$ 9.00
APRIL 2017 I VOL 50 I NO 4
iD FASHION WEEK pg 22 14 VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK 18 FINANCE & FACTORING 28 INDUSTRY ACCORDING TO . . .
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LONDON SATORIAL
Men’s Style from Street to Bespoke
SMARTPHONES VS. PHOTOGRAPHERS
Let me just say this. YOU CANNOT PHOTOGRAPH A RUNWAY SHOW FROM THE FRONT ROW ON YOUR SMARTPHONE. Hire a photographer, sit them in the pit and enjoy your front row seat. As a photographer and professional seat filler, I know the struggle from both sides. A photographer has this beautiful shot down the runway of a model in a stunning garment and BAM there is some random person in the background on the edge of their seat taking photos off her phone. For the person in the front row on their phone, their photos are out of focus and terrible (and your fuzzy photo isn’t going to make it to the front cover of a magazine). For the photographer, their money shot is ruined by an audience member. Now – photographers or bloggers in the front row with giant lenses, don’t think this doesn’t include you. I have been whacked in the face by a blogger with a ridiculous lens, go sit in the pit. Smaller lenses are ok, but still be aware of your surroundings. There is a time
and a place for everything. As a blanket rule for anyone attending any show, be courteous to those around you, the person on either side of you, and how you impact their experience of the show. The only buyer present might be in the second row and misses out because the front row is busy taking photos and moving around instead of actually looking at each garment. In breaking news, a man wanted a new suit, so he bought a nice piece of fabric and tried to find a good tailor. The first tailor he visited looked at the fabric, measured him, then told him there was not enough fabric to make a suit. The man found this hard to accept, so he went to the tailor next door who measured both him and the fabric before announcing that there was enough to make a three-piece suit. A week later, the man returned to collect his new threepiece suit and noticed that the tailor’s son was wearing trousers made of the same fabric. Confused, the man asked the tailor: “How were you able to make a threepiece suit for me and trousers for your son when the tailor next door could not even make a me a suit?” “Simple,” said the tailor. “The guy next door has two sons.” caitlan@reviewmags.com
ON THE COVER:
CREDIT: Arcadia, Amy Sio-Atua, amysioatoa@gmail.com Master of Design, Massey University 2016 MATERIALS: Digitally Printed and Embroidered Linen. Exhibition Tapestry.
Gingham is of Malaysian origin from the word genggang, roughly translating to ‘separate’.
High heels were first worn by men in the 16th century. It was seen as a sign of wealth and status, also where the phrase ‘well-heeled’ stemmed from.
Brogues originally had perforations on them to let the water escape.
CHAIRMAN PUBLISHER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EDITOR STAFF WRITER ADVERTISING SALES SENIOR DESIGNER PHOTOGRAPHER
2 I April 2017
Peter Mitchell - peter@reviewmags.com Tania Walters - tania@reviewmags.com Sarah Mitchell - sarah@reviewmags.com Caitlan Mitchell - caitlan@reviewmags.com Mark Fullerton - mark@reviewmags.com Caroline Boe - caroline@reviewmags.com Raymund Sarmiento - raymund@reviewmags.com Caitlan Mitchell - caitlan@reviewmags.com
The average American owns seven pairs of blue jeans. Shaving off your eyebrows was a trend during the Renaissance.
GENERAL MANAGER Kieran Mitchell - kieran@reviewmags.com ISSN 1171-2287 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 2016 NZ Apparel Magazine.
By Dylan Jones
Combining the heritage of bespoke tailoring with a peripatetic approach to street style, London, the birthplace of dandy is one of, if not the world’s capital of men’s fashion. In London Sartorial, Men’s Style from Street to Bespoke, journalist and men’s fashion arbiter Dylan Jones provides and insider’s account of the evolution of contemporary fashion retail in London, the launch and resounding success of London Fashion Week Men’s, and presents a discerning sartorialist’s guide to the capital today, all with a super-witty, very English twist.
DIGIT@L GIRLS
Risk Takers, Rule Breakers, Disruptors: Fashion’s New Tribe Photographed by Marko MacPherson
The fashion media landscape has evolved drastically with the emergence of the industry’s newest vanguard of pioneering women, whose unique perspectives on fashion and beauty have propelled them to become true powerhouse personalities via their blogs, websites, and socialmedia profiles. DIGIT@L GIRLS features today’s top social media stars including Leandra Medine (The Man Repeller website, Chiara Ferragni (The Blonde Salad website), Michelle Phan, Ascia Al Faraj, and Andreja Pejic.
MANOLO BLAHNIK The Art of Shoes
By Cristina Carrillo de Albornoz Fisac The shoes of Manolo Blahnik boast a cult following of devotees the world over. With their signature, sleek elegance and distinctive fashion edge, ‘Manolos’ are at once fascinating and timeless, their design a beautiful combination of chic, playfulness, and flair. Manolo Blahnik: The Art of Shoes explores the creativity and influences of this modern master through an alphabetical chronicle of the designer’s loves and inspiration. Not only does this book feature illustrated essays that tell the story of the vision behind the shoes, it also acts as a catalogue to The Art of Shoes, an intimate retrospective of 212 hand selected shoes from Manolo’s 30,000 strong archive.
DIOR
By Mats Gustafson Fashion was traditionally advertised by illustration until photography superseded it well into the 20th century, so when Dior approached Swedish illustrator Mats Gustafson to portray its collections, it was a return to the elegance of fashion’s earliest mode of expression. Dior by Mats Gustafson presents this inspired collaboration for the very first time, in sections devoted to the collections from 2012 to 2017.
NZ FAS H I O N W E E K . C O M
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2 8 T H
AU G U ST
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2 N D
S E P T E M B E R
Photo Credit: Anastasia Nenarokova
CELEBRATING THE NZ FASHION INDUSTRY AND ITS CREATIVE TALENT.
AC C E P T I N G
D E S I G N E R
A P P L I CAT I O N S
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For more information: Email: admin@nzfashionweek.com Phone: +64 9 377 8033 Social: #NZFW2017
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SUSTAINABLE FASHION I LOVE UGLY SHOW SCARS
I Love Ugly have responded to claims and rumours that the local brand was closing in an exclusive statement to Apparel. “For some odd reason, people had this idea we were shutting down. Yes, we admittedly had some growing pains, and yes we are not afraid to show our scars. But we have zero intention of shutting our doors. In fact, we are planning to do the absolute opposite. This year is a big year for I Love Ugly to prove to both our local and international fan base that we are better than ever, and we are confident we have the products and brand to match it,” said Valentin Ozich, I Love Ugly’s Company Director. The brand has also launched an exclusive new sneaker collaboration. To find out more, see page 9.
A contingent of New Zealand university students travelled to India in January as part of Education New Zealand Prime Minister’s Scholarships for Asia programme. The students spent five weeks in India studying sustainable fashion, textile design and production with the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi. Students worked in collaboration with NIFT to produce garments, which were then presented at an event at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi. The event highlighted the potential for fashion to address real world issues such as sustainability and ethical production. “Through studies in the fashion supply chain, traditional fashion industry methods are challenged, and team design and production projects like this help lead to innovative and sustainable thinking,” said Sue Prescott, senior lecturer for Fashion Design at Massey University.
ESPECIALLY FOR YOU
Kylie Minogue steps into the spotlight for her first ever eyewear collection which is exclusive to Specsavers Australia and New Zealand. Kylie Minogue Eyewear features 25 glasses and four prescription sunglasses, all of which are available now. Minogue describes the collection as a mix of classics and reinvented vintage, with different eras influencing the shapes, colours and textures. “Designing the glasses and collaborating with Specsavers has been a fabulous experience. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the idea of modern classics, popular shapes and styles that suit most people, but with my own personal twist on each frame,” said Minogue. Each frame also displays her iconic ‘K’. Minogue first started wearing glasses when she was in her early twenties. “I’d been experiencing headaches and had difficulty maintaining focus when reading, so I had my eyes tested and I’ve been a specs wearer ever since.” Minogue said expressing yourself with glasses provides a fantastic opportunity to change up your look which she loves to do. Having a mixture of styles is something that works for Minogue. “I like to combine that functional day-to-day look with a little more glamour for the evening. That’s something I’ve incorporated into the collection,” she explained. At Minogue’s request, Specsavers made sure the collection included some petite styles. “I know what it’s like searching for glasses and not being able to find any that fit. We’ve really made sure there’s something in there for everyone!”
4 I April 2017
WORKSHOP EXCLUSIVE
Masscob was born in La Coruña, Spain in 2003 and is defined by its feminine silhouettes and quality craftsmanship in favour of modern fluidity. The Spanish label is the duality of two personalities; feminine (Marga Massanet) and masculine (Jacobo Cobián). Emerging spontaneously from their own unique universe, Masscob’s collections transform the simple into special. Exiled to Siberia in 1910, Russian dissident Gregory Salomon learned the art of fur trading from local trappers. Salomon and his son spent more than 60 years purchasing skins for some of the biggest fashion house in Europe before his grandson Yves formed his own fur based fashion label in 1972. The ARMY line features six distinct collections; a highlight of the collections is the traditional military parkas embellished with fur trim. Masscob and French label ARMY by Yves Salomon have been welcomed into the Workshop family. The two European brands can now be found exclusively at Workshop Newmarket and Ponsonby.
AUSTRALIAN TAKES FIRST PLACE AT ID
Emerging designer Nehma Vitols’ collection reinvented archetypal garments such as a biker jacket and a blazer. This lead her to win the 13th Annual iD International Emerging Designer Awards held in Dunedin. The Australian-based designer studied at Sydney’s University of Technology and took out first place with her ‘XXX’ collection. The judges described it as inspired and merging new fabric technology with handcraft while deconstructing familiar silhouettes in a entirely unique way. Paper, silk, and cotton merged to form a new hybrid material that oscillate between two and three dimensions, linking fashion and sculpture. Head judge Tanya Carlson explained that there was an amazing dichotomy of opposing states. “Fluid but structured, flat and 3D, technological yet handcrafted. She used references that we all know – the biker jacket, the trench coat – and then she makes them new.” The judges agreed that the overriding focus of all of the designers was on the ocean with aquatic inspired collections and a renewed focus on sustainability. “All of the collections are a result of research and a commitment to new ideas. There was little evidence of international referencing and instead each finalist created their own vision in a collection that was fresh, unique and original,” said Paulo Melim Andersson, iD’s international guest judge.
Deanna Yearbury RED11
Scouted by Prudence from Nova models (now Clyne models) around four years ago, Deanna recalls her double parking on the main road of Mount Manganui and following her into a store. “I remember thinking why is this lady staring at me! But she handed me her card, and I signed with them a week later,” she said. Last March, she moved to Red11 models. Twenty-years-old, she comes from a family of farmers, mechanics and a receptionist. “So nothing related to the industry, although my Nana says she did some runway when she was younger but ‘we were allowed to smile back then,’” Yearbury explained. “I’m
not sure I wanted to be a model initially, sure I watched all the TV shows like ANTM, and so on, but I never thought that would be me.” However, after growing ten centimetres in one year, she was scouted shortly after that. “Today I’m modelling as I love working with new people at every job, and seeing and making friends that I wouldn’t have otherwise met. My favourite part of the job is turning up at new places having no idea what looks will unravel that day, and then walking away with a handful of new friends and new shots,” said Yearbury. The middle child of two brothers, her biggest achievement so far was walking for Karen Walker at The Marr Factory last year. She’s not currently signed with any overseas agencies but she has had interest and she is still hoping to sign overseas within the next year. “So far I’ve only worked within New Zealand, although for my first job with Red11, a magazine flew me down to Queenstown where we stayed in the mountains for a night. It was amazing but so cold shooting barefoot in a lace wedding dress on a mountain!” This may not seem big to others but for Yearbury, dealing with the cold when shooting outside is a big deal. “I have poor circulation (Raynaud’s Disease) and Rheumatoid Arthritis, so the cold is not my friend,” she explained. Currently, she’s appeared in Magnolia Rouge Magazine, Housewives of Auckland’s first episode and has modelled in a Knuefermann fashion show. Apart from signing overseas her future goals are to work more and travel. “Travel would be an amazing experience that I believe would help me grow as an individual. As
PURFORM SHOWCASES AT EUROSHOP
Keen to expand globally, Purform Mannequins first exhibited at Euroshop in 2008 before they took their manufacturing and brand to India. “We saw India as a perfect place for our durable, easy to use rotationally moulded plastic product that is recyclable and with a market that size, there was room to grow,” said owner Ben Purdy. This year Purdy is in Düsseldorf showcasing his brand at the world’s biggest retail trade fair. “We decided to do the show this year as it is only on every three years and we felt the time was right to grow internationally as we have released some new product styles, improved product features, established a growing business in India, and product capacity can be increased now due to the expansion of our manufacturers facilities.” The response was better than they could have hoped for and have received interest in their products from Europe, Russia, USA, Africa, Turkey, and Australia. There has been a lot of interest directly from apparel retailers and shop fitting companies who are looking to take on Purform products to use or sell in their regions.
well as that an ambition of mine is to be in a campaign shot on a tropical island. That would be amazing!” Not content with only that, she’s also currently finishing her third year at Waikato University studying business management and majoring in Human Resources and Economics. “The degree is four years, so I’m almost done. I space out my papers over the whole year, so I have time to work as well, it gets a bit stressful sometimes, but it’s worth it.” Her advice to people just starting out in the industry? “Apart from keeping a similar active lifestyle, apply to lots of agencies and be nice to everyone!”
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RASPBERRY IS THE NEW PINK
Kester Black, a Melbourne-based beauty brand, has launched their latest limited edition nail polish. The fuchsia hued polish is called Raspberry and complements the February release of their Pantone ‘Khaki’ polish. In celebration of Raspberry’s launch, Kester Black has created a selection of campaign images photographed by Martina Gemmola and were styled by Anna Ross and Annette Wagner. For five years now, Kester Black has been shaping the sustainability of the nail polish industry one idea at a time. Australian-made, their products are the first in the world to be B Corporations certified joining other companies who are using the power of business to create a positive impact on the world. The certification compiles a rigorous assessment exploring the company’s governance, transparency, environmental, and social impact.
DIY MACARON GEL KIT
The new eye-catching LED lamp by Le Mini Macaron is shaped like the edible French macaron. Simply plug it into any USB port, apply the gel polish and it sets in 30 seconds. The polish lasts for seven to ten days and includes everything needed for a home DIY kit. Each kit includes; a gel nail polish, file, cuticle stick, ten remover pads, USB cord and a mini macaron LED lamp. “We wanted to create a new brand that would make gel nails accessible to women everywhere, removing the perception that gel manicures must be complicated, expensive, or done at a salon,” said Le Mini Macaron founders Christina Kao and Francois-Xavier Humbert. The LED Macaron lamps come in eight colours and 16 Gel Nail Polish colours. You can also take apart the LED lamp for pedicures.
THE PURFECT LIP GLOSS
Made specifically for cat lovers, the Hin-Yari Ohana lip gloss by Felissimo is meant to recreate the sensation of kissing a cat’s wet nose. This strange feature is partially accomplished by scenting the gloss with a milk that is specially formulated to feed kittens. While the kitten milk is unusual, the lip gloss contains a number of beneficial ingredients such as shea butter and hyaluronic acid.
GHD GETS A LIMITED-EDITION MAKEOVER
The award-winning ghd platinum styler that takes the guilt out of heat styling is now available in a limited edition tropic sky design. The new styler boasts its refreshingly vivid pattern and is paired with a heat-resistant bag so that users can take the styler wherever they go. The classic ghd V gold styler has also undergone a makeover and can be found in a bold ruby sunset edition. This is also paired with a heatresistant bag. A highlight of this styler is the contoured edges which help create perfect curls and waves for a salon-style finish. Both reduce hair breakage by up to 50 percent, increase shine by up to 20 percent and use intelligent tri-zone technology to maintain a safer-for-hair constant heat evenly from roots to ends. Another highlight is the tinted wishbone hinge to give the user more control when styling. The styler includes a universal voltage to deliver the same outstanding performance wherever you are in the world and automatically shuts down after 30 minutes of non-use.
For the first time, L’Oréal has combined three refined clays into a hair care range, titled Extraordinary Clay By Elvive, to break the vicious cycle of oily roots and dry ends. Inspired by clay baths, the Extraordinary Clay range features a Pre-Shampoo Clay Masque which contains 30 percent clay. When massaged into one’s hair, the formula activates absorbing excess oils and impurities. The unique formula includes kaolinite (white clay), montmorillonite (blue clay), and argilane (green clay). Launching May 1st, the new range includes a Detox Clay Mask, Rebalancing Shampoo, Detox Conditioner, and a clay-to-spray Dry Shampoo. For those who have thin hair, L’Oréal has also launched a new Elvive Fibralogy Air Dry Shampoo that offers instant volume and purity with zero residue.
THE ULTIMATE PRECISE LONG-WEAR LINER
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics has introduced a new Long-Wear Waterproof Liner that is highly pigmented. The new liner provides a deep and fully-opaque coverage and promises all day wear with no need for touch ups. The launch includes the liner in eight colourways featuring the twist-up design for a precise application. Formulated with a specific ratio of waxes to avoid dulling the liner’s base, the new Long-Wear Waterproof Liner is smudge-proof and stands up to heat, humidity, sweat and more.
SOAK SOCIETY Natalie Thorogood grew up in Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast. After that she lived in Sydney, Perth, Canada, Mexico and Brisbane. “I moved back to the Sunshine Coast around two years ago to be closer to family and because of the relaxed lifestyle it offers,” she added. Thorogood believes that working as a personal concierge for high-end clients for a few years and her Bachelor Degree in PR are staples in her entrepreneurial journey. Her interests include; yoga and pilates, practicing her Spanish language skills, health and wellness, and hip hop dancing. Three years ago, Thorogood saw no local brands that created bath salts without synthetic fragrances that were at a great price point. “I launched the first product, our Originale wellness soak, and grew the range from there gradually, making sure that each new wellness soak was very different to the others,” she said. Thorogood loves imagining and trialling new bath soak blends, but she also loves the process of making a product by hand.
6 I April 2017
CLAY INNOVATION
Although she doesn’t make every single product by hand anymore. Soak Society is Cruelty Free Accredited and Thorogood is a vegetarian, so for her creating vegan products was essential part of the brand. “No milk baths here!” Soak Society don’t use any synthetic ingredients and each product is all natural. Thorogood said she takes inspiration from a variation of places; from somewhere she visited for work or leisure, books she reads, podcasts – anywhere. Soak Society’s team currently consists of Thorogood, production assistant Zita, and communications intern Isobel. “I love our small team and the flexible work environment we have,” she said. Thorogood’s role is varied and apart from new product development, she manages all of the social media, marketing, collaborations, and bookkeeping. Soak Society is currently stocked in over 160 retail stores across Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Moving forward, Soak Society is expanding their range and have an exciting product launch in June. “We will definitely expand internationally, and we would love to partner with luxury resorts in amazing locations.”
VANCOUVER
FASHION WEEK summer spring 2018
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SEPTEMBER 18.-24.2017
Tickets, schedules and more info available on: www.vanfashionweek.com apparelmagazine.co.nz
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RODD & GUNN TO OPEN TEN U.S. STORES
Rodd & Gunn opened their second U.S. store in New York City. The 3,2000-square-foot store can be found at 81 Front Street in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn. The kiwi brand are planning to open eight to ten more stores in the US by the end of 2018. Currently operating 85 stores across New Zealand and Australia, they first entered the American market as a wholesaler. San Diego, Los Angeles and Dallas are next on the list. “The first two weeks of trading have been above expectations and very encouraging. We are attracting a very diverse clientele and we definitely have a strong future in this iconic location,” explained Mike Beagley, Rodd & Gunn’s CEO.
BRIONI RETURNS TO ITS ROOTS
Menswear brand Brioni is returning to its tailoring roots with a new campaign fronted by veteran actor Samuel L. Jackson. In their association with Jackson, Brioni taps into their long-standing association with Hollywood. Brioni is currently without a creative director, following the abrupt resignation of Justin O’Shea after only six months. O’Shea’s tenure was tinged with controversy after he asked Metallica to front the 2016 fall advertising campaign, which many felt was out of character for the iconic brand.
FRENCH83 FLAGSHIP TURNS TWO
The Auckland-based menswear brand FRENCH83 celebrated its second anniversary of their 17 Anzac Ave flagship store. From a humble home office beginning making custom made-to-measure suits for selected clients, the label now stocks conceptual collections by head designer Nicole Wesseling. The label has also expanded to China with a signature concept store in Beijing. FRENCH83’s next big step is to stock collections on the newly released Chinese mobile shopping app MyMM. The app is hosted by Lane Crawford and is live now.
SUPREME X LACOSTE
BORROWED FROM THE BOYS
Supreme, the brand which has long been popular among skaters, is traveling even further from its roots. After its high profile collaboration with Louis Vuitton, a partnership which excited fashion-followers and angered many of the brand’s longtime consumers, Supreme announced last week that they would be collaborating again with an unexpected partner. Supreme’s newest collaboration will be with French brand Lacoste, famous for their high-end designs and preppy appeal. The collection will feature classic Lacoste designs with updated branding, and new designs with play on the aesthetics of both brands, including sweatshirts, sweat pants, polos and cricketstyle jerseys.
Alyce Tran THE DAILY EDITED
8 I April 2017
Women’s fashion has always loved to incorporate elements more synonymous with menswear, however now Spanish designer Alejandro Gomez Palomo has done the opposite. In his latest collection for his own brand, Palomo Spain, Palomo used traditionally more feminine designs, with peplums, cropped blouses, and bared décolletage. Ironically, a lot of womenswear buyers have been buying Palomo for their women consumers. Palomo’s first two collections were more innocent and romantic, while his most recent collection ‘Objecto Sexual’ was more edgy and featured a fully latex suit.
Previously a lawyer working in mergers and acquisitions, Alyce Tran was always a bit of an academic. She believes this is a direct result of her upbringing and her parents’ emphasis on education. Her sister, Caroline Tran, is the market editor at Harper’s Bazaar Australia. Growing up, Tran said she was always interested in fashion. “Like every other woman, I love shopping, but I think I just took it that one step further than my peers by starting a business in the space. I was looking for a compendium of work, and I couldn’t find anything on the market that hit the brief, classic story really, so I spoke to Tania my co-founder about getting a few things made for us to use ourselves,” Tran said. Out of this conversation, the duo decided to make three products and produced a small run of product. Subsequently, Tran posted pictures of the products on Instagram and immediately people were commenting and asking where they could buy them. Tran first met Tania Liu when they were both working as lawyers. Liu is in charge of production and merchandise planning, and everything else you see is by Tran. This includes; creative, strategic direction, day to day operations, staff management, retail store
management, building store concepts, branding, and so on. Tran’s favourite part of the job is the pace and the constant change; she said it keeps every day interesting. Most work days for Tran include; going to the gym in the morning, then arriving at the office at 9.30am, meeting with a few of her team as needed, respond to any emails that she didn’t get to on the go, visit one of their stores, browse the internet, uploads a few Instagrams, discuss any issues with staff on production or dispatch of orders, and consider any developments in the infrastructure or finances of their business. “Basically, I just keep the business going and moving forward!” The Daily Edited customer is someone who is interested in exclusivity, quality, on-trend, and functional products. They’re any person who might want to enhance their lifestyle accessories. Tran said the biggest shift in fashion she is enjoying is the normcore and more casual styles. Despite Rihanna being her favourite inspiration, in terms of fashion, she is inspired by Lauren Santo Domingo. For New Zealand customers, The Daily Edited are now offering next day delivery into NZ. Moving forward, the brand is continuing to expand globally.
BALANCING ACT
Anthony Vaccarello is not only an excellent fashion designer, he is also adept at physics. During the latest Saint Laurent show, Vaccarello debuted his newest shoe design, a traditional pointed toe pump with no heel. Instead of a traditional heel, the design featured a flat shank which extended along the floor. The shank is an equal length to the shoe itself, which means that the downwards pressure exerted from the wearer is equally spread between the toe of the shoe and the back part of the shank. The shoe was black patent leather, with a lettering design on the flank.
FASHION MEETS PERFORMANCE
For I Love Ugly’s inaugural sneaker collection they teamed up with one of the world’s oldest sport heritage companies, Onitsuka Tiger. The aim of the new collection was to draw on Onitsuka Tiger’s rich heritage as a leading international sportswear performance brand and align this with the rich geological characteristics of New Zealand. The team at I Love Ugly said it was of the upmost importance that they showcased the country’s beauty from the North to the South Island from marketing to fabrication to the final design.
ADIDAS ADDS PRIMEKNIT
The new silhouette by adidas boasts the perfect hybrid of their iconic Stan Smith sneaker. Receiving yet another upgrade, the new Stan Smith sneaker features Primeknit construction paired with highlights from the Stan Smith BOOST. The first drop can be found in two colourways; the original green, and navy.
FENTY X PUMA COLLECTION DROPS
Rihanna’s much anticipated Marie-Antoinette collection for Spring 2017 has started to be released. The collection will slowly be dropped each month through til June. The faux-fur slides from the first Fenty X Puma collection which became an instant must-have item and inspired a legion of knock-offs have been replaced with slides adorned with a satin bow. The collection also includes sneaker-inspired point-toe stilletos and chunky platform sneakers. Made up of a colour palette of on-trend blush, khaki and lilac, the designs utilise the same gothic typography of ‘Puma’ as Rihanna’s previous Fenty x Puma collection, but with a Marie-Antoinette inspired aesthetic evident through the feminine palette.
The sneakers called The Pie Tops have a built-in Bluetooth radio that syncs to a mobile device with the Pizza Hut app. To place an order, the wearer presses the red circle on the tongue of the shoe and to receive whatever order they have pre-saved in the app. The wearer must then unlock their smart phone to confirm the location and sooner or later they will have pizza. The sneakers are handstitched by “Shoe Surgeon” Dominic Chambrone. The Pie Tops were created as part of an ad campaign starring Grant Hill, a retired basketball player. You can also order pizza through Twitter, Amazon Echo, Facebook Messenger and more. A limited number of the sneakers have been created and given only to an exclusive group of media to promote.
Olivia Balle and Kristen Meaclem Photograph by Megan Alexander
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Michelle Menzies MARKETING MANAGER Pat Menzies Shoes
LEFT TO RIGHT: Pat Menzies, Andy Wannell, Michelle Menzies, David McClunie
10 I April 2017
Pat Menzies Shoes is a company with a long history in Auckland. Since 1975, they’ve been the underground footwear destination for Aucklanders, with a range of shoes second to none. Michelle Menzies, Marketing Manager at the company, also grew up in Auckland and explained her journey working for the company and what’s next for the Auckland footwear specialist. “I grew up on the North Shore, it was a great place for kids with lots of beaches and loads or friends to kick around with. After travelling a lot from 19 to 23 years old, I got a taste for advertising and developed my career with some great agencies. I never went to university, it was always something I thought I would do, but the experience I gained from travelling and then meeting and working with the right people, meant I was educated on the job,” Michelle explained. With her dad running the footwear brand, she always loved footwear, but she never thought she’d end up running the family business. “I worked for Assignment Group as an Account Manager and then left to have children. I just got into the family business, originally to help dad with the building of our website and social channels.” However, the more Menzies took on, the more passionate she became, and she has now been there for around six years. The most valuable thing she has
learned at the brand? “History and service go a long way, but you have to adapt with the times to keep up. It’s about layering the experience,” Menzies said. In the last year, she’s been rebranding and making it clearer how much history they have in Auckland. Day to day, Menzies has lots of variety in her job. “Spending time on the shop floor, checking to see what new styles have dropped, keeping connected with the team and talking to customers.” Then there are stock deliveries, planning out the marketing and events or running social channels, there’s lots to do. “Oh and buying meetings, which are always fun,” Menzies added, “Luckily, we have a great team and everyone chips in together.” Selling existing brands, Menzies is well involved in the buying process as it forms a big part of their identity. “Our customer range is massive, we sell to corporates, musicians, students and families, so we need to offer a mix of brands and styles that cross the generations but still feels cool,” Menzies explained. Not content with all that, there’s also the future to keep an eye on. “There have been lots of trends come and go, but the biggest shift is probably the casualization of work wear. Although we still offer a wide range of dress footwear, many customers now have the option to wear a more casual look in their daily jobs, so we have to keep open to new developments like this. “Apart from all that, we just opened a second store in St Kevin’s Arcade on K Road, and I want to keep building on what we’ve got, but also to continue to offer something a little different than the many corporate stores that have just entered our city,” Menzies said.
accessory alert Nikita Margarita DOODAD AND FANDANGO
Nikita Margarita grew up in Australian suburbia and couldn’t wait to escape. Living in Tokyo for a couple of years blew Margarita’s mind and it was this experience that cemented her love for fashion. After returning from Japan, she was determined to work in the fashion industry. She studied Fashion Design for a few years at TAFE in Sydney and worked in wardrobe in TV commercials and assisted stylists too. “It didn’t feel like the right fit though, I never seemed to care much about what other people wore. Then I heard about a jewellery design course and I knew that was the right direction for me,” she explained. Margarita remembers feeling envious of all of her
school friends who got to wear new cool clothes from Cherrylane or Studibaker Hawk. She claims she never got new clothes, and would receive a lot of ‘sack-like’ dresses made for her by her German grandmother. “Looking back they were cute in a retro kind of way, but this was the early 80s and the vibe in my primary school was neon socks, jelly sandals, CHOOSE LIFE t-shirts and denim miniskirts. Not peasant style baby doll dresses. I was mortified by my options and I so badly just wanted to fit in and look like everyone else.” Margarita added that she is inspired by an abundance of things and places. Her fashion crushes include Michelle Violy-Harper, Bjork, and Iris Apfel. If she could live again, she would want to come back as part of Alexander McQueen’s team and do anything – sweep the floor, make coffees, anything. Margarita trained as a silversmith during her Advanced Diploma of Jewellery & Object Design. She made lots of things while studying, some were quite large scale metal objects like tableware, teapots, and salt and pepper shakers. “I dreamt that one day I would be designing objects like this, but I thought I’d need to be in Italy or somewhere else for that to happen,” she said. One day her friend introduced her to op shops and she
found that she could create her own looks that were way better for next to nothing. Margarita said those were the days when you could find immaculate 50s and 60s dresses for peanuts. She sewed her own clothes as a teenager and DIY has been a strong part of her dubious fashion sense ever since. Margarita handcrafts every Doodad + Fandango piece herself. She loves both making and designing. “Perhaps to my detriment I am obsessed with keeping production local.” Margarita enjoys subversive accessories and she is filled with pride when she sees her designs being worn as a political statement. Doodad + Fandango is now two and half years old and Margarita’s role is varied but gets some help from her interns. Margarita loves women and said she lives in a world made up of women and gay men. “I love that my business appeals to them!” Quality is a crucial element in her work and said that although the pieces are plastic, they should last and hold up for years of use. Expanding her production team with a beautiful studio that adheres to all OH&S standards is her next goal. Already stocked in a few stores across New Zealand and Australia, Margarita also sells her collection online at www.doodadandfandango.com.
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Vlad Tichen MENSWEAR STYLIST
PHOTO CREDIT: Max Lemesh
JEANS
Every time I think about zombie apocalypses, I think about jeans. What if you only had a few minutes to dress up, pack all of your necessities, and leave your comfortable life for good? What if you had to run away into nothingness to save you and your family from the usually very nice and supportive old lady neighbour, Peggy, who is now smashing your door, craving to eat you alive? You don’t know whether the government will protect you, and you don’t seem to be hearing any police sirens either. The only thing that you hear is Peggy relentlessly scratching on the door in search of food. And trust me, she’s not gonna ask for those sweet Russian blinis you once brought her. No, she wants your brains. Well, we certainly cannot let your zombie neighbour have that. After a well-planned escape involving jumping from the second floor, I guess you’d go into hiding somewhere in the bush, live off land, occasionally scavenging for food in abandoned
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streets of your town, looting supermarkets and fighting with the rest of the survivors for remaining resources. But you can’t be wearing your comfortable shorts and Hello Kitty slippers doing that. You need to be dressed appropriately - it is a zombie apocalypse, after all. You would need to wear a jacket with lots of pockets, chunky boots, and a black beanie (for no particular reason, it just seems appropriate). But the main thing you need is a pair of good jeans. And I don’t make that statement lightly. The thing I like most about jeans is that its original design didn’t come from a wish to invent a fashion tendency. It came from a necessity. Jeans are probably the most durable type of pants. They are also the most popular type of pants in the world. That’s where you might be thinking: “I don’t need to be hearing all that from some dude, who is scared of his old neighbour. I want to make my own fashion choices when it comes to jeans!” But that’s where you are wrong. And that’s why are you going to get eaten and your brain sucked out. So don’t be a smart ass, know-itall type. Let me be that guy and I’ll tell you everything you need to know about jeans. Once upon a time there was a tailor. His name was Jack W. Davis and he wasn’t your fancy type of tailor. No, he was making horse blankets, wagon covers and tents. But one day in December of 1870, he was asked to make a perfect pair of pants for a woodcutter. In order to create an especially durable trouser, Mr. Davis used duck cloth, a heavy duty cotton. He had also reinforced the weak points in the seams and pockets with the copper rivets, the very same ones he was using for the stress points of the other sewn items he was making. After producing a few pairs in duck cotton, Mr. Davis had soon switched the fabric to denim. The newly created pants became so popular, that soon enough the tiny tailor shop wasn’t able to keep up with all the demand. So, Mr. Davis, being a smart man, had decided to approach Levi Strauss, his fabric supplier, with a business proposal. Together, they had the unique features of the pants patented, calling the thing “Improvements in fastening pocket openings”. And that’s how it all started, the birth of one of the most prominent items in the gentleman’s wardrobe. Nowadays we have huge variety of styles, cuts, and treatments for jeans. And this is the main trap. See, today you can get anything: ripped jeans, pink jeans, you can even get jeans with crystals, for God’s sake! I say: No more! We cannot afford to fall in
love with fashion trends. Our children and grandchildren, who’ll be looking at our pictures 30 years from now, shaking their heads in dismay, won’t forgive us. And if you are a reputable clothing retailer, you must think even harder, when picking the right kind of jeans. If you care about your customers, you’d need to keep these three things in mind.
The jeans are supposed to be:
• Simple. No bight coloured details, no artificial fading, etc. There might be a bit of distressed fabric, but don’t go too wild here. Keep it subtle. • Well-Fitted. I would go with a slimmer (but not skinny) cut and tapered leg down the bottom. • Of a Good Quality. Naturally, the quality of denim, dying process, and the whole production have to be of a high standard - that’s what makes a proper pair of jeans. Remember, they will become better with every wear. I’d also suggest to stick with dark colours. My personal favourite is indigo, the most popular colour that’s been used for dyeing denim cloth since forever Another important thing you need to consider is whether you wanna go with pre-washed or raw denim. Pre-washed jeans are easy to deal with. You don’t have to worry about shrinkage, fading and discomfort during the first months of wear. Just deal with your prewashed jeans the same way you deal with your cotton pants, and you’ll be alright. This is an obvious choice for those who want to go on the J-side but hate to worry about some pain-in-the-neck special treatment. Raw denim jeans, on the other hand, are quite a different story. You have to treat it with respect, you have to be patient with it. You might need to perform all sorts of crazy stuff as well, involving not washing them for six months, sleeping in them to break them in, etc. All this is needed in order to achieve that unique “worn out” look. I think it’s a little extreme, but hey, we all need to overcome different challenges life brings to us. And if life doesn’t bring you any, well, then you can buy a pair of raw denim jeans. Either way, jeans are cool. You need to wear them yourself and you need to have them in your store, so other people can enjoy wearing them, too. The main rule is your jeans need to look classy, but in a ‘gangsta’ way or is it ‘gangsta’ in the classy way? I can’t seem to remember… Oh yeah, they also need to be comfortable enough to kill your zombie neighbour. No more blinis for you, Peggy!
fashion week
Vancouver Fashion Week Shortlist Internationally recognised as the ‘Gateway to Global Fashion’, Vancouver Fashion Week have just completed their 29th consecutive season. They once again welcomed top media and buyers, as well as national and international celebrities, and industry VIPs. This season presented a range of national and international designers while maintaining its support for local talent. Vancouver Fashion Week is committed to being one of the world’s greatest international incubators of innovation and talent.
5. MAAK
Designed by South African Charne Esterhuizen, MAAK is a fledgeling label that is all about individuality and attitude. The Australian-based brand is proud of its sustainable marks, creating everything within Australia and operating via sustainable production methods. The fledgeling label launched this year and is already attracting fans from the music industry, having worked with international artists such as Vera Blue, Hands Like Houses, Boo Seeka and Hayley from the Jezabels.
1. ARANTXA MORCILLO
6. ALEX S. YU
Vancouver’s own Alex S. Yu creates colourful garments that explore the fine line between reality and fantasy. His aesthetics rollick the happy emotions of childhood, nostalgia and wanderlust; and ponder the very definition of femininity in a modern, quirky way. He trained at Blanche Macdonald Centre in Vancouver and then furthered his education at London College of Fashion and has been featured in Vogue Italia, Glamour, ELLE Canada, ELLE Italia, i-D and Indie Magazine. He recently presented his AW17 collection at London Fashion Week.
Born in Madrid, Arantxa Morcillo has found that having an obsessive attention to research is crucial for the creative process. This is essential for evolving rich and intimate collections. Morcillo is genuinely curious about materials, silhouettes and form. She previously worked at Somerset House and interned with Gareth Pugh before embarking on her own projects. This year she will showcase her AW17 Memories collection on the runway.
2. KAKOPIEROS
Embracing human dichotomies, Kakopieros explores artistic, philosophical, spiritual and scientific questions. Kakopieros was designed to confront and alter its viewer’s perceptions. Her AW17 collection titled Anne Frank focuses on trials and tribulations that Anne Frank faced throughout her life. Kakopieros’ thoughts and inspirations are inevitably tied to the aesthetic of politics and found this heavily influenced the core of her work.
7. EVAN CLAYTON
Vancouver-based Evan Clayton marries art and fashion in such way as to create political, personal and artistic expression. Ready-to-wear and bespoke offerings artistically enhance a foundation of playful and often sculptural and empowering silhouettes.
3. VIKTORIA TISZA
8. MACHIO MIZUMACHI
Initially launched as a swimwear brand, Viktoria Tisza eventually introduced bodysuits and jumpsuits and then moved into new materials. Using moulded pieces of silicone rubber, Viktoria Tisza creates conceptual sci-fi pieces for the catwalk. She has been featured in British Vogue and Glamour and has designed on-stage bodysuits and dresses for Beyoncé and her dancers for her World Tour.
4. SARA ARMSTRONG
An internationally-acclaimed, interdis-ciplinary artist who practices in both fashion and industrial design, Sara Armstrong has been featured in Vogue, Glamour, ELLE Italia, ELLE Mexico, ELLE China, and ELLE Canada. Armstrong creates pieces with an androgynous blur. Her formal training in sculpture is immediately apparent in pieces that balance complex geometries with pared-down simplicity. Lucid yet intuitive, her work is hinged upon a tactile, hand-worked approach to design and a strong appreciation for authenticity and quality.
Machio Mizumachi has won multiple awards for creativity in his home country of Japan including Tokyo New Designer Grandprix, Osaka Styling Expo and Kurashiki Fashion Frontia. His trademark is an eccentric use of colour and a technique of dismantling and rebuilding couture. His recent work illustrates ideas of nostalgia and fantasy through re-imagination and redefines various aspects of his personal life.
9. ENCIMA
ENCIMA is a contemporary menswear brand based in Vancouver. Founded by designer Faiz Lalani, the brand aims to design and create unique garments utilising colours and materials that represent individuality. Functional menswear pieces highlight unexpected twists, worthy of the runway while retaining its undeniable promise of wearability.
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Fall/Winter 2017 Vancouver Fashion Week is the fastest growing fashion week in the world and the only industry event that actively seeks out to showcase international award winning designers from over 25 global fashion capitals. For 29 seasons, Vancouver Fashion Week has celebrated multiculturalism and up-and-coming on their runways. They strive to identify undiscovered designers by providing an accessible and internationally reputable platform.
Alogon
Britt Wacher
Atelier Valeria Costa
Gabbie Sarenas
Blackmerle
Bahareh Memarian
Hangjun Jo
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Adam Bungag
Atelier Valeria Costa
Stefano Giammattei
Laura Torrella
Keem
Wilbur
Tsung Yu Chan
Moskal
Kisman
Wasso Vege
Kakopieros Kakopieros
Kirsten Ley
Tristen Mickelson
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It’s time to suit up for the cooler seasons. The Pre-Fall/Winter 2017 collections were stuffed full of suiting and workwear inspired ensembles, as designers re-interpreted this classic wardrobe staple. The daily grind never looked so chic!
Givenchy Resene Del Toro
Givenchy’s Pre-Fall/Winter 2017 collection was subtly segmented into three general categories; street, fashion and classic. The collection featured a wide variety of looks which came together to create an unmistakably high-fashion, yet very wearable, aesthetic. Comprising of a careful balance of beautifully tailored pieces and innovatively designed statement items, the collection conveyed a mature sophistication, imbued with modern edge. Suits were plentiful, cut in soft fabric with a subtle flair in the pants to create a long, languid silhouette. The palette underlying Givenchy’s collection moves from vibrant, with contrasting candy hues, to muted oatmeals and blacks. A head-to-toe suit in a similar shade to Resene Del Toro epitomized the modern elegance of Tisci’s designs, and was accessorized with a large geode chain necklace, which bought a haute-couture feel to the female friendly designs. Missoni took us back to their 1970’s heyday, with
16 I April 2017
Hermés Resene Deep Teal
Missoni Resene Azure
a collection which mixed androgynous suiting with jersey mini-dresses designed to disco. The collection was clearly split into eveningwear and daywear, with the respective palettes conveying which category the item was intended for. The daywear was subdued, with plaid knits, cropped flare pants and suiting - shown in a plaid close to Resene Azure. The eveningwear was more lively, with colourful metallic knits in a wider version of the classic Missoni zigzag. The effect was a little space age and a little disco, with statement pieces aplenty. Overall, the collection cleverly acknowledged Missoni’s past successes, while spanning new ground and continuing to craft innovative designs. ‘Don’t mess with Mugler’ is the no-nonsense vibe of the label’s pre-Fall/Winter 2017 collection. Showcasing some serious shoulder pads, the collection was all sharp lines and dramatic touches. The drama of the collection somewhat obscured the wearability and
Mugler Resene Bullseye
female-friendliness of Koma’s designs, which were generally quite classic. The collection’s palette was monochromatic with injections of rich jewel tones; reds, royal blues, and forest greens bought a refined and mature air to the sensual collection. Suits played a strong role in creating Koma’s powerful female aesthetic, mainly presented in black, save for one standout suit in a red wine hue similar to Resene Bullseye. The jackets had planed shoulders and wide lapels, and Koma played with pant proportions showing both an extreme wide leg and a tailored cigarette pant cut. Bonjour Hermès. The Pre-Fall/Winter 2017 collection is 1970’s Paris in a nutshell, with softly feminine silhouettes and a nonchalant air. The colour palette comprised of muted tones and deep rich hues perfect for a morning walk along the Seine. Collarless coats and jackets were cut with precise lines, giving
Colours available from
Resene ColorShops
www.resene.co.nz
0800 737 363
Prabal Gurung Resene Anglaise
them a boxy look. Hermès only presented one suit, with a straight cut pant, and wide-lapelled jacket. The deep forest green was akin to Resene Deep Teal, and gave the collection a more wintery, hygge feel. Sleek, ladylike elegance was personified in Prabal Gurung’s Pre-Fall/Winter 2017 collection. Softly draped fabrics and 1940’s inspired designs gave a hint of whimsy to the collection, which contrasted with the modern workwear shapes present throughout the collection. The overall effect was one of understated empowerment. The suits were subtle, not the main focus of the collection, and cut with slim lines and a slight flare to the leg. A softly cut suit in a pinkish ivory similar to Resene Anglaise was exemplary of Prabal Gurung’s approach to workwear; a classic cut of suit with the addition of draped statement sleeves, perfectly espousing an essence of feminine intrigue. Stella McCartney is not one to be predictable,
Stella McCartney Resene Half Joss
Versace Resene Outrageous
and her latest collection brought together a mix of influences which embody the eclectic, style-conscious spirit of McCartney’s customers. Ranging from extravagant fur jackets (faux, of course) to sharply cut suits, the collection was unapologetically fun. A touch of Anglomania was brought in through Argyle knits, and Prince of Wales plaid suits, in a hue close to Resene Half Joss. McCartney’s suits had oversized jackets and slim cut pants, which gave them a cool-girl, androgynous, 1960’s feel. Versace’s Pre-Fall/Winter 2017 show was unusually refined, with modern shapes, and ladylike styling, while a mixture of prints created a futuristic mood. The palette was seasonally appropriate, with black, deep mauve, and splashes of orange similar to Resene Outrageous and a muted blue, and was carried through the entire collection with little variation. Suits were relatively scarce and subtle in colour, save for one which
Gucci Resene Carissma
utilised the collection’s entire palette in a curved, whorl design. The suits were cropped with a slit at the front of the leg, and contrasting black lapels. Thick-soled boots and heels brought a little of that Versace danger to collection. Gucci’s current resurgence, thanks to Alessandro Michele’s wildly popular designs, is continuing to go from strength to strength. Each of Michele’s collections contains an incredibly wide range of influences and ideas, which tell intricately layered stories. Michele weaves together concepts which should not work together, but the mood of eccentricity allows clashing prints and styles to exist in a maximalist harmony. Crowd pleasing items destined to show up on a range of style influencers mix with more artistic pieces, such as a suit with cropped wide legs and a hood in a colour much like Resene Carissma.
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QUICK AND READY CASH FLOW In the fashion industry, quick and ready cash flow is essential. If a client hasn’t paid an invoice on time, a small business can suffer greatly from lack of immediate capital to draw upon. Problems arise when low sales periods coincide with periods of intense manufacturing, and business owners simply cannot wait for money to come in via traditional invoicing, which can often take up to three months. Banks are often reluctant to provide loans to newly established fashion labels due to the uncertain nature of the industry. Banks rely on collateral and safety – something which will provide security to the loan, and something that new small businesses quite often cannot offer unless a family home is used. With traditional forms of financing often unavailable, these businesses can turn to business finance factoring in order to secure virtually immediate cash flow. Business finance solutions offer small businesses the ability to convert a debtors ledger into cash immediately. Without a business finance arrangement, manufacturers would have to wait for debtors to pay the invoices to gain cash flow to start manufacturing more garments for further profit. This halts production and can be crippling to expansion. With a business finance arrangement,
manufacturers can produce the garments, sell into retail then immediately get around 80% of the face value of the invoices back from their finance provider. With that cash flow, manufacturing can continue. The finance provider has taken on responsibility for collecting the debts and pays the balance to the designer upon receipt, minus a fee for their services. Business finance companies work alongside their clients, and the clients benefit from having a dedicated credit controller who, in effect, becomes an extension of the client’s team in collecting, managing and administering debt.
WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?
Finance companies offer a range of services for business finance, the most common being debtor finance. Scottish Pacific Business Finance, for example, provides five different business finance services: • Debtor finance • Export finance – helps businesses create relationships with overseas clients in the same way as debtor finance, tiding businesses over with capital until debts are paid. • Import finance – allows small businesses to import products, facilitated by small loans. • Bad debt protection – essentially a consulting service, wherein the company will investigate potential customers and give advice about what sort of credit lines should be extended. • Selective invoice finance – a more basic ‘come and go’ version of debtor financing, where clients can select up to ten invoices to fund immediately. Wayne Semmens, Business Development Manager
of Scottish Pacific Business Finance, said that there are two main advantages of business financing, the first is being the lack of requirement for real estate security. “Invoice Financing is a more flexible form of finance as the amount of funding available is based on the sales you make, not on the value of your historic balance sheets. The facility grows in line with business growth, there is no requirement to go cap in hand to the bank seeking to increase existing fund lines.” The second advantage, said Semmens, is versatility and the ability for business financiers able to support the client through a wide range of situations and at various stages of the business lifecycle. “Rapid growth, turnaround, mergers and acquisition, management buyouts, financial planning applications and even divorce scenarios where co-owned property has been used to secure business finance.” Furthermore, Semmens said that “when matching like for like, invoice financing offers value for money in comparison to bank funds, where the cost of money advanced is highly competitive.” Banks are less flexible in their lending arrangements than other finance companies. To even get an overdraft can be difficult for a small business, especially when capital is low and physical property is limited. However, there is a growing trend towards banks providing similar services to online lenders in regards to debtor financing. The main reason behind this is the removal of the need for security. Once the small business owner and the bank have entered the arrangement, the bank owns the invoice – that is, they now have the right to claim all the money back from that invoice and some banks, such as BNZ, deem the need for further security unnecessary. However, there is still an associated risk as there is never any guarantee that the debtor will pay back the amount owed, in full or at all. Because banks often prefer to operate in low-risk fields, the criteria to be eligible for debtor financing from a bank will sometimes be out of reach for new businesses operating on small amounts of capital. The BNZ lending criteria require a
Is your business strategy for growth being held back? …no need to bet the house* Lock Finance is New Zealand’s leading independent and business finance company offering a fully integrated combination of trade finance, working capital, debtor finance and factoring since 1889.
*House mortgage security not normally required
Freephone 0800 ASK LOCK (0800 275 562) lockfinance.co.nz LOC 0287 05/16
18 I April 2017
Repayments (12 x $917.00) Amount Borrowed Cost of Funding
$11,004.00 $10,000.00 $1,004.00
Talk to a Business Finance specialist today. Call 0800 72 68 72 or visit our website at scottishpacific.com
DEBTOR FINAN CE L AND E LOW
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Clever marketers would tell you have only paid interest of 10.04%. But this is the flat rate. The true cost of finance is actually greater, because monthly repayments include both principal and interest. True rates are important because they are an effective way to make apples-to-apples comparisons. The new generation of online lenders tend to focus on speed and not cost, and therefore borrowers often don’t understand how expensive their loans are. It is very rare for online lenders to advertise their true rate because there is no legal requirement for them to do so, unlike consumer finance contracts where the true rate must always be disclosed. This is why small business owners are particularly susceptible to falling victim to unfair lending schemes. Without full disclosure, it is misleading to the borrower and favourable for the lender who makes it seem as if they are offering low rates. Thompson recommends that borrowers shop around, and most importantly ask what the true rate is before making any decisions about finance companies.
L E N DE R S
You borrow $10,000.00 for 12 months with monthly repayments of $917.00.
• Improve your cash flow • Grow your business • Remove the requirement to use the family home as security • Access facilities that grow in line with business revenues • Increase your buying power at home and overseas • Make the buying and hiring decisions you want to make today, not tomorrow.
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THOMPSON GIVES THIS EXAMPLE:
A Scottish Pacific facility can:
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financing. Small business owners were unable to afford the costs of the larger financing companies while also struggling to secure finance options from banks. This has led to a rise over the last decade of online lenders with a focus on convenience and speed, such as SpotCap and Get Capital. The problem, Thompson explains, is that borrowers are not aware of the true rates of interest they end up paying for these online loans. Lenders typically offer short-term principal and interest (P&I) loans with very high ‘true’ rates – rates which can often be obscured by clever marketing.
T HIR D PA RT
minimum annual credit sales total of $2 million with a minimum finance amount of $200,000 – again, something that a start-up business owner may not be able to achieve. In light of tightening credit lending criteria, businesses are now exploring alternative options to banks. In the past, there has been a certain stigma attached to being reliant on business financing. It was perceived as a sign of a failing business, however business financing is now a $60 billion industry in Australia and financing approximately 15% of GDP in the United Kingdom, with significant growth in the New Zealand market. Much of the social concern resulted from a lack of subtlety on the part of the business finance companies. Small business owners would be reluctant to pass debt collecting responsibilities to a third party when doing so would reveal to their clients that they are using a factoring company. Managing debtors can be time-consuming and costly – an unfortunate necessity which emerging businesses simply cannot cover. This problem is compounded when debtors are exceptionally late, and cash flow upon which businesses were relying is unavailable. Business financing is necessary for businesses where growth outweighs cash flow. Over time, the perception of business financing has experienced a shift from being regarded as a sign of instability to an acknowledgement of economic common sense. The other option is to restrict orders but, in an industry where competition is stiff and demand must be met, this could spell certain disaster for a young business. For all its advantages, there are risks associated with small business factoring. While factoring can provide a quick source of income, it does come with associated fees which must be built into the already existing cost of running the business. However, greater risk comes from finance providers misleading small businesses and having them sign up to finance options with hidden fees. Simon Thompson of Cash Flow Funding said that his pet peeve is lenders advertising misleading rates when offering small loans. The global financial crisis in 2008 saw the demise of a large number of nonbank finance companies, which hit SME borrowers hardest as it vastly reduced their options for business
Get a tailored cash flow solution that really suits your growing business.
CAS HF
With a business finance arrangement, manufacturers can produce the garments, sell into retail then immediately get around 80% of the face value of the invoices back from their finance provider.
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Scottish Pacific Business Finance was voted the best non-bank cash flow lender by the Adviser Magazine, 3 years running.
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INNOVATIVE FUNDING OPTIONS FOR SMES Invoice Finance
Sourcing the right working capital is a challenge common to most small to medium businesses. How can New Zealand SMEs gain easier access to the funds required to grow? Invoice finance is an increasingly popular funding option for SMEs in all major western economies, with take-up accelerating significantly in New Zealand over the past 15 years. Many of New Zealand’s largest companies are paying suppliers who use invoice finance to handle fast growth and working capital issues.
How does invoice finance work? Invoice finance is a line of credit secured by outstanding sales invoices, providing businesses with about 80 percent of the value of outstanding receivables at any given time. The credit available grows in line with business revenues, so business owners can focus on running the show without stressing about breaching limits or renegotiating bank terms. Invoice finance offers access to working capital that would otherwise be tied up in receivables for 30 or more days. This working capital can help employ new staff, purchase stock or support capital expenditure. Scottish Pacific funds businesses with annual sales revenues ranging from start-up to $500M. Invoice finance facilities quickly pay for themselves, as businesses can take advantage of profitable growth prospects that would otherwise be turned down due to lack of funding or by negotiating supplier discounts in return for bulk buying or early payment. Unlike overdrafts, invoice finance doesn’t generally require real estate security. It’s a standalone facility that
@bassike
20 I April 2017
@blackboxboutiquenz
can sit alongside other business borrowings such as term loans and leasing. Typical users of invoice finance are businesses offering products or services to other businesses or government bodies, on standard trade credit terms - in particular, SMEs supplying temporary labour hire, transport and road haulage, manufacturing, wholesale trade and printing.
Invoice finance is ideal for:
• Growth businesses - unlike with a bank overdraft, you don’t have to constantly increase limits as the business grows. • MBO and M&A activity - use the target business’ receivables ledger to generate funds for the purchase or to provide ongoing working capital. • Entrepreneurs and Start-ups - many new businesses fall afoul of standard bank criteria of two years’ trading history.
Why would debtor finance suit fashion industry businesses?
Invoice finance is well suited to manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors within the fashion industry as lead times are typically high stressing the cash flow of these businesses and prohibiting growth. Invoice finance facilities work to bridge this gap, often providing the business with funding of the debtors ledger 60 to 80 days earlier than they would expect without a facility.
@blakthelabel
@fshnbnkr
Case Study: New Zealand recruiter grows using Scottish Pacific’s invoice finance Brendan Muller, a director of New Zealand labour hire business North and South Recruitment, runs a lean head office, but each week the construction and civil specialists must pay wages to more than 100 people. “The nature of temporary labour hire means we carry the wages of our guys for up to two months before we’re paid for their work,” Mr Muller said. “Invoice finance with Scottish Pacific provides us with the ideal funding solution. Yes, it’s a cost to business, but it means we don’t have to turn away contracts because we can’t afford to grow. “I’d recommend because in the early days, or in a growth phase, cashflow is always a problem and constant tax and wage obligations can snowball. “Scottish Pacific’s New Zealand staff are excellent. It makes such a big difference that you can pick up the phone and make things happen, you don’t have to wait a week to get a meeting with a bank,” he said. The successful funding strategy has seen North and South achieve a turnover which has doubled in the past year and is on track to double again this year.
@kate_sylvester
@sir_thelabel
@sistersnaps
INVOICE FINANCE VS. FACTORING
While the processes of invoice finance and factoring seem indistinguishable, there are key distinctions between the two and the customers are all in the Business to Business sector. Invoice Finance: The sale by a business (the Client) and the purchase by the Financier of trade debts on a continuing basis. The Client retains the sales accounting functions and is responsible for the collection of the debts. The Debtors are usually unaware of the involvement of the Financier.
Factoring: The sale by a business (the Client) and the purchase by the Factor of trade debts on a continuing basis. The Factor will carry out some part of the sales accounting function, as agreed between the Client and the Factor. The Debtors are aware that the debts have been assigned to the Factor, and that payment must be made to the Factor to discharge the debt. MICHAEL BUSHELL took over Pacific Invoice Finance in 2004 and in 2006 changed the company’s focus away from Factoring to Invoice Finance growing to now be NZ’s largest specialist private Invoice Finance provider. “The industry has been historically seen as a last resort, this couldn’t be further from the truth,” said Bushell, Managing Director. “Invoice finance is a growth tool
– it gives businesses the chance to access their own money early and the ability to manage their own client relationships.” “The biggest objection we get is the perceived cost of the product. When in reality, the opportunity cost of not utilising your own balance sheet to grow your business can be measured in multiples of the costs associated with the product. What the informed realise is that they will be paying for debt anyway, and the actual interest cost is in line with what the main banks charge. The only additional cost is an administration fee normally pegged to a percentage of turnover when compared to what an equity partner being introduced Invoice Finance is considerably cheaper”. The primary advantage of an invoice financing arrangement over a traditional bank overdraft is the flexibility. Working capital (cash) becomes short as sales increase; Invoice finance facilities are set at a percentage of invoices outstanding, therefor the more sales a company makes, the more facility available equals more cash available to grow the business. A further disadvantage of using a bank overdraft facility is the limited potential for growth. Extra funds cannot be accessed without extra security and a long and involved application process (most of the time). But with Pacific Invoice Finance as the facility is secured against the client’s debtors’ ledger, this allows the facility to grow with the business no need to reapply for additional limits. Bushell said the relatively new source of funding crowdfunding provides equity, not working capital. “The fact that Banks aren’t comfortable with cashflow lending at SME level makes Invoice Finance an avenue for SME’s to grow to be ME’s and bigger. Banks normally require a mortgage over a house property or another form of security to cover any working capital facility. Most NZ companies aren’t big enough to comply with a Bank’s corporate cashflow lending policy; Invoice Finance fills the gap. Invoice Finance allows cash flow certainty which is a big advantage in a growing business. It allows, for example, the ability to take advantage of supplier discounts for early payment, and the ability to take advantage of new business opportunities as they arise. No need to ask the bank if you can sell more product. The confidentiality of Invoice Finance is the differentiator between Factoring and Invoice Finance. MICHAEL BUSHELL
Turn your invoices into working capital, now!
New Zealand’s number one supplierof industrial sewing, embroidery, steam& curtain automated machinery. LEADING BRANDS:Juki, Tajima, Brother, Pegasus, Jiffy, Eisenkolb, Typical, Stirovap, Siruba
Pacific Invoice Finance lets you use your invoices to access working capital, with just your debtors as security. Instead of waiting 30, 60, or 90 days to be paid, you’ll get your money as invoices are generated. That means you can; pay your own creditors, save by paying for goods up-front, or invest in your company. And its totally confidential. Funds from Invoice Finance grow with your business – providing you with capital when you need it most. (Much more flexible than an overdraft!) Invoice Finance is suited to all business dealing directly with other businesses. Especially in the manufacturing, export, import, wholesale and distribution industries.
LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
Please call Pacific Invoice Finance on 0800 INVOICE (468642) PO Box 3292 AUCKLAND 1140 Tel: (09) 377 8490, Fax (09) 913 3363 PO Box 22321, CHRISTCHURCH 8142 Tel: (03) 379 0502 Fax: (03) 3799573 Email: info@pifnz.co.nz
Email: sales@walkersotech.co.nz or sales@sewingtime.co.nz
0800 446953 • 09 525 0011• 03 366 1112 • New show room at 23 Fairfax Ave, Penrose, Auckland • 8 Stanley St, Sydenham, Christchurch
www.walkersotech.co.nz or www.sewingtime.co.nz
www.pifnz.co.nz
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I 21
Thousands attended the 18th Annual iD Dunedin Fashion Week’s premier runway shows and events. The 13th Annual iD Dunedin International Emerging Designer Awards featured 29 collections from around the world. The panel of judges this year included international guest judge Paulo Melim Andersson, Stolen Girlfriends Club’s Marc Moore, Australian fashion editor Georgina Safe, Carlson’s Tanya Carlson, and NOM*d’s Margi Robertson.
Melina Karagozian & Elisa Lutteral
Natasha Nadya
Tess Norquay
Talia Jimenez
Ann Xiao
Jack Milne
Stephanie Nina Yoon
Victoria Bliss
Emily Stone
• The H&J First Prize ($6000) Nehma Vitols, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia • Laffare Second Place ($4000): Lila John, University of Applied Arts, Vienna, Austria • Gallery De Nova 3rd Place ($2000): Paul Castro, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia
22 I April 2017
Shannon Lewis
Guan Xin
• The Fabric Store Award for Excellence in Design
Megan Stewart
• The NZME and Viva Editorial Prize (awarded
worth $3000 (includes $2000 fabric): Tess
to best NZ collection): Megan Stewart, Massey
Norquay, Massey University, Wellington, NZ
University, Wellington, NZ.
• Dunedin’s Golden Centre Mall Most Commercial
• The Emilia Wickstead Internship: Emily
Collection Prize ($1000): Talia Jimenez
Cameron, Royal Melbourne Institute of
University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Technology, Australia.
Letita Powell
Lila John
Axel Berner-Eyde
Phillip Von Fury
Cecily Reed
Paul Castro
Wang Yiyan
Adellen Pasquale
Natalie Vladimiroff
Olivia Balle & Kristen Meaclem
Alessandro Trincone
Alexandra Armata
Nehma Vitols
Laura Bennett
Emily Cameron
Zhuxuan He
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I 23
Tess Norquay
MASSEY UNIVERSITY
Tess Norquay graduated with honours degree in Fashion Design from Massey University in 2016. Born in Auckland, raised in Wellington, Norquay is a self-proclaimed brunch, dog, and reality TV enthusiast. Currently building her brand under her name, Norquay said it was the easiest to remember for obvious reasons. “I’m also a lot less likely to get annoyed with the brand name I’ve chosen, and want to change it- it’s worked for me for 22 years,” she said. Norquay had to pick an elective class in her second year of high school and at the time was a big fan of Project Runway. “I plucked textiles off the list. I thought it would be funny to waltz around the class pretending to be Tim Gunn. However, I ended up getting really into the class, at the expense of all my other classes, which was embarrassing because my joke backfired on me.” At Massey University, Norquay said the ability to discuss and present her work to others and take critique on board during that process was crucial for her work. “It’s a difficult skill to master, given the personal nature of any creative discipline, but an invaluable one.” iD Dunedin Fashion Week was a huge opportunity for Norquay and it almost passed her by. She almost
24 I April 2017
didn’t apply due to post degree fatigue but is so happy she did. Showcasing her Please Like Me collection at the iD Emerging Designer Awards, Norquay won The Fabric Store Award for Excellence in Design. When she won, Norquay said it was ‘completely shocking’. “I had planned on popping out to the loos while everyone was distracted by the prize giving. I’m pretty pleased I didn’t, that would have been embarrassing. I was shaking like a small Chihuahua the entire way to receive my award. I won $2,000 in vouchers to the fabric store, and another $1,000 on top of that. I’m trying to be sensible, and not just whip myself up a new wardrobe. I think the entire award is going to go into making things to sell. It’s a big financial risk, in case it doesn’t work out, but the Fabric Store has made it possible.” A highlight of this collection is the fluorescent orange jacket. Norquay had been in the middle of making it in a different fabric, just days from deadline, when she woke up sweating at 3am. She realised it was squealing at her to be made in the orange. “I listened to its squeals, cutting it out until 3am the following night. I resented it deeply at the time, but we’ve mended our relationship,” she explained. Her collection, Please Like Me, started brewing when she realised it had become normal to refer to women as capitalist concepts such as damaged goods, upgrade, and cheap. She began to design prints that referenced advertising tropes, but interpreted them in a falsely earnest way. “The disembodied limb is a trope we all know and love (hate, deeply), but my disembodied limbs are cartoonish, misshapen, and hairy. The print still technically references the trope, but misses the mark. Whoops!” The cartoon underwear print came from a similar concept, and explores the effect of projected patriarchal ideologies. Norquay explained that the silhouettes exist as a means to withdraw the wearer from the male gaze as they don’t offer any knowledge as to what the body underneath looks like. Many of the pieces look exactly the same on the hanger as they do on the body. Norquay said the collection’s style is workwear meets streetwear if there was such a category. Please Like Me used a lot of visual tropes from workwear including pockets, hard-wearing fabrics, and high visibility. “It’s kind of a subtle nod to what one would expect a tradie to wear, while simultaneously being completely inappropriate for doing that kind of work.” The social element of sustainable fashion is really important to Norquay. “I find it really sickening
people are willing to turn a blind eye to fast fashion exploiting, and sometimes even killing workers from other countries just to look nice on a night out. Nothing about that is justifiable to me,” she added. In terms of her design work, Norquay said she is almost invariably inspired by social issues and the way people interact with one another. Fashion for Norquay is a particularly interesting platform for discussion of said issues as it’s the only art form in which everyone is obliged to participate. Even opting out of fashion is still participation. In terms of motivation, Norquay believes the work produced at Massey by her fellow students was always aspirational. “Being around people every day that love the same things as you do pushed me forward, even when I just felt like locking myself in a bathroom cubicle for hours at a time.” In her design process, Norquay tries not to spend too much time at once doing either designing or sewing as that’s when things get stale or when things go wrong. “I’ll do one until I hit a roadblock, then switch to the other when I hit a roadblock, rather than trying to force my way through the road cones, so to speak.” Commercialisation is now her biggest challenge as she tries not to lose her voice in a very noisy mob. Norquay is now working on a more solid game plan for her brand that will include an online store. With newfound confidence, she’s looking forward to finding her unique way.
Gaby Howard FOUNDER AND CEO OF FLAUNTER
Gaby Howard grew up in Surry Hills, Sydney with her two younger twin sisters. Her father is an architect, and her mother is a Mothercraft nurse. Married to a civil engineer, Howard’s husband thinks in numbers while she thinks in words, and together they have a threeyear-old son. Her biggest influence growing up was her mother, father, and paternal grandmother. Juggling three children and a full-time job, Howard said she has no idea how her mother had time to fulfil her creative passions. “I honestly don’t know how she made it all work,” she said. Her father has an incredible work ethic and shares Howard’s passion for learning. “I was an incredibly headstrong and independent person growing up, and they were always supportive, trusting and generous. I had an unbelievable amount of freedom to explore the world.” Howard’s grandmother on her father’s side passed away over ten years ago but was another driving force behind her childhood. “She was amazing and also sometimes hard, with very high expectations. She wanted nothing but the very best for me. I still think of her often and know she’d be proud,” she said. Howard always loved learning, from every year at school and university to now with her current role. “I was and am always the person asking ‘WHY?’ I used to get to school at least an hour early every day. I love reading, movies, theatre; basically burying myself in other people’s stories. I also always loved fashion,” she explained. Howard got her first job at 14 so she could buy clothes. When she was 21-years-old, she lived in France for a year with her best friend and spent herself broke on a pair of Chanel ballet flats. “Lucky my friend was a saver and not a spender,” she added. Communications was her first degree which she completed at the University of Technology in Sydney and then went back to university seven years later to do a Masters of Teaching at Sydney University. Although she never became a teacher, Howard said she needed a change and wanted to learn more, and that was the deciding factor on why she went back to university. “That experience actually confirmed for me that PR had been the right choice after all.” Now 34-years-old and 15 years of PR experience under her belt, Howard is the founder and CEO of Flaunter. Flaunter first opened in October 2015 and was the culmination of a long journey. “One that I would say really started when I started my own PR consultancy in 2011 in my late 20’s.”
She had become increasingly frustrated by the difficulty of sharing brand imagery and content with media, retailer, blogger, and influencer networks. Visual content had become a powerful way for brands to express value, build trust, establish quality and most importantly, tell their stories. “Traditionally all these incredible and useful assets lived in the dark corners of the emails and hard drives of publicists [me], marketers, photographers and brand owners. There was absolutely no way for media to access images, and associated credit details, on-demand in order to satisfy their ever-shrinking lead times. On the flip side, when brands and PR are distributed their images they had no visibility and analytics on who downloaded their content and how it was used. Our mission is to make it easier for brands to reach new audiences by connecting their content with the best storytellers around the world.” Flaunter was created to give media instant access to brands and their content for easy distribution and publishing. Brands like M.A.C Cosmetics, Sportsgirl, and West Elm use Flaunter to organise their highresolution content into an easy-to-access system for media to find and utilise. Hundreds of emerging brands use Flaunter to help them look and act like big businesses. Flaunter manages brand’s physical assets too such as samples. Brands benefit from using Flaunter because it helps their PR and sales teams communicate and sell better as well as creating stronger connections with media. Brands have access to their data as well so they can learn and grow. For media, Flaunter simplifies the way all publishers and storytellers access brand imagery and content. It also allows media to create stronger connections directly with brands. Flaunter empowers journalists to have full editorial control and doesn’t restrict editorials because of how easy it is to access the free content on demand to meet deadlines and budgets. Media registration is free, and they can download an unlimited amount of content for editorial use. However, for brands, there is a monthly subscription fee which ranges from $99 to $899. Currently, there are over 250 brands and over 2,500 media (print, online, retailers, influencers) using the platform. The brands seen on Flaunter aren’t just in the fashion industry; there’s also interiors and beauty. “We launched in Australia, so our market is biggest here,
but we’ve seen an amazing amount of growth in NZ after working with the awesome teams at New Zealand Fashion Week and M.A.C NZ last year. We have media users from all over the world, and many of our brands use Flaunter to distribute their content globally,” Howard explained. Brands need to apply to be added to the network. This is not because of the size of the business, but the quality of content. “Some of our smallest brands produce some of the most exceptional imagery and on very tight budgets. It’s really cool to see. We also work with international PR agencies and big brands, who have thousands of pictures to manage. These clients are experts at what they do, and look to Flaunter to help them deliver results more effectively, seamlessly and transparently.” Fashion Weeks are an important part of the calendar for fashion brands and media. An incredible amount of content is created and distributed during these events, and that’s where Flaunter jumps in. They have produced and distributed content for MercedesBenz Fashion Week Australia, New Zealand Fashion Week and The Australian Fashion Chamber at Paris Fashion Week for a few years now. Events create a great dynamic where Flaunter becomes a central and essential tool to get the right content into the right hands and on-demand. “The M.A.C team said that having their imagery available via Flaunter last year at MBFWA ‘was one of the best things we did’,” Howard added. Howard said there are many ways the industry has evolved dramatically over the past 20 years. The main one being the exponential growth of content produced by brands, in particular, visual content. “Other than in face-to-face communication, we used to talk primarily in words. Now, more and more, from GIFs to emoji, selfies to memes and live video, we talk in pictures,” she said. In Flaunter’s infancy, the key messages were ‘image is everything’ and ‘the future of communications is visual and digital’. Howard said the long-term trend this feeds into is the rise and eventual global dominance of visual culture. Beyond the production and storage of this visual content, is the growing importance of helping industries classify, uncover and distribute visual information and that’s where Flaunter steps in. The next move for Flaunter is to launch into the US and UK markets. “With a large global problem to solve, we’re only just getting started.”
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I 25
MOREPORKS
Founded by three Kiwi blokes, Moreporks is now six years old. The trio were all good friends, and each brings their own twist and authenticity to the label. One is an experienced sailor having completed over 40,000 nautical miles on the open ocean and is also the son of a fisherman and ex-Olympic yacht racer. The second is a talented illustrator and the son of a wellknown outdoors clothing company’s creative director. The third is a photographer who grew up on Waiheke spending almost all of his time learning the emotion of the outdoors and mastering how to convey this through the lens. “We had all just finished university, and three of my most talented creative friends all agreed that a clothing label would be the best use of their combined skills, but they needed a savvy business partner. My good friend had heard that I wrote a good business plan. The rest is history,” Nat told Apparel Magazine. Guy added, “after university, I left for Australia and got a job at a graphic design studio in Melbourne. After one month I found the job didn’t have enough variety. Soon after I moved back to New Zealand, and after a stint of bookbinding I got the offer to be included in the Moreporks brand and moved into our first office downtown a few weeks later.” Claiming they didn’t know a thing about the clothing game, they grew up in the late nineties and early 2000s in a neighbourhood where “your gear was everything.” They all survived the competition of those
years, buying clothing they couldn’t afford, aspiring to a culture and lifestyle they had little real connection to. “This competitive arena of fashion at the time made us develop and hold on to our own personal styles, which still to this day harks back to those years, and has informed the style of the clothing we make. We have developed Moreporks to have the qualities of the clothing we used to strive for back in those times, the difference being that our customers really have a connection to our clothing, as it talks about our country, and the things that make New Zealand unique.” “Beguiled” by the style and lifestyle developed by the likes of Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Nautica, they liked how they developed their own lane, and stuck to it, refined it and never strayed from their initial path. Working with the best manufacturers they can find,
they know that people not only understand quality but also understand them and what they are trying to do. “We represent New Zealand with our clothing, and they all understand that we are so lucky that they enable us to do that. Meeting all the funky people in the clothing manufacturing industry is pretty interesting.” They seem to truly value the idea that their clothing represents their country, and the style and culture New Zealand has developed as a nation. “Wherever possible we try to give business to New Zealand companies so that we are contributing to the industry in New Zealand. We endeavour to make garments that last, both physically and stylistically, so that our clothing is
sustainable in the sense that its classic nature and focus on the heritage of our country will never go out of style.” The name Moreporks comes from New Zealand’s only native predatory bird. “It uses skill, not size, to feed itself. It lives at night. It can twist its head to look directly behind itself,” they added. Looking forward, they have plans for online exclusive products as well as a Moreporks Outdoors Society. “We wouldn’t like to have a store; it is not an important part of telling our story. With a store comes more expenses, but we are trying to make clothing in New Zealand, to get this out to our customers, ALL our customers, so a store doesn’t fit with that.” Selling direct online, they’re also already stocked in 10 stores across New Zealand and Australia, including Slick Willy’s in Dunedin. “Selling our clothing directly online gives us more freedom with what we design, it allows us to produce in New Zealand which, although very expensive, means we can closely guide and monitor the quality of our products, and produce products that really have our values built in. It allows us to connect directly with our customers, get feedback, and look after them in the way we want to. We rely heavily on social media. The generations that have been born into a world flooded with advertising have grown to distrust it. With social media, you can tell a personal story, and learn about new things through your friends, a channel which is much more trusted than a message that comes directly from a company.”
HATTITUDE BY CHRISTINA LICHY
As seen at Vancouver Fashion Week
26 I April 2017
Hattitude by 33-year-old Christina Lichy has just showcased at Vancouver Fashion Week. Coming from a small village 50km from Copenhagen, where she grew up with her parents and younger sister, she played handball most of her life, before moving to Vienna. She still goes to games as often as possible. “I also love running, taking 2-3 half marathons per year, but I also love unhealthy food, which means the running doesn´t show on my body! Reading books, watching old movies, knitting, theatre and concerts, are for me the best ways to relax, that or going out in the countryside for a long walk with my partner,” she said. She got her first hat when she was four years old, a Rosa straw hat with lavender purple ribbons, which is still somewhere at her parents’ place, but only got into fashion after high school graduation. She took a short education for a seamstress course before going out in the world as a traveller´s guide for different Danish companies. “Then I moved into an old house with my boyfriend back then, and at the same time started my millinery training. During seamstress school, we had one-week doing hats, and there I found out what I really wanted to become. I was trained mainly by Per Falk Hansen, Copenhagen, hat maker of HRH Queen Margrethe of Denmark.” Two internships in Vienna brought her back to Austria after her Diploma. Starting her label in 2011 because she “wanted to do her own work,” she values traditional handwork in her creations. The name originates from ‘Hats’ and ‘Attitude,’ because “you can´t have one without the other,” and she draws inspiration from old movies and her great-grandmother, who she said had a great style, classic, but who was also very chic for her time. “I love the process of starting a hat and seeing where it ends. I never do sketches; I just start and get going. Sometimes it goes super; sometimes I end up throwing an entire hat out. I make every piece myself, though once in a while I get some help from a friend who will then sew in the headband and label and another friend helps me in fairs and bigger events, such as VFW,” she said. Her future goals are to get her own little atelier and not having to work in as a salesperson in a shop anymore. Social media has helped her to get noticed from around the world, and she was excited to show at Vancouver Fashion Week.
WILDFRÄULEIN71
Roop Shimura was raised in Tokyo and got into fashion because he wanted to look good. The 23-year-old said that when he was 14, he used to re-make clothing because there was nothing he wanted to buy in the shops. “The first thing I made was a jacket. I was self-taught,” he said. Now he has a team of five but remains the sole designer. Shimura uses manufacturers to produce the pieces, but they also make some items themselves. The name comes from “the connection in the universe”, and his plans are simply to “always create.” Shimura believes it’s best to sell his designs “in my own shop, but it will be good to stock at other shops too.” Citing Vivienne Westwood as an inspiration, he was really happy to show his collection on the runway at Vancouver Fashion Week.
VEGE THREADS
Amy Roberts’ background is in fashion design and technology, with training in small businesses. She says she fell into fashion out of a hobby to sew when she was younger. “I never identified with fashion or the fashion industry but enjoyed the element of creating and making. My friend and I were about 10 when we started making leg warmers and skirts at our local ballet school. We were selling handmade pieces for a few bucks,” Roberts said. Self-taught, Roberts claims she’s not a seamstress and only has core competencies. Working with local manufacturers, all of the construction is completed by factories in SA and Melbourne. “I am motivated by the ethos to create change. To ensure that I’m doing good in my chosen field. For me, that means ethical manufacturing but also mindful design (pieces that are versatile and season-less) but also using fabrics that cause minimal impact to the environment.” She’s been working for almost five years but in the past year now has causal helpers. She says she’s very fortunate to have had family and friends close by to help when things were busy in the beginning, and she was still learning to juggle. Her brand is four years old this May, with an additional year of brand development and research. “I started the business using only natural plant and ‘vege’ dyes, hence Vege Threads!” Patagonia, the outdoor company, was a real source
of inspiration. The founder wrote a book called ‘Let My People Go Surfing’ and it’s a wonderful text for anyone starting a clothing business or any business really.” Her future plans are to keep things the way they are, as well as improving design, quality and transparency in her supply chain.
As seen at Vancouver Fashion Week
ATELIER VALERIA COSTA
As seen at Vancouver Fashion Week
Born in a small town called Monte Carmelo and living there until she was 16, Valéria Costa, went to university to study arts and design. “Years later I decided to work in the area of psychology; I did college, a masters and a doctorate in psychology and pedagogy. However, about ten years ago I returned to the desire of working with fashion, so I left the psychology and went to study in the
European Fashion Center in Sao Paulo. After this, I continued to improve my skills with several courses,” she explained. Her mother always sewed and made all her clothes while her father had a fabric store. “I always lived in the middle of fashion,” she added. “My earliest memory was when I was four, playing with fabrics in my father’s shop, wrapping them in my body and thinking they were dresses. When I was 12, I made my first dress; my mother taught me.” Now Costa always sketches before making a garment, but the part that she likes the most is to make. “Every item that I create starts with the Moulage technique alone and then I have the help of dressmakers to sew and finish.” She believes fair trading, sustainable, traditional tailoring, the design, the details and the quality of the materials are all critical to her. Costa is the sole designer but has a big team working alongside, with one assistant to help with dresses and clothes and another one for shoes and purses. She also has many seamstresses and embroiderers in her team. “My brand started about ten years ago with a great
willingness to get me back to work in the fashion business,” Costa said. She is looking to expand her brand to the Canadian market and across the globe. “I have a store in Rio de Janeiro, and I sell in other retail stores in Brazil.” Social media has helped a lot for the brand’s publicity and has allowed them to have direct contact with the public. Brought to Vancouver Fashion Week by her friend Lorena Jang, she is very happy and confident for her first time at the event.
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I 27
Louise Henderson
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF ENERGI
My initial foray into fashion was as a 4-year old, circa 1968. Mother put me into a fashion show to support her fabric merchant friends, Maree & Roy Stephens. The fabric du jour was leopard print. So, aged 4, the creative directors thought it would be really cool to dress me in a Pebbles Flinstone style costume, the concept to capture the ‘wild thing’. In this case the wild thing Vicky Overton (a top NZ model at the time) who was dressed head to toe in a form-fitting leopard catsuit. My key action, to push her into a bamboo cage. Suffice to say, it didn’t quite happen like that. Having come out centre stage, upon seeing the audience, stage fright kicked in peppered with tiredness (8:00 pm), and I burst into tears. Lovely Vicky Overton led me to the cage and threw herself in and the bamboo cage front dropped down – suffice to say there was a lot of laughter and not a lot of empathy shown. But the show must go on, and it did. That is the exact reason why we say in the industry, never work with children or animals! My next big fashion moment was a much happier moment. It came about as I needed to pull together a capsule wardrobe to ride out my first pregnancy. There was no way I was going into a maternity collection. During the early stage of my first pregnancy, 24 years ago, I found a memo (yes, pre-email) on my desk inviting those interested in commissioning garments to be made, that his girlfriend would love to be considered to take a brief. The perfect prompt at the perfect moment. I had a need; she was selling. So I contacted the art director’s girlfriend, who at the time was a 19-year-old budding designer and excellent at tailoring. We met on three occasions, the briefing; the conceptualising sitting on the floor of her flat with fabrics and drawings everywhere and then the final fitting. I’ll never forget her complete professionalism during the development
28 I April 2017
process. She had contacted Family Planning to gauge the growth phases to ensure the garments would fit for as long as possible with some cunning solutions built into them. I loved both of her creations, one a black crepe skating dress with neck, wrist and hemline possum fur I referred to as my Zhivago Dress and a more sensible swing jacket that would expand with my waistline during a winter pregnancy. The attention to detail, the quality of the finish and the process is why I continued to support Karen Walker throughout the next 15 years or so. My career to date has been one degree of separation with fashion. I have not worked in the business. I have however worked in the business of fashion both in advertising and PR. A stint working with Hallensteins, was indeed a stint, just a few weeks. After having spent a couple of days working in a Hallensteins store, talking with the staff, serving customers, learning the tricks of the trade (such as the sizes they put on coat hangers were referred to as ‘silent salesmen’), I wrote my report and submitted the recommendation from the experience and as a mother of two boys, having a brother and a husband, I was indeed a shopper of male fashion which they constantly referred to as menswear. The feedback from my client to my management: “she doesn’t understand our business, we are not a fashion business, we are a ‘stock it high and watch it fly business.’”
Everyone is selling. Get used to it and make certain you are very good at it. Suffice to say that leadership role was vacated a few months later. However, I took those learnings on board and when I started working with a very successful third generation design, manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing house of brands I urged them not to just open the doors each day and trade but to activate their customers into shopping mode. Ask for the sale before they cross the threshold to browse, give them a taste, give a little to get a little. So, we created a series of in-store events, Designer Nights with added value presentations from stylists, tips and tricks from make-up artists to take our shoppers right through the process of seasonal trends, must-have pieces and showcasing these on models walking. We took the angst, depression, uncertainty, procrastination and created a pathway to purchase, to the moment of truth: “oh God I look good in this”. The evenings were very successful on two counts, sales and the fact that the shoppers left the evening with the priceless feeling of confidence and certainty that they looked great. For the last four years, I have had the pleasure of working with the team at Ziera. As they have diligently managed the change from Kumfs, a muchrespected or thotically positioned New Zealand family heritage footwear company, to Ziera, the
footwear company designing shoes to empower the unstoppable woman through everyday life, her including office, recreation, resort and occasion designer styles. As the provider of PR my company, Ruby Communications, walked the brand forward in the minds of the fashion opinion formers and leaders placing the brand and range firmly on their radar. From creating the campaign to attract a decade younger customer with the inception of the Cinderella – ‘find your perfect fit initiative’ to launching the Designer Capsule Collection during iD Fashion week in 2016. It was never really pure PR, it was the beginning of my Shopper Marketing career in creating a path to purchase strategies and tactics. Inevitably my experience in advertising and PR led me to purchase a shopper agency, Energi, in July 2016. Ruby Communications is now pretty much absorbed into Energi, and the clients now receive the benefits of the full Shopper Marketing spectrum. Upon making this monumental decision, I needed to equip myself with a couple of mantras to guide me each day. I contacted my mentor from advertising, told her what I had done and why. Ellen Plusker, a resident of Chicago and former Global Head of Strategic Planning for a multinational agency whom I spent a decade of my career working with, encapsulated being in business perfectly. Straight off the bat, she replied, “Everyone is selling. Get used to it and make certain you are very good at it.” My personal and professional belief is that fortune favours the bold. The Karen Walker brand, since its inception, during the last 24 years has been marketed with best practice. She tells simple stories well. From Runaway Girl to her jewellery and eyewear collections she has managed her shopper’s pathway to purchase perfectly, and has been bold and courageous along her journey. She is omnipresent; she is everywhere all the time. Open up most magazines or fashion features, blogs, and so on, and there will be something about the sweet-heart success story designer, Karen or one the many innovations she is constantly developing. A simple, memorable mantra. Everyone is selling. Get used to it and make certain you are very good at it. I’d say Karen Walker is very good at it. So when I hear, “I’m not on Facebook, can’t stand that social media world”, “Our retail organization does not have an e-commerce strategy for sales and we don’t have an automated marketing strategy to hold on to those sales when we make them because we want our customers to come in and try our range to understand the difference and experience our stores.” a veil of despair drapes over me. The simple fact is you cannot sell a secret. It is impossible. If you are going to sell your home, at the very least your agent will put up a for sale sign with certain key messages of benefits and features, and a main image. You cannot hope to sell if you are not marketing. Marketing drives sales. Ask for the order, make the sale. During Christmas 2016, the biggest retail event of the shopper calendar, we undertook a Christmas Shopper Study. It was lead by the Head of Strategy and Planning, Lew Bentley. Lew is a specialist in behavioural economics. Five hundred respondents participated. The fashion industry features in the findings, and we would be happy to hear from anyone wishing to leverage their retail sales during the biggest global shopping festival, Christmas.
Statement tops have already climbed by 46% in the last three months compared to one year ago and that’s set to grow in the months ahead. Think about your brand and think about your customer to come up with something particularly relevant. It doesn’t have to be political, consumers are seeking affiliation amongst the chaos and a way to show their beliefs (especially on Instagram…).
5 Fall trends that’ll explode commercially (and 5 that won’t) Katie Smith, Trend Analyst, EDITED
and 15% was replenished) and you get a real sense of the commerciality of this trend. For Fall 2017, use velvet in pant suits or better still, in evening dresses whose shapes include high-necked, slip, one-sleeved and bishop sleeved. The difference for this season’s velvet dresses will be bold use of color. Where last season retailers went for dark, wintery shades, designers for next season threw in vivid dashes of raspberry, chartreuse and coral. Corduroy, cousin of velvet, also came through as a new fabric direction. Cord hasn’t really been seen too much since the maroon pinafore dress trend of nearly two years ago. For Fall 2017 it came super-sized in the form of aviator jackets and for oversized pants. Get the two textures into store, pronto. New arrivals of velvet climbed dramatically for Fall 2016. So far in Q1 2017 velvet is still outpacing Fall 2015, showing strong commercial promise for 2017.
3. Red is the color
After five weeks and hundreds of looks, Fall 2017’s trend winners are standing out like Gigi Hadid in line at the bus stop. We’re talking the commercial leaders; the looks, themes and colors that will actually make an impact on retailers’ bottom line in six months time. Meet the big five you should get the wheels turning on.
2017’S COMMERCIAL FALL TRENDS 1. The 80s
AND 5 RUNWAYS TRENDS THAT WON’T MAKE IT COMMERCIALLY:
We’ve warned you on these guys. 1. Mameluke sleeves While fluted, bell, extra-long and even leg o’ mutton sleeves will be popular for Fall 2017, the mameluke is a step too far. Combining volume at the wrist and ruffles on the upper arm is downright lethal.
2. Feathered hems
Feathers are polarizing. For some, they’re a touch of luxury, others see them as purely costume. 58% of dresses with a feathered hem that arrived online in the last six months ended up discounted, by an average of 49%. They might have high fashion backing, but this won’t cross over to mass market appeal.
Last season it was all about pink (and still is in retail right now). Next season, designers threw themselves at the alter of red. Running the full gamut from tomato through to rich merlot. Just style this one in head to toe looks and your job is done.
4. Fun furs
3. Full leather looks
Many designers sent full leather outfits down their runways. While they tie in with the 80s story, it’s not a take on the theme that should be attempted by broader retail. For starters, the price point is a dangerous one for a category like tops or pants. Fit is tricky to achieve for a brand not used to working with leather too. Leather skirts and outerwear, tick. Leather tops, shirts, pants… hold steady.
4. Quilted anything that’s not a coat
You may not be ready for a return to the eighties, but your customers are. Fall 2017 is the time to reembrace those puffed-out proportions, the high waisted parachute pant, heck, even give taffeta another go. This theme can equip every category if you let it. Knitwear? Batwing. Shoe? A demi-cut heel. Party dress? One shouldered, ruffled and high shine. Cinch in waists, build out shoulders. If full on Dynasty style isn’t your jam, you can tackle this theme with boxily cut tailoring. Pant suits are back. For an eighties twist, you’ll need the blazer double breasted. Play with gender-neutral palette and checked wools for a toned down audience. Revert to fun jewel tones and metallics if the Dynasty stuff didn’t apply.
Fall 2016 focused on the oversized puffer jacket, which will still be around for next season, but to show customers you’re one step ahead with trend, you’ll need a fabulous, irreverent faux fur in your outerwear offering. Bomber jackets are still the best selling outerwear trend – retail needs something bold to match up to the strength of that piece’s story. Pastel palettes, unseasonal as they are, imbue this trend with a touch of silliness, something that’s worked well in statement outerwear over the last few years. Start dropping these from September – it will feel early, but they make for a great content lead and street style is already digging the trend.
2. Velvet and Corduroy
5. Tribe-defining apparel
For Fall 2016, new arrivals of women’s velvet in the US and UK grew by 141%. And those new arrivals fared well: 37% of velvet products sold out and 16% were replenished. Compare that to denim (22% sold out and 12% was replenished) or lace (21% sold out
Politically, economically, the world is a confusing place right now with each of us trying to make sense of our place within it. Many are wearing their beliefs front and centre. We called it as one of our trends of the year, and sure enough the runways are proving it.
Quilting works brilliantly well on coats, customers love it, what’s more functional than a incredibly warm outerwear piece. But a quilted skirt? What’s the occasion suited to that? Why wear a quilted cape if it’s cold enough for a coat? These pieces make for a fun runway theme, but won’t cross over to the retail side.
5. Tiered dresses
Ruffles are a hit trend. So are flounces. But the many tiered dresses designers sent down their runways will be a risky choice for Fall 2017. It’s a hard shape to pull off – creating volume across the widest part of the body. Tiered dresses are cute for summer holidays, as a fun sundress or a beach cover-up. But for the fall season, it’s tricky to pair this shape with outerwear. Data backs that up: 43% of tiered dresses that have arrived since September have ended up discounted, by an average of 55% off. More than half of those arrivals haven’t yet sold out. EDITED’s software helps brands and retailers make decisions about the right trends, at the right time. If you’d like to see how we do that, talk to us today.
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