digital platforms, apps and social channels is one of the biggest opportunities as well as the biggest challenges for retailers.

“The fact is that the way consumers discover and shop today has changed forever and is continuing to evolve at a faster pace than ever before,” said Dave Murray, executive vice president, Europe at RewardStyle. “With an increasing number of retail sales taking place on mobile and consumers spending more time on social media platforms, LIKEtoKNOW.it makes it easier than ever before for consumers to shop the social content that they discover and like through those platforms.”

Retailers are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience, with customers demanding what they want, where they want it and in the format, they want with the industry moving quickly away from a supply-driven one to a demand-driven world, putting the power back in the customers hands. “We’re effectively providing a mobile proposition for consumers to purchase items they have discovered across different

platforms in a seamless and user-friendly way.”

Insights made available to the retailer from the app can make buying, merchandising, marketing and design decisions smarter and easier for future collections and campaigns. In particular, for fast fashion retailers who are able to capitalise on product trends at the speed and scale, as well as marketing teams who can act on the data rapidly and efficiently to drive ROI from its marketing strategy.

Instagram has recently introduced a new offering to brands that allows its users to shop ads as it moves further into the e-commerce space. The shopping-enabled ad unit allows brands to blend videos and product catalogues where consumers can complete purchases without leaving the app. Instagram is calling this ‘collection’ campagins. “They bring together video and direct-response ina compelling way that leads to better results across the board,” said Phillip Huynh, paid social director at 360i. “I would anticipate the same success on Instagram, just like every time something is ported over from Facebook.”

With the e-commerce space becoming a big opportunity on Instagram, and a competitive category in its competitor Snapchat also, both platforms are looking to offer features to brands that make the purchase a seamless one. Birchbox and Revolve are the first brands to try ‘collection’ ads on Instagram during the trial. According to and Instagram spokesperson there are 200 million people following fashion-related accounts on Instagram. Currently, Facebook has more than five million advertisers, while Instagram has around two million, however there are 70 million businesses on Facebook and 25 million on Instagram. “Instagram is a business’s visual shop on mobile, and we’re seeing more people seek out businesses there,” said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s COO. “About two-thirds of the visits to Instagram business profiles are from people who don’t follow them. This is how many businesses are finding new customers.”

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8 I March 2018

SEAMLESS INTEGRATION SOLUTION

Kudos has been providing POS based solutions to the retail sector since 2000 and web-based solutions since 2005. Their premier products are Counter Intelligence POS and Kudos e-retailer which are widely installed in retail throughout Australasia. Kudos offers POS solutions, integrated websites, web design, and support services. Their Counter Intelligence is targeted at those retailers who carry multiple style, colour and size options. “If a retailer has a simple website and wishes to move to a full e-commerce site, then we can translate the existing site into a Kudos e-retailer site,” said Neal Riley, Web Services Manager. “In addition to this, we offer links to a number of platforms such as Magento.” And for those retailers who currently have no website, Kudos would highly recommend its Counter Intelligence POS which will provide seamless integration with their new website. “This means that the products, customers, orders, stock on hand, loyalty points and gift vouchers will flow continuously with the website and POS.” Many leading New Zealand fashion brands use kudos e-retailer and the continual development reflects in the high-quality product delivered.

Kudos e-retailer is based on the popular Twitter Bootstrap Foundation meaning that it works brilliantly across all devices and it is familiar to many website designers.

For more information visit www.kudos.co.nz.

TECH STARTUP LAUNCHES DIGITAL HUMAN

ASB has announced plans to launch Josie, a digital assistant designed to help ASB staff support smallto-medium SME business owners in New Zealand.

Josie, created by ASB in partnership with New Zealand technology company FaceMe, is the first human-like interface powered by artificial intelligence to be used in Australasian banking.

Due for a mid-2018 launch, Josie is in her final stages of development with the bank now seeking input from SME business owners ahead of her first day at work. ASB executive general manager retail banking Russell Jones added ASB is looking for SME business owners to help build Josie’s knowledge of what’s required when setting up a successful business.

“Josie’s technology is new territory and we want to ensure she provides customers with valuable business guidance,” Jones said. “Our SME customers have

been asking for easy access to relevant information so we’re engaging with New Zealand’s large SME population to understand the range of questions they have when setting up and managing a business.”

In the short-term SME business owners, including those who aren’t ASB customers, will be able to interact with Josie in Auckland-based business hubs.

Through this process Josie’s understanding of the SME sector and customer needs will develop so that longer-term she’s armed with the knowledge she needs to deliver customised assistance.

Jones added that ASB created Josie to foster the success of business in New Zealand with an avatar service that isn’t yet available in Australasia. “We’re excited to develop this technology, but more importantly we’re eager to see what Josie will help our customers achieve. Globally, New Zealanders are known for innovation and entrepreneurship: we have brilliant ideas but sometimes lack the knowledge for profitable execution. This is where Josie will help.”

FaceMe CEO and founder Danny Tomsett says the brands that succeed in the future will be those whose artificial intelligence (AI) can provide customers with enhanced, personalised service. “We believe great customer experience follows meaningful conversation, so AI must respond to customer needs with empathy and personalisation,” said Tomsett.

“Customers don’t want to talk to a lifeless robot incapable of understanding their needs beyond keywords.” Much like the human mind, Josie’s knowledge will develop with information through human interactions over time. Tomsett explained that as AI is still developing there are some misconceptions surrounding its impact on people.

TESTING, ANALYSIS, CERTIFICATION – SYSTEMATIC, PRECISE AND EFFICIENT.

The LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX® allows leather and leather articles to be tested and certified at all processing stages. TESTEX tests and certifies – worldwide with Swiss reliability. Find more information at www.testex.com | auckland@testex.com

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Bernadette Casey

CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THE FORMARY

Bernadette Casey holds an MSc in marketing and is the founder and creative director of The Formary (a sustainable textile research, development and consulting company) and board member of iD Dunedin Fashion Week.

‘RETAIL MARKETING IN THE POSTCONSUMER ERA’ Sustainability in the apparel industry has gone, within a relatively short period, from an outlying, elective concept to a mainstream (although still electoral) operational and marketing tool. American economist Freidman stated back in 1970 that the single social responsibility of business is to increase its profits, but today that is no longer sufficient for the public, with brands that embed social and environmental responsibility into their operations gaining reputational kudos and loyal followings from customers.

Tools like Tearfund’s Ethical Fashion Guide provide consumers with insight into brands operations and rate companies on the ethical performance. Originally socially focused, this year Tearfund is broadening their reporting to include environmental questions.

Their reasoning is pollution impacts on society, and ethicality and sustainability are deeply intertwined.

Evidence of the mainstreaming of sustainability in the fashion industry can be found through changes like Vogue Australia creating a Sustainability Editor role. Clare Press has been appointed the new position, a fashion journalist, Clare is also the author of Wardrobe Crisis: How We Went from Sunday Best to Fast Fashion and hosts a podcast of the same name.

This shift from sustainability as an occasional magazine topic, to an ongoing publication theme with its own editor, is reflective of the shift within the market and the mainstreaming of responsible fashion brands.

High-end sustainable fashion brand Stella McCartney has been working closely with the Ellen Mac Arthur Foundation (www. ellenmacarthurfoundation.org) a British charity and research organisation set up to assist and accelerate the transition to a circular economy. The foundation has given particular focus to the clothing industry due to its environmental and human impacts, issuing a number of white papers on the industry which has driven global behaviour change and understanding of

10 I March 2018

the effects of the current model. Their latest report on the fashion industry is available free of charge online.

The Foundation’s CEO Andrew Morlet was in New Zealand in March, and I was fortunate enough to have dinner with him. The strong message he delivered is that our current economic model is untenable, we urgently need to move to a system where we can unmake everything we make, so resources become available for reuse rather than lost (mainly to landfill).

In doing so, we can significantly reduce the inputs we consume and reduce the pollution created. But we are starting at ground level, investment and collaboration are needed by business to build the systems that will enable more circularity of products and resources.

Clothing brands H&M and Nike (along with other multinational corporations) are signed up as global partners of the Foundation contributing £1million each per year to enable the Foundation’s work.

Their research has found that since 2000 the world’s garment production has doubled and is now sitting at 100 billion garments per year, compounded by a 20 percent reduction in how much clothing is worn.

Such information has sparked a movement to slow consumerism, with social media influencers like Olivia Firth (Colin Firth’s wife and founder sustainability consulting company Eco Age) whose hashtag #30wears encourages people to wear their clothes more before considering buying new garments. And Patrick Duffy whose Global Fashion Exchange is a giant clothing swap that travels around the world from city to city, with participants swapping clothes rather than purchasing new ones. Reflective of this some economists are concluding the world is transitioning from a hyper-consumption economic model to a post-consumerism era that is beginning to take into consideration the ecological boundaries of this planet.

Given the transition we are facing, how we communicate to customers also needs to evolve.

Marketing doctrine was formed in the optimistic post-war era of the 1950’s when the theory emerged that humankind was not limited to purchasing just for utilitarian, practical and functional reasons, but also purchased products for pleasure and the symbolic meaning of goods. This concept has been the foundation of consumer behaviour theory for near on sixty years. However, the optimistic post-war environment is significantly different to today’s market environment. Global warming and environmental issues were unheard of, there were no corporate sustainability strategies, there was no triple bottom line reporting and certainly, no circular economy thinking.

Growing sales of products with more altruistic properties suggest consumers buy with an awareness

of the world they live in; they buy with aspirations of a kinder place, where global warming and ecological disaster can be averted. This altruistic approach is based on Principlism, initially defined by the bio-ethics field and comprised of four shared moral principles: 1. Autonomy – respect for persons 2. Beneficence – do good 3. Nonmaleficence – do no harm 4. Justice – social distribution of benefits and burden (fairness) These shared moral principles can equally be applied to customer expectations of the products they purchase, with today’s consumers expressing their support or rejection of a company’s behaviour or ideology by how they spend their money. Brands that align well not only with a consumer’s identity but also with their philosophy and principles are supported.

But there is a known disconnect between intention and action within the genre of ethical/principled products.

In attempting to tailor products and marketing ever more closely to consumer tastes to achieve closer consumer brand identity alignment, marketers have inadvertently overlooked or undervalued the importance of people’s connection to their communities and societies they inhabit. The flourishing and success of social enterprises are a case in point, their proliferation across the globe attest to the importance of connectedness and communities.

These entities not only address grassroots community needs but in doing so have become serious contributors to economies as they redefine the model for business. Applied moral principles appear in government procurement guidelines with the inclusion of sustainable and ethical considerations in purchasing.

They also appear in corporate purchasing as an instrument for brand and reputation management.

Just as government and business procurement include moral considerations when purchasing, so too do individuals.

Altruistic product offerings may adhere to the shared moral principles of Principlism, and often the marketing stories tell of benefits to remote communities (e.g. Fair Trade). By considering consumers need for direct connection, to their families and friends, to their own communities and societies, we could narrow the gap between intention and action. Acknowledging our connectedness to our immediate society and its moral code would reflect more closely the complex nature of consumer behaviour and the motivators that influence it.

Bernadette Casey, Peter Thompson (The Formary CEO), and Andrew Morlet.

How global retailers celebrated Chinese New Year China is still the superpower when it comes to luxury. In 2017, the Chinese market accounted for 32 percent of luxury sales globally.

With 500 percent growth in luxury products online since 2009–and online projected to account for 19 percent of luxury sales by 2025–it makes sense that global brands and retailers are looking to the Chinese calendar to find opportunities to reach Chinese shoppers around the world.

We saw it late last year with Single’s Day, and it’s especially noticeable this week with a significant increase in retailers participating in Chinese (or Lunar) New Year.

and small leather goods.

These luxury items make great gifts symbolizing fortune in the year ahead – especially a new bag or purse to carry all your new wealth in the new year!

BUT MID-MARKET IS IN ON IT TOO

OPPORTUNITY TO CAPTURE FULL PRICE SALES

CHINESE NEW YEAR IS GROWING GLOBALLY AND FAST In the last three months, the number of CNY items in stock had risen 85 percent compared to three months before CNY in 2017 (which fell on January 28th).

And it’s working! Consumer demand for the themed products has soared too. Year-on-year increase in product sell outs has increased by more than six times, or 675 percent.

In the US, items celebrating Chinese New Year are up 85 percent this year, and sell outs have grown by almost 700 percent!

“In the US, items celebrating Chinese New Year are up 85 percent this year, and sell outs have grown by almost 700 percent.”

A LUXURY EMPHASIS Those brands that are honoring the Chinese calendar Year of the Dog are majority luxury: 52 percent of products currently in stock are from luxury brands. The biggest players are Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, DSquared2 and Kenzo with emphasis on handbags, tops

done ‘Chow Chow’ keychains, coin purses, card holders and phone cases, Guerlian has limited edition lipstick and Aldo has $50 dog-topped pool sliders.

The majority of items are red (bringing good luck for the new year), feature a dog graphic or appliqué and have added value with embroidery.

It’s also interesting to note five windows in Macy’s New York flagship entirely dedicated to the event this week, evidence that mid-market brands are getting in on the act. And H&M has dedicated imagery for their Hong Kong homepage.

Adidas, Nike and Converse footwear became the third biggest category after tops and accessories.

Early this year, Adidas launched a limited edition of their most popular styles with a special “CNY” logo, 51 percent of which have already sold out.

Interestingly, this category might not work so well in China where some believe it’s bad luck.

The word ‘shoe’ sounds unfortunately like ‘evil’ in Mandarin and ‘rough’ in Cantonese.

LIMITED EDITION AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS PUSHING PRICES UP This year, the average price of products increased by 68 percent to $421, compared to a year ago. Some of the most expensive products available are the Judith Leiber clutch bag at Harrods for $6,982.25, Gucci’s men’s bomber jacket for $3,900 and Moncler’s limited edition bulldog print coat at $1,729.

But it’s not just the big gestures – small works too. Kate Spade has

In the US, 14 percent of products dedicated to Chinese New Year are currently discounted by an average of 34 percent off, compared to the overall US online market, where 35 percent of products are on discount by an average of 43 percent off.

CNY isn’t a particularly bargain-driven spend for the customer, who is prioritizing something new and special. There is no need to sacrifice margins in order to be noticed. Instead build a longer lasting narrative around making a considered purchase for starting the

new year right.

Here are examples of how luxury retailers are promoting their CNY offering in their newsletters: Chinese shoppers are the most clued-up and digitally advanced global consumers and Chinese retail experiences are among the best in the world.

Beyond this calendar date, we expect luxury brands to grow their focus on this market, catering to customer values and cultural events with even greater sophistication.

The great thing about Chinese New Year is the product is so easily identifiable and measurable, that by looking at data you can gauge just how big the opportunity is and exactly what point you should dive in.

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PRESENTS Look out Vancouver, Apparel Magazine is here for Fashion Week! We are delighted to have the opportunity to present three emerging New Zealand designers in a group show at Vancouver Fashion Week. Hitting the runway this month is the Fall/Winter 2018 collections of Tracey Yue with her brand TraceYGH, Georgette Pollock-Johnston’s eponymous brand, and Not For You designed by Jerome Taylor.

This unique opportunity is thanks to our partnership with Vancouver Fashion Week and allows upcoming New Zealand designers to showcase their designs on an international stage to a range of international and local buyers, agents, distributors, influencers and media – continuing and extending our support of emerging designers. For 30 consecutive seasons, Vancouver Fashion Week thrives on inviting the most creative, dynamic talent and feature established and emerging designers.

Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW) is a one-of-a-kind event that continuously brings together buyers, media, celebrities, industry professionals and innovative designers from around the world to celebrate creativity and fashion. Diversity and multiculturalism are VFW’s core values. This semi-annual event has been host to a range of collections from street wear to eco-friendly garments. Vancouver Fashion Week is internationally known as incubator for emerging designers allowing them the opportunity at a very reasonable rate to showcase their designs on a global stage. This will form the fabric of an international network for our young designers.

We encourage New Zealand buyers to come along next season to find unique designers, both emerging and established from around the world and be front row at this fabulous event to network and discover new collections.

BE PART OF OUR SEPTEMBER SHOWCASE! Our unique group runway opportunity includes

- Venue, stage, lighting, sound - Security - Models - Shoes - Hair

- Makeup - Backstage management and support - Backstage equipment - Guestlist (Including front row seats) - Fashioncamp - Media Coverage Package (worth $15,000)

We are curating our next show for Vancouver Spring/Summer 2019 season now! Show your interest by emailing laura@reviewmags.com or call +64 9 304 0142 ext 715.

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GEORGETTE Pollock-Johnston Georgette Pollock-Johnston has lived and breathed fabrics and fashion her entire life. “My grandfather owned Barker and Pollock fabrics and my grandmother was the most incredible fashion muse” she said. “She could put the strangest things together and make them look incredibly fabulous.”

Pollock-Johnston’s mother also inherited the gene, and now owns Centrepoint Fabrics. “In all honesty, my mother tried to steer me away from the fashion industry as she knew how cut throat the industry can be, but with my heritage, I was born for it!” Pollock-Johnston studied Fashion at Massey University of Wellington, embracing fashion trends and garment production. She completed an internship with Rebecca Taylor in New York where she gained extensive experience from designing to embellishing and sourcing right through to assisting backstage with their New York Fashion Week Show. She currently works as a freelance fashion stylist and assistant, which combines her love of fashion and a keen interest in photography.

“I’ve learnt that fashion can be such a cut-throat, competitive industry, but it’s important to remember that there is room for us all to make it to the finish line,” she said. “Be kind to your peers, and real winners help everyone achieve their potential. It definitely wasn’t always easy for me, but I’m so glad I stuck to it and came out the other side with a qualification in something I’m so passionate about.”

Between her mother and her grandmother, Pollock-Johnston has big shoes to fill, and it’s her grandmother who serves as the basis for the collection which Pollock-Johnston is going to show at Vancouver Fashion Week.

“The collection is a personal tribute to her. She was an unforgettable woman of influential strength who always radiated a joy of life and care for others. When my grandmother entered a room you always knew she was there, purely because of the amazing presence she brought with her. I kept this in mind while designing this collection.”

A standout of the collection is the ‘Renee Coat’, which features the face of Pollock-Johnston’s late grandmother on the back The coat is hand beaded with around 1000 pearl buttons around the collar, cuffs and bottom of the coat. The face on the back is embellished with crystals and beads. “It’s completely wild, over the top and gorgeous just like she was,” said Pollock-Johnston. “Its screams everything Renee.”

The collection shows a heightened sense of femininity with an edgy strength that commands attention. The sparkling textural interplay of pink, silver and beading with a chic silhouette are influenced by the Seventies. “The impact of dress can never be underestimated to tell the story of others’ lives and hold memories to learn from.”

Pollock-Johnston is a designer at heart, although doesn’t mind needle work. “Sewing is an incredible skill to have,” she said. “Clothes are so important and the number of my friends who say to me ‘oh, I wish I could just whip up an outfit tonight’ – I think it’s an awesome skill to have.”

“It’s my pattern making that has room for improvement,” she admitted.

Pollock-Johnston is inspired by a clear brand vision, design and aesthetic that stands out from the masses. She draws influence from Versace and Moschino and has done so from the beginning. In the future, she would like to open her own store and dress the stars.

“Unfortunately, with the small amount of people we have here I don’t think this will happen in New Zealand but I’m dreaming of a store overseas, hopefully the USA! I love working on shoots, designing and being creative, but most importantly I want women to look and feel fabulous, empowered and unstoppable in my clothes,” she said. “There is something very powerful about watching someone step out in public looking and feeling fantastic. If I can make someone feel like that, then I have achieved my goal.”

Photo by: OLIVA HEMUS

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TraceYGH

Tracey Yue grew up with the expectation that she would be a doctor or engineer. That path wasn’t for her.

“I grew up in a very traditional Chinese family with strict parents who made me learn piano, dancing and Olympic Math problem-solving growing up, the type which made me take biology, chemistry and physics in high school.”

But Yue grew up with a “crazy passion” for art, music and the creative side of things. An early encounter with the work of Christian Dior was a turning point. “Back then I didn’t know much about fashion, but the delicacy, femininity and beauty of it all just stunned me and inspired me to want to start designing. Eventually, my time in New Zealand and the friends I made here made me realise that I shouldn’t have to live up to anybody’s expectations but my own.” Since that revelation, Yue has expanded her horizons and has learnt to do what she loves.

Yue’s start in fashion came towards the end of her time at high school.

“I had the urge to make clothing so badly I begged to have a sewing machine as a birthday present,” she said. Despite having no experience or training (apart from making handkerchief outfits for her dolls as a child), Yue threw herself into it. “I started making garments out of scrap fabrics, just experimenting bit by bit. After failing miserably about ten times I made my first dress, and I was overwhelmed with joy.”

Yue made a choice to enrol at fashion school and has never once regretted the decision. A six-month internship at ilabb gave her exposure to jobs such as sewing, altering, measuring, trimming and patterning. She also worked with the stock team and helped out with several photoshoots, including shoots with Trish Peng. “I learnt many new skills there, but the most important thing I gained was the knowledge of how much it takes to run a fashion label, what each step and departments are and how important they all are.”

Vancouver Fashion Week will see Yue presenting a collection with a universal and, by her own admission, cliché theme. “The story behind my collection is ‘first love’,” she said. “My best work has been inspired by my emotions, so I decided to make my collection something personal and meaningful to me.”

Yue chose light pastel coloured fabrics (white, pink, blue and green) because she felt they most effectively evoked the theme. “I went for very drapey and soft fabrics as it was suitable to allow my garments to flow and give that light and free vibe,” she explained. “I worked on making my patterns and cuts minimalistic, working with geometric shapes and eliminating seams.”

Yue is looking to gain more industry experience before she goes out on her own. Another internship or work will help her gauge the state of the market and ready herself for the future.

“The most important thing I have learnt is just to be yourself while designing. You have to find yourself and know yourself to be a successful designer, love what you do and what you make.

Always go with the idea you love the most and are most passionate about because if a designer is not passionate about their design, it’s barely their design at all.”

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Not For You

Jerome Taylor launched Not For You in 2014 as a sell-out capsule collection. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength. A qualified machinist and pattern maker with a Diploma in Fashion Design and Technology from New Zealand Fashion Tech, Taylor has come a long way since his days as a roofer in Lower Hutt.

Taylor has been prominent on the New Zealand fashion scene over the last five years, and his work has certainly been eye-catching. His shows at New Zealand Fashion Week have garnered attention from Newshub, Seven Sharp, the Dominion Past, Vice and Fashion TV. He has also created garments for musicians Flume and Pusha T, toured the textile industry in India on a Prime Ministers scholarship, been named as an ambassador for NZ Fashion Tech and, on top of being part of the first Project Fashion Wellington in 2017, is now serving as a mentor for designers taking part in the 2018 iteration.

Taylor has always been interested in art, particularly graffiti. “I wasn’t inspired by designers,” he explained. “I was inspired by art, then I came across fashion as a platform to share my art.” It was during his time working as a roofer that he honed his art with the spray can. He went to offer his of his design to a store in Wellington, who wanted to buy them but weren’t willing to give Taylor due credit. “I decided that if it was good enough for them to use then others would be interested as well.”

The next step is to get Not For You on to hangers and shelves in the best retail shops across New Zealand and overseas. He hopes his showing at Vancouver will be another step in achieving this goal. The collection he’ll be showing at Vancouver has been inspired by the increasing rate of poverty in New Zealand. Titled ‘1 in 100’, the collection has three categories: ‘New Zealanders - Pay Check To Pay Check’, ‘New Zealanders - Sleeping In Cars’ and ‘New Zealanders – Homeless’.

“I was overwhelmed with the number of New Zealanders who are homeless – one in 100. Upon discovering this statistic, I came to realise that homelessness is so much more complex then what I once believed. I chose to do my collection on this as I wanted to learn more and share the knowledge with others through this platform I have been given.”

Taylor hopes that by bringing the plight of the homeless to the attention of more people, the country will be reminded and work together to solve the issue. “The more knowledge we have, the more power we have to change situations.”

Taylor’s collection will showcase the three categories in the form of layering and screen-printing information and images in a creative way that tells a story. “I chose the cuts as I wanted over-sized pieces and layering,” he explained. “The fabrics are sourced locally, so it is based not only what I am looking for but also on availability. The fabrics I chose were durable, long-lasting and classic colours as I wanted all the pieces to work together.”

Not For You is currently selling online and through social media channels. “We’re not looking at opening our own store at present, but we are exploring the option of stocking in stores in New Zealand and overseas,” he said. “I have had an amazing response so far from the public and those around me with the garments.”

Taylor wants Not For You to be the premier menswear brand in New Zealand. “I want the men of New Zealand to put on garments and immediately feel more confident to walk out of the house and feel like you can do anything; a big meeting, a pay rise – I want them to accomplish that.

It’s armour for men.”

Is a Zebra white with black stripes or black with white lines? It is the existential question that plagues the playground. Socrates himself couldn’t answer this question (even though he probably had no idea what a zebra was). 2018’s fall fashion shows saw the emergence of the hotly debated fashionable stripe, as it did the rise of the ever so famous tartan twopiece, and oversized faux fur coats smothering models.

Altuzarra Resene Quarter Bokara Grey Givenchy Resene Atlas

Marimeko Resene Ringo

Poiret Resene Chain Gang

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Reminiscent of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, the movie that propelled Winona Ryder into 80’s icon status (yes, that’s right she did exist before Stranger Things), Givenchy’s Fall 2018 runway show saw the return of leather pants, retro tassels and funnily enough John Snows doppelganger. Winter is indeed coming in Givenchy’s ready-to-wear runway, oversized fur coats accessorised with leather belts were contrasted with slinky tassel hemmed gowns. Men’s 80s inspired trousers in a similar hue to Resene Atlas stole the show as did men’s tailored jackets.

Poiret’s Fall 2018 saw draped dresses, Balenciaga and pleated skirts walk the runway.

Resene Point Break Metallic shades had a resurgence as models donned kimono style coats and flowing skirts close to Resene Chain Gang. The fashion house made its triumphant return after a 90-year hiatus with a nod to days of future past. Lavish opera coats and unconstructed sack dresses were a subtle hint to Poiret’s early work as were jacquard patterns and low necklines. Pops of colour were spotted hidden behind walls of luxurious fur (Cruella de Vil would be proud) while giant marshmallow puffer jackets swallowed models and they walked the line down the runway.

It was patterns on patterns on patterns at the Rahul Mishra ready-to-wear Fall 2018 show. Stripes, tartan, floral and geometric shapes all made an appearance as models strutted down the runway. The Indian designer drew from her cultural heritage, showcasing hand loomed jacquard patterns with golden highlights and sequined patchwork gowns that created sparkling landscapes. A finely lined sheer slip dress and camisole was heavily featured throughout Rahul Mishra’s collection in a hue similar to Resene Breathless. Geometric patterns popped in black and white creating optical illusions that teased the eye as models waltzed on the runway.

Balenciaga’s Fall 2018 runway show brought new meaning to the word layers. No longer does a wool jumper and jacket suffice, models were clad with layers upon layers of high fashion outerwear. At Alexi Mabille Discover least if this trend catches on, no one will be over the weight limit at the airport. The show opened with simple paired down looks; crushed velvet turtlenecks were a standout as were hourglass structured coats. Oversized bags and tailored shirts similar to Resene Point Break made an appearance

Colours available from

Resene ColorShops

before the show headed into retro-chic snowboarder territory with a mix of fluorescent colours and tartan.

Graphic patterns and bold stripes were the heroes of the Marimekko Fall collection.

Rahul Mishra Partnered with bold shades of Resene Breathless red, green, blue and purple the patterns jumped off the stage as the models made their way down the runway. Flared bell bottoms, an ode to Baby Spice’s favourite kind of pant, were enhanced with daring stripes in a range of colours from Resene Ringo to bold blacks. Little House on the Prairie made a comeback in the form of ankle length skirts and wrist-hugging sleeves. Adding a touch of modernism to the collection, Marimekko introduced leather pieces and dramatic oversized scarves.

Altuzarra opened the show with an ode to the classic pinstriped suit, the beautifully tailored pieces made more dramatic with an excessive use of buttons and unusual hemlines. Using a more neutral palette than his predecessors the designer used colours similar to Resene Quarter Bokara Grey and Spanish White.

Pops of bright orange and purple added warmth to the overall collection with the help of graphic prints and warm touches of wool. Ruffled off the shoulder dresses also made an appearance accompanied with iridescent sequins, a nod to the much-loved 70s disco era.

An elegant collection, Alexis Mabille’s 2018 fall collection morphed from pinks to blues to blacks. Showcasing bold, dramatic looks with over the top bell sleeves, large hemmed skirts and jewel tone prints, Mabille lifted the usually more reserved Parisian style to the next level.

Thick horizontal striped lines covered elegant ruffled skirts in jewel tones close to Resene Discover, as a sophisticated mix of lace, silks and metallics flowed throughout the collection accompanied with rose shaped handbags and bold makeup. Gossips Girls Blair Wardolf would have swooned over this feminine yet strong, French Kiss collection.

www.resene.co.nz

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SWANNDRI Swanndri was founded in 1913 by William Broome who produced a wool ‘bush shirt’ to keep farmers and forestry workers warm and dry. Following the very first ‘Swanni’, a decade or so later in 1927, it had a lace front, long sleeves and a hood added and has remained unchanged since. Today this is known as The Original.

Swanndri’s traditional and heritage ranges remain an important part of their overall assortment, however as New Zealand’s population has moved from provincial to urban the brand has evolved with its consumer’s lifestyle and fashion demands. “Compared to farming communities of say 30 plus years ago; education, technology and applied sciences have meant travel for our traditional consumers is far more frequent.

Therefore, exposure to brands outside of what might be otherwise be classified as ‘safe’ is now part of provincial wardrobes,” explained Mark Nevin, Swanndri’s chief executive.

With 105 years under its belt, Swanndri has a had a long time to evolve with its clientele and like all brands with a rich tenure, their biggest challenge has been to remain relevant to all consumers not just its traditional ones. “In the last decade and more so in the last five years, Swanndri has proved it has a well earnt and relevant place in not only New Zealand but overseas with its outdoors lifestyle inspired clothing ranges.”

E-commerce and social media have had a huge impact on their business. “Social Media gives every consumer a voice, and whether it’s good or bad there is always a positive net effect so long it’s embraced and

harnessed,” added Nevin. “Equally e-commerce has been important, as it has allowed us to expand the minds and perception of consumers that Swanndri more than just bush shirts.”

Swanndri has opened its fourth New Zealand store this month in Queenstown and plans to continue to open more stores. Retail allows them to present Swanndri in a way that the brand has never been expressed before with beautifully designed stores offering a warm and inviting experience.

International expansion is another key initiative with their Australian business growing at a rate of three times in as many years, and the UK is another key focus with a sales team being introduced there this year.

Swanndri’s designs always start with a question; what does the consumer need regarding function and performance? Followed by how do they want to look and feel? An excellent example of this is the Highland Down Jacket and the women’s version Dobson Down Jacket. It is not only insulated with down, but they have combined it with other high performing fabrics.

“The face fabric is New Zealand Merino to give the

THE KNITTER When Nicole Leybourne was 19-years-old she discovered what it was like to be alone in a foreign city and how eye-opening it was. Since then, she has spent most of her adult life flitting from city to city, making her home in lots of different places from Perth to Tokyo to Shanghai. Leybourne studied Creative Writing and Natural Medicine at university.

“When I’m not knitting, I’m either writing, being silly with my sister, or thinking about knitting,” she said. Leybourne had always been the creative type from the beginning and always needed an outlet, someplace where she was unrestricted to create what she wanted. “To me, it’s second nature to want to create. I guess I haven’t really thought too much about it in all honesty,” Leybourne added.

For her brand, Leybourne currently does everything herself from design to making the first samples, but is looking for more hand knitters to work with. “I think I would say I prefer to make rather than to design.

Although, maybe I enjoy both.”

Leybourne designs every piece, but if she gets stuck in a rut with making and creating, she stops to do some of the business side of things. She added that it’s nice to have a balance.

Ideally, she wants to be making something sustainable and that creating a brand based on sound morals is very important to her. “Not harming the planet, or the animals used in producing my yarns is something I really value. Also, knowing that I am producing ‘slow’ garments, that aren’t made in overcrowded factories in developing nations, makes

18 I March 2018

garment a soft hand feel and adds to the warmth of the garment, this is unique as most other down products use a polyester or nylon fabric,” explained Nevin. The merino (60 percent) has nylon (40 percent) blended through to add to its durability. To reduce the bulk of the jacket, Swanndri swapped the down for Primaloft in the side panels of the body, the underside of the arms and hood. “Primaloft still provides insulated warmth, but allows for a slimmer line through these areas of the garment.” The shoulders, top side of the arms, and the hood have a 600D 10/10 waterproof canvas. All of these functional aspects, when combined with the fit and style, have made this a top seller in the Swanndri Winter range.

Swanndri has four stores across New Zealand, as well as being stocked in Torpedo 7, Barkers, Ballantynes, H&J Smith, and numerous other independent retailers.

Swanndri can also be found in provincial retailers such as PGG Wrightson, Farmlands, ATS, and Farm Source.

The versatility of their range segmentation allows us to have a wide variety of collections in such an array of retailers.

The Knitter can also be found in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, London, Macau, and America. Leybourne is currently in the midst of fulfilling retail orders and maintaining her orders online at www.theknitter.co.nz.

Leybourne is excited for the next few weeks ahead with some new stockists coming on board and receiving international attention from Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar for her knits which took her completely by surprise. She also has a new collaboration coming out next month with a popular New Zealand designer and Leybourne can’t wait to break the news.

“I just want to keep creating colourful, fluffy things and to do so while continuing to make a living for myself. That’s the dream.”

me feel pretty happy too.”

The Knitter started just over a year ago because Leybourne was fed up with what she was doing and after buying a yellow knitted jumper, she decided to make one herself. “I spent a million and one hours on YouTube teaching myself the basics, and perfecting the art along the way. I’ve always been quite entrepreneurial, so I decided to sell what I was making, and things kind of developed from there.”

Inspired by wool, Leybourne explained that seeing, choosing and feeling all of the textures and colours makes her excited. “Thinking about all the possibilities that these ravelled up balls of colour could possibly turn into, is what inspires me the most,” she added. “Maybe one day I will make the world a little woolly empire and have my own back garden full of happy sheep and alpacas.” Already stocked in boutiques across the country,

ELLE + RILEY Co-founders and mother-daughter-duo, Yolande Ellis and Elle Pugh love cashmere so much they decided to make their own brand. “It’s the most luxurious form of wool, it makes people feel special,” Elle explained. “​We set out to make cashmere more accessible by lowering our own margins, and creating pieces that can really fit into people’s everyday wardrobe.”

Neither Elle or Yolande have any formal training in fashion. “We’ve taught ourselves everything through experience. Knitwear is different to working with other fabrics, I think starting out with a vision is number one then you just have to work on trial and error,” added Yolande. The duo didn’t set out to become designers, they simply saw a gap in the market and wanted to fill it, and sticking to one product has made it easier. The exposure they have through technology to different resources is incredible. “I think our collections are a reflection of our progress, we started out very simple, classic designs, and these have grown with our confidence in what we do.”

Elle + Riley is turning two years old next month and prides itself on giving customers an amazing experience in-store or online. “Retail experience and presentation are incredibly important to us,” said Elle. “We want people

to feel like they have been treated with kindness and respect, and in turn have purchased something that they will absolutely love.” Sustainability is also essential to the brand. Organic cotton bags for all of their knitwear was recently introduced so customers can store their cashmere inside. “It is an ongoing movement but one we will continue to pursue,” Elle continued. “We also visit all our factories and meet with our suppliers as often as possible to ensure workers are happy and taken care of.” Here in New Zealand, Elle and Yolande both design, manage production, wholesale, ship orders, work in-store, and any other odd job in between.

Yolande has previously owned successful businesses and has a strong background in business development and accounting. Elle works on the other side of the business, looking after their social media, website, photography and so on.

“There is a good balance, and it means we have a perspective from different audiences,” added Elle.

Elle + Riley first started by solely wanting to sell online to keep their margins down and therefore lower their prices. However, they had demand from customers to come and try pieces on and were approached by retailers who wanted to stock their cashmere. “So, we changed our business model and these parts of the business have grown incredibly fast.”

Looking ahead, Elle and Yolande are working on

collaborations with other New Zealand businesses. “I think a lot of awesome ideas can spark when people work together and support each other so this is an exciting path for us.” Growing their New Zealand retail network is the primary focus of 2018. ​ ​You can find Elle + Riley in 14 retailers throughout New Zealand or their flagship store on Ponsonby Road in Auckland. ​ To become a stockist or for more information email elle@elleandriley.com or call +6421 0844 1678.

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owned our Liquid Lip Paints are visiting our website to purchase the matching Lip Pencil shades.”

A simple YouTube video sparked Asali’s ambition to establish a beauty brand, and now Mellow Cosmetics is selling products online in New Zealand, Australia, America, and Canada across a number of wellknown retailers. Her determination to work for herself and see her son growing up gave her the ambition and motivation to succeed.

The inspiration for Mellow came when she was watching a makeup tutorial on YouTube during maternity leave from an insurance company. Working with a small team, Asali explained that demand is increasing.

“My husband always helps and inspires me with new

names and ideas too.” Asali designs new products and works closely with the manufacturers to turn the idea into a reality. “Creating a great formula and beautiful eye-catching packaging are my top priority.”

The name Mellow reflects the values of the brand. “Mellow in the dictionary means colourful, soft and free from harshness which represents my brand perfectly,” she said. All Mellow products are cruelty-free, paraben free and vegan. “When I first started I thought I care about people and animals, so I decided to make this brand as ethical as possible,” she explained.

“I wanted to reduce the nasty chemicals from my ingredients and did not want my manufacturers to test my products on animals.”

Despite her increasing success, she doesn’t want to lose sight of what is important. “Creating and designing makeup is my passion but I have a bigger goal and that is to help and support women and children in need.”

COUNTRY KITCHEN

Country Kitchen founder, Hannah Jack grew up and still lives in Kaukapakapa, just north of Auckland. It is there that they grow the medicinal herbs utilising traditional organic methods on their family farm.

The team then infuses these herbs and flora into plant oils to blend into the products. “Our work is unique; we have built our business on the integrity of handcrafting with intention,” added Jack. The name Country Kitchen originated from a blog she created four years ago based on the farm and her love for sustainable and wholefoods.

In this time, Jack became fascinated by the power of herbs, and the healing connection one has with nature. “My vegetable patch was soon overrun with these bright nourishing botanicals, and my country kitchen became a home for the purest food to nourish your skin,” she said. “Four years on, my gardens have evolved from a vegetable patch to bright rows through the fields on the farm, and a beautiful studio with walls lined with jars of dried medicinal flowers and heartfelt skin products.”

The growing season brings a long Spring and Summer, an Autumn of abundant flower harvests and a Winter of rest. Jack also hosts workshops to share

and inspire others of this gratifying work. “I love to open up the studio space and gardens for workshops from time to time. To watch someone, walk into the gardens, harvest a bunch of flora and herbs and formulate it into something, so healing for their skin is magic.”

Country Kitchen’s hero product is the Rose & Marshmallow face cream. Nearly every component of this face cream is handcrafted. From the seasonal handcrafted hydrosol made from the rose petals and rose geranium to the marshmallow root that is grown, harvested and infused into a plant oil to give the cream incredible soothing properties. The cream is then blended with a sweet wild harvested rose hip extract, an activated rose quartz infused oil and wild rose flower essence for self-love and bestowing beauty.

All combined into a velvet smooth face cream.

Currently stocked in a handful of stores that are mindful of the Earth. Including Tea and Tonic in Matakana, Whole heart in Hamilton and Gatherer wholefoods and coffeehouse on the west coast of the South Island. We adore working with these mindful souls and look forward to the opportunity of meeting others like-minded.

SANTOSA

Higgins has always been interested in healthy living and natural products. Her foaming hand wash and multi-purpose spray were the starting products for Santosa, but her Good For Everything Spray is their hero product. “We created a natural multi-purpose cleaning spray that breaks down the toughest dirt and grime, using powerful natural ingredients,” explained Higgins. “We believe that you don’t need any fancy parabens or phosphates to get a great clean.”

Self-care is a huge part of what Santosa stands for. Santosa is a reminder to slow down and savour the journey rather than focusing on what’s to come.

Instead of a logo, Higgins thought it would be great to have inspirational messages in everyday sight, serving as little daily reminders. Four new products are currently in formulation which will roll out in the next couple of months. Santosa is stocked in over 30 retailers across New Zealand and are excited to approach new retailers. “We’re in a huge growth phase right now and we are so excited to see where the future will take us.”

MELLOW COSMETICS Mellow Cosmetics has launched a new range of lip pencils as well as the Precision Pen Eyeliner, which was specifically designed for ease of use. “Drawing a winged liner with a traditional liquid eyeliner could be a daunting task for the most of us but this pen gives users the confidence to draw the most precise and perfect wing without making a mess,” said founder Ima Asali. “The formula is long lasting and super black and any one can create the thinnest or thickest winged liner in one sweep, with using this liner you can give the eyes a bolder look without having to try too hard.”

This is Mellow’s first range of lip pencils, but there are plenty more shades to come. The initial range was inspired by what Asali sees as the trendiest lip colours currently on the market. “I matched the eight shades to our eight top-selling Liquid Lip Paint shades,” she said.

“It seemed like the best option and all the customers who

Born and bred in Auckland, Katie Higgins created Santosa in response to a frustration with ‘natural’ products available for bodies and homes. “I saw that the brands I’d loved and trusted were inconsistent with my principles of a healthy lifestyle.” Many of the brands Higgins loved stated they were eco-friendly, but nowhere did it state that they were human-friendly. It was then Higgins decided she wanted to create her own range of natural products that had human’s health and wellbeing as the main priority. Then followed by safe ingredients and had to be good for the planet. “At the core of our business is ensuring that our ingredients are high quality, pure and as nourishing as possible. We value transparency, honesty and sustainability.”

Santosa (pronounced san-toe-sha) is now 18 months old, Higgins started out by making products at home and after numerous requests from her friends and family, she started to create bigger portions to sell at local markets. For as long as she can remember,

20 I March 2018

Will small business weather a rising minimum wage?

Most of you will be well aware that the minimum wage rate will increase to $16.50 as of 1 April 2018, a date that many may think rather apt This is a rise of $0.75c per hour, and at 4.76 percent is the largest minimum wage rise in over a decade.

By Rob Drower and John Cleghor, Managing Partners, Prime Strategies Grpoup

It would be prudent for business owners to As business consultants, look closely at the current wage rates of their staff we work primarily with earning between the minimum wage rate and medium and small say $20 per hour and assess each staff member business owners, individually, taking stock of their worth to the and we are hearing business. We believe that a proactive approach to many different this issue will reward you with better results than a views on what SME reactive one. owners think about Regardless of the various outcomes, the result the minimum wage will be an overall increase in wage cost to the rise, and concerns business owner. How will business owners plan to about the potential ROB DROWER absorb these costs? Will they simply maintain their effects this decision current margins? As with all cost increases, there will have on their business success overall. SME’s are several options that can be taken. in New Zealand make up a large portion of the Actions we may see businesses take include: New Zealand economy and political decisions like • Leave things as they are, accepting further this can have a huge effect on those businesses, reducing business profitability overall. which flows on to affect the families of employers, • Increase prices, gambling that the market can employees and customers. absorb increases.

As SME business management consultants we • Aim to increase productivity, which is often are always keen to have feedback from SME’s easier said than done, unless you have expert about how this legislation will affect them, and advice. what options they have considered. You can email • Create redundancies, which is very difficult for us on admin@primestrategies.co.nz to share your businesses to weather well as this often damages thoughts. the business culture, and is tough on everyone.

A consideration worth a moment’s serious • Work to reduce costs in other areas, again, a thought is how this will affect the morale of more tough ask in anyone’s language. senior or longer-term employees. Many of your Business owners need to be aware that their staff are more experienced than those currently suppliers are facing the same issue, and on the minimum wage, but will not see their solution may be to increase their pay packet increase. Will they product price to cover their be looking for a similar percentage increased costs. This will result increase? One could argue that is in a double whammy for small only fair. They certainly would businesses with even more costs have a good case if they have coming into the business. greater knowledge and take on For example, when a freight more responsibility than your delivery company’s wage costs minimum wage earners. Does this increase, they may well raise the then lead to a general wage increase cost of their freight services in right across the business?

JOHN CLEGHOR

an effort to recover their increases in wages, effectively on-charging their additional costs to their clients.

A BIG-PICTURE STRATEGY MAY BE THE SOLUTION FOR YOUR BUSINESS Right now is an opportune time to look at your business as a whole and assess all of your options.

What is your margin today compared to this time last year or the year before? Is it on the up or down? If your profit margin is not increasing every year in line with inflation and cost increases, then, in fact, you are going backwards, and a wage increase will add to that.

The approaching wage rise may be the catalyst to look at your current financials and take strategic action to identify new opportunities and improve your business efficiencies in other areas as well.

EXPERT BUSINESS ADVICE IS ON CALL A Business Advisor can bring significant wider experience into a business and work in partnership with you to refine your business processes and systems and reveal new opportunities for growth. With the end of the financial year approaching along with the new minimum wage rate, this is the perfect time to take stock of how your business can be fine-tuned to work smarter rather than harder.

If you would like to leverage decades of personal experience and proven business management methodologies, contact our nationwide team of Business Consultants at Prime Strategies Group.

Our team will be only too happy to give insights and advice on how your business can deal with the minimum wage rise, and with 2018 in general.

apparelmagazine.co.nz

I 21

TEKURA LEOTA Sewtec Originally from the Cook Islands, Tekura Leota now lives in Auckland where she creates her label Kujo Clothing. It all started five years ago when Leota was looking for a career path to secure a future for herself and her family; she decided to enrol in her first course, Industrial Machining, at Sewtec Fashion Academy. Her passion grew from there.

The most valuable lesson Leota learned at Sewtec was never to give up and to have faith in her dreams.

“Commitment and persistence will get me where I want to be,” she quipped. In her end of year collection, she showcased six looks, and her highlight of the show was the fantastic feedback she received from the industry judges and audience members.

“The message I designed around was promoting awareness around the issues of youth suicide. I kept to dark colours to portray the darkness that one might feel in that situation,” Leota explained.

The rips and zips that were featured

in the garments were incorporated to represent the heart being ripped apart and the words that remain unspoken.

During the creation of the collection, Leota added that she loves both sewing and designing. However, she has found designing is slightly more challenging because she is inspired and influenced by her surroundings. “I need to refine my design thinking process.”

Leota believes sewing is an essential skill crucial to the design process. “It has provided me with the ability to manufacture my own designs.”

With a lot of industry experience and exposure under her belt already, Leota recently created a piece for Harlem Cruz for the Miss Universe New Zealand national costume that was worn at Miss Universe in Las Vegas.

Leota is currently selling her designs through social media and her website.

Her client base has doubled since last year, now Leota is contemplating hiring a full-time machinist.

Auckland, New Zealand

www.sewtec.ac.nz

22 I March 2018

FROM CONCEPT TO PRODUCTION Southern Institute of Technology (SIT)’s Bachelor of Fashion (Design and Technology) emphasises both the creative and technical aspects of the fashion industry, from concept and design development through to production. In the first two years, the programme is structured to allow students to gain a solid understanding of the design development process, understand fashion from a cultural perspective, explore a wide variety of 2D imagery and build their capacity of pattern development and garment construction for a diverse selection of garment types.

The third year provides opportunities for students to develop these skills to a point where they are used in a more professional context in preparation for successful careers in the fashion industry and further study. With access to fully automatic industrial sewing machines and computer programmes and hardware used for computer-aided pattern-making; students have all the equipment necessary to create real-world projects: making real garments for real people.

For students looking to ease their way into the world of fashion, SIT also offers the New Zealand Certificate in Fashion (Level 4), as well as the first two years of the Bachelor of Fashion (Design

and Technology) in the New Zealand Diploma in Fashion (Level 5 and Level 6). These two Diploma qualifications can be cross-credited if students wish to continue and finish the full three-year degree, or if they want to exit after one or two years, they can still graduate with the Diploma qualification.

Students who are looking for a graduate qualification to further develop knowledge and skills relevant to the application of fashion and design can enrol in the Graduate Diploma in Fashion (Design and Technology). This course will cover key ideas, principles and concepts associated with the theory and application of papers. Including; fashion design development, fashion production, fashion illustration and imagery, introduction to costume, design and production (client, corset, swimwear, lingerie, competition wear, couture, and unconventional), specialised pattern making techniques, and specialised construction techniques.

No matter which fashion course students choose, they have access to fantastic tutors, industry-standard equipment and software, and can immerse themselves in a supportive, creative environment which will allow them to explore and let their talents blossom.

SIT’s Fashion courses are designed to

ensure our graduates are fully prepared to enter employment in this exciting and dynamic field.

At the end of each year, SIT holds a student showcase week involving various events and activities that allow SIT students to present their hard work from throughout the year. One such event is the Chrysalis Fashion Show, where the Bachelor of Fashion (Design and Technology) students present their fashion collections – the result of their blood, sweat and tears and creations of which they are incredibly proud.

Bachelor of Fashion (Design and Technology) student Rosa Laura Pili moved to Invercargill from Auckland to study at SIT. Having completed a

Certificate qualification with Sewtec Fashion Academy; she was looking to take her fashion studies to the next level.

“I had heard from a current student how amazing the environment was and how the tutors were approachable and made you feel really comfortable,” explained Pili. “The best thing about studying at SIT is how encouraging the tutors are. They are so supportive and go above and beyond to help you, even if it is not something directly related to your coursework. I would absolutely recommend studying the Bachelor of Fashion (Design and Technology).”

For any further information on SIT’s Fashion courses, contact info@sit.ac.nz or call today on 0800 40 3337.

FASHION @ SIT LEARN THE HANDS ON SKILLS YOU NEED FOR A CAREER IN FASHION! ENROL NOW FOR JULY 2018 ª New Zealand Certificate in Fashion (Level 4)

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Abbey McMaster (SIT Graduate) with 2017 Hokonui winning entry Photo by: Nick McGrath

0800 4 0 FEES www.sit.ac.nz apparelmagazine.co.nz

I 23

MILENA ROJAS

Twenty-three-year-old Milena Rojas was born and raised in Jundiaí in São Paulo. When she was 17, Rojas and her family moved to Santiago, Chile, where she attended fashion school.

“I was always passionate about art,” she explained.

“Since a young age, I’ve always expressed myself through writing, drawing, and painting. As I was getting older, I started to experiment with manual work, cutting my own clothes, sewing, creating. Still, I never imagined that I would become a fashion designer.” Moving into fashion was an obvious choice for Rojas, but it took her a long time to realise it, and when she did, it became the only thing she saw herself working as. “That’s when I started fashion school, and I fell in love, each day a little more.” Always creating, Rojas grew up with this burning passion. When it comes to fashion, her first approach was sketching, Rojas then developed a flare or taste for fashion in college, and it grew from there.

Rojas believes in investigation rather than inspiration. She likes to dig into her interests, discover new things about them and be overwhelmed by them. “I like to go really deep every time I’m creating something. I believe in concept development, referents, experimentation and a lot of

hard work. Every time my influences are different.

My projects always have as their main theme human nature and its environment, although they are always different concepts. That is my conductive thread.”

The design process is a highlight for Rojas, she loves investigating and developing her concepts and then finally materialising them. “But, seeing your creation done, existing in the world, almost alive, is the best feeling ever. And it’s even better when it was made entirely by you.

I participate in every step. I have a manufacturing person who helps me, but regardless of it, I participate in the making of every single piece.”

She believes the fashion industry already has a lot of problems, so as a designer, she is developing her brand to be as sustainable as possible. “For my upcoming collection, I’m using technologic trash as primary material; they will be in my most iconic pieces of this season.

I’m in love with how beautiful the circuits and cables are and what you can do with them. I can’t wait to show it. I also believe that my brand has a value proposition that makes my garments pieces of worship. What I want to achieve is that none of my pieces will be ever disposable.”

Rojas does everything in her brand and has hired a sewing machinist who helps out a lot. “I also have the support of my amazing family; they always help me when they can.” Her brand is fairly new, only a couple of months old, and originated from her final project at college. Rojas graduated in January and started to develop her social media brand and upload previous work from the past few years. She hopes she can keep creating and developing her brand under her principles. “My main goal is to be able to live only from my work and my creations. After Vancouver Fashion Week, I plan to design a line only of basics, using the forms and pattern of my upcoming collection and sell it online. I would love doing that every season. My runway collection and then lower it to basic pieces. I want to be a brand that covers everything and have pieces everyone can have access to.”

At the moment, Rojas is only making one-off pieces. Now that she has graduated, she can now get started on building her business starting with an online store.

Photography: Pralad Beauty: Nan Rodríguez Model: Camila Fortini

BAROQUE JAPANESQUE Shiori grew up in Japan and later in Europe where she studied beauty and design. When she was a child, she remembered being joyful when she wore a kimono of Japanese traditional costume.

Back then she would read books on how to make clothes, and she made her own jackets and skirts. “I loved drawing and fashion from a young age.

Now I upload pictures I drew and sell on my website,” she said.

Japanese and European traditional fine art mixed together is the core of Shiori’s brand Baroque Japanesque. The name of her brand incorporates her love of European and Japanese art. Now 46-yearsold, Shiori works alone on her brand which was established in 2017.

Her goal is for women all over the world to wear

24 I March 2018

her designs and make them feel beautiful. This will be her first time in Vancouver showcasing her designs.

Her garments are available globally online. During her show at Vancouver Fashion Week, she wants to convey Japanese and European traditional fine art through her designs.

“This time I tried drawing Japanese traditional art on clothes. Even ordinary T-shirts turn into special pieces with my beautiful drawings.”

WEILING CHANG Taiwanese Wei Ling Chang graduated from FIT in New York City and enjoys designing, drawing and rollerblading.

Her family influenced her decision to enter the fashion industry. “Both my grandmas and my mom taught me to design and sewing,” Chang said. “When I was five, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, and I styled my own outfits.”

Chang prefers the design process and frequently works with sample makers. She values sustainability and design in her practice. Her brand, Weiling Chang, started in 2013 when a friend wanted to sponsor her clothes. Building her business is front of mind for Chang and is looking for stockists around the globe.

She is currently working on her online presence including an online store which is in the works.

Inspired by several designers, Chang explained that various things like paintings and architecture also influence her. Chang’s friend who is also a designer is what drew her to Vancouver Fashion Week. “Vancouver Fashion Week let my brand be known.”

PARIAH

While Barbara Riordan doesn’t remember the first garment she made, but her mother was a Home Economics teacher and taught her to sew at six years old. Riordan soon fell in love with choosing her own fabrics and styles.

“I feel fashion has always been with me – I’ve been making my own clothes for 50 years.

I remember watching the old 1950’s Superman show after school, it was in black and white. Lois Lane wore pencil skirts, and I was fascinated by them.”

Riordan came up with her brand Pariah in 1996 but didn’t have any real idea of how to get into the industry. As time has gone on, and the internet became more prevalent, she has gained the knowledge necessary to launch the brand.

The name Pariah has meaning behind it. “Growing up I felt a little like an outsider,” she explained. “Having a strong personal style as a teenager doesn’t always go over well, this was especially true in the seventies.”

Riordan values ethical production practice above all else. “I am a Christian and to use our fellow man as a near slave in order to produce cheap fashion or increase the bottom line is reprehensible to me.” She also values taking care of the environment. “The Earth is our home; we don’t want to live in a dirty, polluted home. I am excited that great strides are being made in this area.”

Riordan is excited to be showing at Vancouver Fashion Week, having been discovered on Instagram.

“I am hoping there is a market here for me and that I will be able to raise my brand awareness.” The highlight of the show is her trench coat, which Riordan said was great for travel and has a lot of personality. “A gal can put on any basic in her closet, black t-shirt and jeans, and put on a Pariah trench coat and then be prepared to meet people,” she said. “You will be approached when wearing these pieces.”

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I 25

_HU_A_NG_

Zherui Huang’s first fashion memory comes from an almost universal experience – primary school art class.

“One of the assignments for art class was to make shoes with paper,” he recalled. “I put papers on my feet and marked the shapes and measured the sizes. I created the pattern for the shoes and carefully taped it from inside on a paper sole. That’s my earliest memory of fashion.” Not too many years later, he had graduated to a long draped dress with beige chiffon.

“My mother got me a mannequin and a sewing machine. I didn’t want to be restricted by patterns, so I just figured I would do some draping and then just sew the connecting parts. The quality looks so bad now, but the experience making it was so much fun.” _HU_A_NG_ is very much a brand in its infancy, with much of the current collection drawn from his graduating thesis from Parsons School of Design in New York. The team is small – only three members – but Huang values communication above all else. “I think being able to communicate within the team, also being able to convey the ideas and the mood to the audience is very important.”

Huang is showing at Vancouver Fashion Week as a joint show with good friend Yuner Shao. It will be the first time Huang has appeared at VFW. “I think it’s definitely a good platform for young designers to showcase their talent.”

ZURI

Jordan Ewing discovered her passion for elegance and refined gowns from watching the Hollywood red carpet while growing up in Tecoma, Washington, in the USA’s Pacific Northwest.

“Creating and drawing came naturally to me from a young age,” she explained.

“I started recreating the glamour and grace of bridal designs, marrying old Hollywood styles with modern flair.” At age 24, Ewing already owns and operates her own boutique – Zuri Bridal in Atlanta, Georgia.

“ZURI is a brand-new company,” she said. “The catalyst for the opening of my boutique was the recent heartbreaking passing of my grandparents and my deep desire to make them proud. “The name Zuri

26 I March 2018

is my middle name, meaning ‘beautiful’ in Swahili.”

Ewing is the sole designer of a small and intimate team. “The most gratifying aspects of the design process for me are sketching, fabric sourcing and draping,” she told Apparel. “These steps work handin-hand, one inspiring the other. Sketching allows my mind endless style possibilities, while fabric sourcing offers unlimited inspiration for design.” She believes strongly in fair trading and makes sure that all workers are fairly compensated for their work.

ZURI was invited to Vancouver Fashion Week to show its newest bridal collection, Timeless.

“Timeless is my tribute to my grandparents’ era.

This collection accentuates the romantic, ethereal feeling of a more classical time while adding a modern, polished flair.” By showcasing her work at VFW, Ewing hopes to expand the reach of ZURI to a larger community, potentially offering much greater opportunities.

THE HOUSE OF AMZ

Alexandra Zofcin grew up in Boca Raton, Florida where fashion was always a huge interest of hers. Zofcin studied fashion in high school, and for college, she stayed local and studied fashion and retail.

“But design was always in my heart and so was travel, so I studied abroad at FUA in Florence, Italy for apparel design,” Zofcin explained. In the very beginning, Zofcin’s biggest inspirations were always my grandmother, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, and the ideals of the Punk movement. Nowadays, Zofcin finds inspiration from people she encounters in her travels. Each collection represents “societal conflicts and their potential solutions”. So, the environment and the people in it, become the sole inspiration.

Zofcin’s grandmother inspired her to dive into the fashion industry and is the drive behind everything she does. “She was a savvy shopper and had a keen eye for fashion. She bought me my first Vogue subscription and used to sit with me while we flipped through all the glossy pages of high-end design. I knew by the fourth grade that I wanted my own fashion house.” The brand launched officially in May 2016, and the origin of the name is Zofcin’s initials.

Enjoying the process from beginning to end, Zofcin makes all of the patterns herself, each piece is made to order, and she has one other seamstress at the moment to help finish each garment as they are hand sewn and custom. Sustainability is one of the brand’s core values.

“That is why we make all of our clothing to order, or in very small quantities at a time in order to eliminate

excess waste at the end of a selling season.” Traditional tailoring techniques are also essential to Zofcin. “We try to use innovative ways to create and layout patterns to ensure the least amount of scrap fabric at the end of the garment’s production. For example, most designers cut the selvedge edge of the fabric off, but we view it as a design element as try to keep it visible from the inside or sometimes even, the outside as often as possible.

Our process is far from perfect, but striving toward sustainable innovation is always a goal.”

Already stocked in a concept boutique called FLY (Fashion Loves You) in Florence, Italy, you can also find her bespoke pieces online at www.thehouseofamz.com.

Zofcin is looking for more concept boutiques globally to stock The House of AmZ. Social media for Zofcin is a platform to express the mood behind each collection and allows her buyers to further connect with the piece before it is completed. “This connection between

garment and wearer is very important to me.”

Her goal is to further create a fusion between traditional art and the fashion world. “Art has been used as a means of communicating social issues for centuries, and through those methods, I would like to fuse fashion techniques to create a walking, wearable social statement,” she added. “Vancouver Fashion Week is giving us an even broader global platform to display our product and messaging, and for that, we are grateful,” said Zofcin. “Vancouver has become such a hotspot for emerging design talent that I knew it was where I needed to go next.” The collection showing at Vancouver Fashion Week defies the concept of season and explores the conclusion to Zofcin’s ‘Femininity Is…’ series. “In this way, it will be a sort of summary chapter and a more “year-inthe-life-of-” collection, rather than a specifically Fall/ Winter collection.”

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I 27

Patric Seng DIRECTOR, BINTANG MODELS

Patric Seng grew up in Malaysia learning four languages. As a child, he showed a keen interest in art and painting, as well as getting up on stage and performing.

“It’s been so natural to me since I was a little kid,” he told Apparel.

“The beautiful costumes and performances gave me the confidence, and fashion came in at a later stage when I became a teenager.”

In 2006 Seng moved to New Zealand to complete his university study at UCOL. He worked two jobs – a full-time in-house graphic designer and a part-time bar supervisor – and spent his spare time watching Fashion TV on SKY. “I became a self-employed designer then starting to experiment with fashion photography. I met so much creative talent through all these processes, then figured out the best way was to start my agency.”

Seng started BINTANG in October 2014. Back then he was frequently conducting fashion shoots and always working with interesting faces. “They would ask me which agency they should contact and get signed, and I decided to tell them to sign to mine,” he said. “Ever since, BINTANG has become a hub for me where I have put my heart and soul.”

BINTANG has evolved into a multi-talented, young and vibrant agency. “We are all very much a family,” explained Seng. “That helps our models and staff work well with each other.” A typical day at BINTANG consists of working with his small team, making decisions, meetings, interviews, scheduling photoshoots, submitting the talent for jobs – all the while trying to maintain his fitness. “It’s challenging yet exciting!” BINTANG has gone from strength to strength since its inception almost four years ago. The agency has worked with New Zealand Fashion Week since the start, a job which Seng said is his favourite so far. Seng aims to build the BINTANG brand in New Zealand with the intention of eventually taking it internationally and working with fashion designers in Asia.

For those looking for a start in the industry, Seng offers this advice: “You must feel very comfortable with the agency you are going to sign. If you don’t trust the people, then don’t waste your time.”

MAGAZINE CLOTHING

Linda Savage owns and manages Magazine Clothing and has a great team behind her. All staff members at Magazine possess extraordinary styling ability, masses of creativity and fashion flair, as well as professionalism and an absolute commitment to do whatever it takes to deliver outstanding service.

“They are there to help you look and feel your best, by offering you exceptional service, styling guidance and the attention you deserve,” added Linda.

Linda has always had a passion for good design and an interest in the transformative power of fashion.

As the owner of Magazine Clothing, she is absolutely in her element helping women look and feel good about themselves. Leading up to her involvement with Magazine Clothing, Linda had various roles in the fashion industry, including clothing design and retail management. When the opportunity to take on Magazine Clothing came up, she immediately saw the potential and relished the idea of being in business for herself. She acquired Magazine in December

28 I March 2018

2006 and opened the Point Chevalier store in August 2008. Next to open was the Mount Eden store in May 2009, later followed by Mount Maunganui in September 2010, then Palmerston North in August 2012, Taihape Outlet in July 2013, Pukekohe in September 2013, New Plymouth in March 2015, Riccarton and Christchurch in August 2016, and most recently Hamilton in March 2017. “We are in the process of relocating our Point Chevalier Outlet store to beautiful new premises in Onehunga as well as opening our online store soon. The operation has grown from two staff to over 30, and enjoys a very loyal following of clients,” she said.

Linda explained that Magazine is very passionate about New Zealand designed and made clothing.

Most of the labels found at Magazine Clothing are made in New Zealand with a few exceptions from Australia and Europe. “The quality of New Zealand made is exceptional, and we find our clients are very happy to pay for a beautifully made New Zealand garment.” Magazine Clothing also has its own label, Magazine, where they work with local designers to create many exclusive styles including High Society, Judith Anne Ford, Jellicoe, Euphoria, Cotura, Bittermoon, and Classic Group.

Their passionate staff, clothing catering for all sizes (10-26) and ages, and their extensive clothing offering from casual to special occasion is what separates Magazine Clothing from its competitors. They also offer a complimentary style consultation service to ensure their customers are making the right choice, for their individual look and lifestyle. Each staff member has an expert eye for fashion and interprets consumers’ needs and requirements while developing a unique look.

For more information, visit www.magazineclothing. co.nz or call 09 849 3494.

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