Apparel Magazine // September 2017 issue

$ 9.00

SEPTEMBER 2017 I VOL 50 I NO 9

VANCOUVER

FASHION WEEK

SPRING/SUMMER

2018 pg.22

FREIGHT & WAREHOUSING pg.14

DRESS SCANDINAVIAN: Style your Life and Wardrobe the Danish Way

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. THE GOOD I have two specific highlights I want to mention from New Zealand Fashion Week. Number one is the Rachel Mills’ show. It was electric, visually stunning and was – for me – the show of the week even though it was in installation format. Secondly, the extraordinary collaboration between Helen Kaminski and Wynn Hamlyn resulting in artisanal handmade elongated visors which were fantastic.

Highly commended; Megan Pretorius at Bintang was the rising star of the ‘modelverse’ and Lela Jacobs’ use of percussion instruments echoed brilliantly through the acoustics of the Silo.

Really interesting was the Trade Space on Level 3 which, during NZFW, was for designers and brands to make appointments with buyers. NZ designers and suppliers need to support this space so that it can grow into an extended version next year. Buyers, next year make sure that you take some time out to check this out.

THE BAD

Katherine Victoria’s confused collection that lacked any consistency or editing. Slouching models – this is not a trend! Poor music timing and projections.

Some audience members from Kathryn Wilson’s show commented that if you weren’t in the front row, it was almost impossible to see the shoes.

Who are these random people in the front row of these shows? Who is in charge of seating charts and why were international buyers and VIP delegates in the second or third row? Are you here to make money and do business or is this just a vanity show?

mother, like daughter,” I replied.

And for those of you who noticed last month’s missing joke…

A husband and wife are playing the 5th hole at their local golf club when he slices his drive so far to the right it rolls into an equipment barn.

He finds the ball and plans to take a drop when she says; “Let me go down to the other end of the barn and hold the door open. Then you can hit your ball through the door and back to the fairway.”

He thinks this is a good idea, so she holds the door. He takes a big swing, but rather than flying through the door, the ball hits her in the head and kills her.

A year later, the same man and his new bride are playing the same hole when he again slices the ball into the shed. He finds it and plans to take an unplayable lie, when she said: “Let me go down to the other end of the barn and hold the door open. Then you can hit your ball through the door and back to the fairway.”

He looks at her, shakes his head, and explains: “No way. The last time I tried that, I took a triple bogey on this hole!”

caitlan@reviewmags.com P.S: If you are reading this, I’m in Vancouver Fashion Week! Make sure you follow us and sign up to our weekly e-newsletter to stay in the loop.

THE UGLY

No, it wasn’t any particular garment – it was the horrid attitudes of some of the attendees. In particular, one who sat next to me during a show. It all started when she asked where I worked to which I simply said Apparel Magazine. “Oh I know Peter Mitchell. I met his wife once – ROARING BITCH!” If you can’t be bothered to read the name tag of the person you are talking to, I suggest you don’t talk shit about someone’s mother, especially mine. “Like

CHAIRMAN PUBLISHER GENERAL MANAGER EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EDITOR STAFF WRITER

ADVERTISING SALES PHOTOGRAPHER

Peter Mitchell - peter@reviewmags.com Tania Walters - tania@reviewmags.com Kieran Mitchell - kieran@reviewmags.com Sarah Mitchell - sarah@reviewmags.com Caitlan Mitchell - caitlan@reviewmags.com Mark Fullerton - mark@reviewmags.com Courtney Macris - courtney@reviewmags.com Ankita Singh - ankita@reviewmags.com Caitlan Mitchell - caitlan@reviewmags.com

2 I September 2017

@NZAPPAREL

ON THE COVER:

Talei Yates from 62 Models wears Interval Lida dress and Mi Piaci Becca Long Boot.

SENIOR DESIGNER Raymund Sarmiento - raymund@reviewmags.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tay James Marriott - tjames@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 2017 NZ Apparel Magazine.

by Pernille Teisbaek In this new guide book, stylist, blogger, and model Pernille Teisbaek offers her insight on the enchanting allure of Scandinavian design.

The book gives advice on how to perfect the Scandinavian aesthetic, offering tips on how to create a minimalist and androgynous wardrobe reminiscent of brands like Acne Studios.

The Story of the Face

by Paul Gorman Paul Gorman digs deep into the iconic, cultfavourite 80s magazine, The Face. The book is a behind-the-scenes look at the magazine’s rise and fall. It recounts how The Face influenced all aspects of youth culture at the time by showcasing trends in art, design, fashion, photography, film, and music.

How to Make Lemonade

by Beyonce This coffee table book gives an inside look on all the visual elements of Beyonce’s iconic Lemonade album. In addition to providing insight on the influences, collaborations, and cameos of the visual album, How to Make Lemonde also takes time to discuss key looks worn in the album’s videos.

The book explains the deeper meanings behind particular sartorial choices, for example a headwrap that was meant to represent the repression of Creole women in Louisiana.

Dresses to Dream About

by Christian Siriano Dresses to Dream about is set to take readers on a journey with one of America’s leading young designers through the creation of this favourite gowns, from sketch to dress. Christian Siriano gives readers a personal, behind-the-scenes look at his entire design and creation process. The book includes exclusive photographs of Siriano at his studio, along with narration by Siriano himself.

MODEL NEW RULES

THE LEATHER STANDARD Earlier this year, the OEKO-TEX® Association expanded its product portfolio to offer the LEATHER STANDARD by OEKO-TEX®. Testex, one of the OEKO-TEX® Association member institutes, now certifies leather products including goods such as furniture, footwear, clothing and accessories. The leather articles

are tested for the presence of harmful levels of substances which could be harmful to consumers health such as formaldehyde, heavy metals, chromium, arsenic, lead and cadmium, pesticides, chlorinated phenols, phthalates, processing agents and preservatives, PFOS, PFOA, as well as banned Azo colourants and other colourants.

The certification also checks the colour fastness of the leather goods and the smell. The tests are not limited to entirely leather articles, but also those which are partially leather. As with the Standard 100

by Oeko-Tex® there are four product classes that can be tested to from product class I (items for babies and toddlers) through to product class IV (furnishing materials such as upholstery covers, etc. OEKOTEX® aims to provide independent verification of the quality of inputs for consumers.

Kering and Louis-Vuitton-MoёtHennessy have teamed up to help end model mistreatment. Despite their ongoing competition, the groups have worked together on an agreement which stipulates that designers in the companies owned by the groups will not hire models under the age of 16 to model clothing for adult women.

Additionally, there will be a blanket ban on all models under size 34 (a NZ size six). Currently, in French law, there is legislation requiring working models to possess a medical certificate which authorises them as healthy enough to work. This legislation details minimum body mass indices and fat percentages that the models must measure up to, although the legislation allows for the certificate to be a few years old. Kering and LVMH’s new rules will require these medical certificates are no more than six months old. Additionally, the agreement set up a hotline for models to call in order to report mistreatment anonymously. This hotline follows the uproar which occurred in 2016 when models claimed that casting agents at Balenciaga (owned by Kering) kept

models trapped in an unlit stairwell without access to food or water. These new rules aim to set a healthy new precedent within the fashion industry which will halt negative ramifications of fashion advertising on both models and female consumers. Coming into effect soon in France will be legislation which requires magazines to label retouched images, so it is evident which body shapes are natural and which are digitally altered.

BALMAIN X SPECSAVERS Balmain has collaborated with Specsavers on an exciting new collection of eyewear. Balmain and creative director Olivier Rousteing are no strangers to collaborations - the brand has recently worked with L’Oreal Paris to create a line of affordable lipsticks.

Balmain’s inspiration for Specsavers the collection is drawn from the French fashion house’s structured, dramatic clothing which aims to empower women to feel powerful and sexy. Details on the frames

4 I September 2017

include a ‘B’ signature, as well as temple embellishments which are inspired by Balmain’s famous chain belting details. The collection includes both sunglasses and prescription lenses. Designs include cat’s eyes, round and square shapes. The looks are not as bold as Balmain’s ready-towear designs, which have the same feel as Rousteing’s clothing but in

a more subtle variation. The collection is aimed at eyewear consumers who are after a statement look.

“Balmain is one of the world’s most well known and influential high-fashion brands, and we’re confident that this new collection will offer something truly unique to our customers,” said Juan Carlos Camargo, Head of Frames at Specsavers.

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I5

WITCHERY’S BOLD EXPANSION

Witchery is unveiling a new retail store in Christchurch’s The Crossing. The location is a 223m2 store, which has been architecturally designed especially for its home in Christchurch’s premier shopping haven. The new store will offer both womenswear and Witchery’s popular childrenswear collections which have separate boys and girls lines. The store will include digital screens projecting brand imagery, as well as an accessories lounge.

Following steady growth in the New Zealand market, Witchery is showing confidence in

physical retail despite the difficulties faced by other fashion chains. The brand is owned by The Country Road Group, and already have 14 stores across New Zealand, including in some of the premium retail spaces across the country. According to a CBRE report, at least 50 international brands have earmarked New Zealand’s biggest cities as their next port of expansion, and Witchery’s new store shows that The Country Road Group are cementing a strong physical presence from which to compete with new entrants.

FLYING BACK HOME

All Birds founder Tim Brown has stated that he would like to extend the company’s bricks and mortar retail base to New Zealand. The company recently received NZD24m from Tiger Global Management, which prompted Brown to think about retail options outside the brand’s San Francisco base. They also plan to use the financial injection for materials research, and additional retail stores within America. All Birds are made from New Zealand merino wool, and Brown is a New Zealander, although he moved to San Francisco before launching All Birds. The company has one existing retail store in San Francisco, although they only have two products within their range, and they are opening a New York store this month. Previously the brand has experimented with pop-up stores in Auckland and Wellington airports.

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6 I September 2017

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I7

REB COSMETICS

BEE YÜ

Luxury skincare brand bee yü is now one year old and once again supported New Zealand Designers at New Zealand Fashion Week. “This year we worked with Adrian Hailwood again and Stolen Girlfriends Club.

We launched last year at NZFW with Adrian Hailwood,” said the brand’s marketing director, Jeevan Verma.

Bee yü partnered with Hailwood and CARLSON earlier this year during Dunedin’s iD Fashion Week for an exclusive VIP show.

“We wanted to host our own event that would showcase the best in fashion and the best in beauty – and we’re extremely proud to be associated with Hailwood and CARLSON.” The Dunedin-based natural skincare brand use a unique combination of pure New Zealand and International botanicals to create a range of bee venom and Manuka Honey 20+ UMF anti-aging products. Bee yü hives are located throughout Central Otago. The initial concept started with David McClelland and was brought to fruition by partners; Jeevan Verma, Andre Shi and Sally Richards.

It all started with an idea to use the natural goodness of Manuka Honey to develop a premium natural skincare range, one that provides real benefits to women wanting healthier and naturally younger looking skin.

“While there are other honey-based skincare products on the market many lack any real refinement, making it nearly impossible for any natural benefits to be derived from those ingredients,” added Verma.

Quality ingredients at therapeutic strength are a key element to their unique formulation that is carefully crafted and balanced to provide optimal anti-ageing and nourishing benefits. One of the many ingredients found in bee yü is a high concentration of Manuka Honey at 20+ Unique Manuka Factor which is only found in New Zealand. “We include the right levels of bee venom to increase blood flow to the treated skin, stimulating natural collagen and elastin production and giving the skin a healthy glow.” The development of their skincare line allows bee yü to fund projects aimed at future-proofing bees. All products are made in the South Island and don’t contain any parabens or other harmful chemicals.

Available in selected stores and online. For more information, visit www.beeyuskincare. co.nz.

8 I September 2017

Inspired by youthful rummages through her mother’s makeup bag and her fascination with vibrant lip colours, Ruth Elizabeth Brown launched REB Cosmetics after growing up with sensitive skin which made it impossible for her to wear makeup. After deciding to take matters into her own hands, Brown began looking at the ingredients listed on makeup packages and researching the ingredients to find out what they actually were. The reason she reacted so badly to make up was the high levels of chemicals used in most makeup, and Brown was horrified when she found out about the cruelty and prevalence of animal testing. Stepping up to fill the gap in the market, Brown began developing her own makeup brand, one that was vegan, cruelty-free, and that she could wear without having painful reactions. She started with producing eight shades of lipstick, now REB Cosmetics produces 18 shades of lipstick, and they are Brown’s favourite part of her product range.

Creating new colours is her favourite part of the job.

“I work with our makers on creating our products.

And love to only use certified and mineral ingredients so I oversee everything when our products are being developed,” said Brown.

Brown is the owner and designer of REB Cosmetics, as well as working on filling and delivering orders for stockists and consumers who purchase via their website. Visual merchandising is important

SCRUB CO

The Scrub Co blend is full to the brim with 100 percent of the best certified organic ingredients.

Including organic Fairtrade Coffee roasted in Christchurch, organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, organic raw cacao, organic demerara sugar, organic Himalayan pink rock salt and organic cold pressed virgin coconut oil in five amazing flavours – Original, Hemp Seed, Grapefruit, Cinnamon and Raw Manuka Honey. Scrub Co is a New Zealand fanatic of natural and organic things. The brand is proud to be able to use Earth’s finest natural resources to feed all varieties of skin. They are passionate about skin care products that only use natural and certified organic ingredients to help enhance skin and make its user feel good.

Batch blended and packed in New Zealand, Scrub Co’s promise is to produce only the finest coffee scrubs and to always be 100 percent made in New Zealand.

for Brown, as is educating her stockists – so they are better equipped to sell her products. While being a supplier for a variety of stores across Australia and Singapore currently takes up all of Brown’s time, she has set herself the goal of opening a REB Cosmetics store next year and expanding her stockists further abroad. “We currently stock our products in Singapore, so we are excited about the idea of stocking in other places internationally, and as we are filling orders every day from stockists around Australia and Singapore we have always got products on hand ready to be distributed,” said Brown. “I would love to have our Vegan & Mineral products stocked in Vancouver as there is a gap in their market for organic and cruelty-free products. As we offer a vast range of cosmetics, I feel our products would work well there in retail outlets, salons, pharmacies, health food stores and boutiques. Also, makeup artists would benefit from using our range because customers want them to use more natural products.” REB Cosmetics have a lot of support for retailers, including providing counter top display stands for their products and wholesale packages which meet the specific needs of their retailers. Additionally, Brown is on the ball when it comes to restocking; shipping products to new and existing retailers on the same day or next day following an order - it’s just part of the service they pride themselves on.

For more information or to stock REB Cosmetics, email orders@rebcosmetics.com.au.

BUDDY SCRUB Buddy Scrub is a natural, cruelty free and vegan friendly skincare range that will cleanse, exfoliate, nourish and moisturise your skin. The range includes five body scrubs (Coffee, Charcoal, Green Tea, Bamboo, and Raw Cacao), four new Luxe Edition Body Scrubs (Moondust, Sea Minerals, Pink Salt, and Mocha Mint), Activated Charcoal & Peppermint Body Wash, Sweet Orange & Lavender Body Lotion, two Body Oils (Rose & Hisbiscus, and Jasmine & Chamomile), three Lip Balms (Peppermint, Sweet Orange, and Chocolate Mint), and two Lip Scrubs (Matcha & Lime, and Chocolate Mint). All of which is made in Australia.

Buddy Scrub is currently sold in over 5000 retailers worldwide including Ulta Beauty, Anthropologie, Nordstrom, and Forever 21.

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I9

You’ve Gotta Be Kitten Me! It’s the purr-fect time to slip into statement shoes. All puns aside, the most loved and loathed shoe of modern fashion history is back. The kitten heel. Some adore the short stiletto style for its Audrey Hepburn look and delicate femininity.

Others simply hate kitten heels with a burning passion. But the resilient little heel keeps coming around on the fashion conveyor belt, with die-hard kitten heel fans eagerly awaiting their return.

The early 2000’s saw kitten heels a-plenty on teen queens like Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan, and your mum probably wore them to her school ball in the 1980’s along with enough tulle to make a tent for a small family camping trip. While many regard the style as strictly old-lady territory, nothing could be further from the truth - the style was originally developed for teenage girls who were learning to walk in heels.

The style continued to be popular in the 1960’s even as stilettos fell out of style and wedges grew in popularity. Many current designers are increasingly turning their attention to unpopular silhouettes and hard-to-wear shapes, in a post-normcore exploration of ugliness. Kitten heels (and their status as an item of controversy) have gained traction due to their high-fashion aesthetic and relative accessibility for consumers (and let’s not forget that they are the most comfortable member of the stiletto family). The style is back with a vengeance for Spring/Summer 2017-2018 and will be most popular with high fashion consumers as well as adventurous fast fashion consumers.

For high-end consumers, the trend is a statement and designers will have room to create wild, innovative styles.

Think pom-poms, buckles and ruffles. Prints and bright colours are also important. These consumers are not necessarily looking for a shoe

10 I September 2017

investment which will last years; they only want to make a seasonal statement. It’s frivolous and fun, here for a good time - not a long time, so buyers and designers have a little room to play. Sandals, mules, slingbacks and pumps are popular styles for adventurous consumers.

Mules tend to err on the side of minimalism in regards to design, relegated to making a statement through bold, block colours (fuchsia, purple and red are popular choices), Mi Piaci’s Estrella heels in hot pink epitomise the punchy coloured mule. Sandals, pumps and slingbacks tend to be more embellished think of Miu Miu’s pearl embellished kitten heels or the ostrich feathers seen at Prada.

Despite the short shelf-life (one season only!), kitten heels are popular at high prices, so designer and buyers should not skimp on quality or design. Heel style is also more experimental in this category; with super skinny heels or thicker, tapered heels. A more experimental heel style is similar to Dior’s ribbon slingback style, with its backwards sloping heel which almost looks broken.

The Audrey Hepburn look is also having a resurgence, with black pumps in more traditional shapes on-trend.

This style has more long-term staying power than its more outrageous counterparts and may become a permanent feature of consumer’s wardrobes. As such, quality and comfort is of increased importance, especially for higher prices. Consumers looking for a black kitten heel are likely more cautious, and also more concerned with cost-perwear. While they will not mind a higher price, they expect to get a few seasons of wear out of the shoe.

Most pumps, slingbacks and mules in black have suede uppers for the coming seasons.

Sandals are not as popular in black, as the summery sandal style better lends itself to the outrageous statement heel category. Classic black kitten heels vary from mid to high prices and are generally more 1950’s inspired, with a classic

heel shape. Conversely, the new season minimalist aesthetic is also applicable in this category, with designs subtly changing classic lines of the shoe, as well as the heel shape, to create a more experimental, high-fashion look.

For fast-fashion or lower-priced consumers, it is better to treat the trend, again, as a one season wonder. There is noticeably less variation in the trend at this end of the price spectrum. The styles popular are mainly pump or slingback styles - mules continue in popularity but don’t really fall within the kitten heel trend. The fast-fashion palette is mainly limited to fuchsia, red, leopard print, and silver. Metallics play an important role, although mainly at the lower-priced end of the spectrum.

A kitten heel shoe or boot in silver will be popular with a variety of consumers, although gold is also popular. The price point for kitten heels is relatively high compared to other shoe styles in the low-priced area. They all fall under the $100 mark, but not by much, even in fast-fashion retail. Leather or a leather substitute is the most popular upper materials, although in leopard print a calf hair upper is also trending.

Heel style is not overly adventurous in this category, typically a traditional tapered stiletto.

While there is a possibility that statement kitten heels trickle down to fast-fashion consumers for summer, the profit margin in the shoe would be negligible, and the quality would be decidedly low, which would put off a significant portion of consumers. Additionally, with the speed of seasonal trends within the lower-priced fashion markets, styles will become dated fast, and sales at markdown prices could be expected.

The key to low-priced kitten heels is adherence to the pump and slingback trends in popular colours.

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I 11

Is New Zealand Made Fashion Hanging By A Thread?

Denise L’Estrange-Corbet

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE 2017 ARTS & CULTURE WINNER

WHEN DID YOU LAST LOOK AT THE LABEL TO SEE WHERE IT WAS MADE? In 1999, the New Zealand Four were picked to represent the country on an international stage at London Fashion Week, in both the February and September. Prior to this, however, both WORLD and Zambesi had been selected to show at Mercedes Australian Fashion Week in 1997, the first time New Zealand designers had been selected to show internationally. The reaction was unprecedented.

Of the NZ4, Zambesi and Nom d received orders from Liberty’s and WORLD received orders from Selfridges and Liberty’s from their first showing.

We were told not to expect too much, as buyers liked to see brands a few times, to ensure they were sustainable and could meet the orders. However, the buyers wanted New Zealand made.

It was something that had not been achieved before, and it was seen as almost peculiar, that designers from this little island nation could be selling in London, and many in the UK were not even sure where New Zealand was!

At the time, the majority of New Zealand designers made in New Zealand. We used New Zealand wool, there were factories and outworkers everywhere, the New Zealand designers supported the industry, the workers and the country.

In the early 90’s WORLD found a small factory in Grey Lynn that manufactured denim. The owner, a short balding man that rarely smiled, had all the machines, and made clothes for a few local labels.

One day, the owner told us he could no longer do work for us, as a denim manufacturer, bigger than us, had told the owner he would pull all his work if he continued to make for WORLD, seeing us as a threat to his business. I was outraged, and wrote to the bullyboy denim manufacturer and the Commerce Commission.

The manufacturer got his lawyer to deny everything, but

12 I September 2017

the factory owner said as the other manufacturer was larger than us, he had no choice.

I warned him it was a very stupid move to be reliant on one customer, regardless of the promises they made, but he had been assured of continual work. After a short time, the denim manufacturer took all his production to China. The Grey Lynn factory closed, all lost their jobs, but the price of the jeans stayed the same. Even though the cost of making them was severely cut, this was not passed onto the customer.

This started to happen more regularly throughout the New Zealand fashion industry, people going offshore to get their items made. I have to say it, even though nobody else will. I am going to lose the will to live if I hear one more ‘New Zealand Designer’ say ‘designed in New Zealand’. Well, where the hell is it made?

They spout off about how much they “love NZ”, how they would “not live anywhere else,” how “well they do here,” not only with clothing, but with an assortment of tacky accessories from mugs to Christmas decorations, yet where are all of these items made? You guessed it – not here!

They may have a few stores, but they do nothing to support the country or the fashion industry. Their production and manufacture will be their largest cost, and that goes straight to factories overseas, not into our economy. The reason is not because of volume; you can get the volume made here.

It is definitely not the quality; third world countries are rarely, if ever, renowned for this. It is not for their processes, as the clothing is usually the most simple in terms of design, backed up by a lot of hype via PR companies employed to send out screeds of press releases almost on a daily basis. It is for one thing and one thing only – making money.

Now, don’t get me wrong, all businesses have to make money to survive, but at what cost to the impoverished workers making it? Why is this always overlooked? New Zealand designers who actually do not make here at all, they just happen to reside here.

When Francis and I started WORLD in 1989, we made a conscious effort to have our production held here, in New Zealand, for a few reasons. I was born here, our brand was started here, and we grew to become an international brand with the support of NEW ZEALANDERS! We all had to start somewhere, and all New Zealand based designers started here, all the same way, small, and gradually grew, due to the local consumers support of them, not by shoppers in Bangladesh or Ethiopia. We made an effort to

support the people that had supported us, and kept our production here, so that our craft would help the next generation wanting to go into the fashion industry. I am not saying that by making items in third world countries you are not also helping them, but you are doing this so you do not have to pay them a decent wage, and at what cost to your own industry? At the rate it is heading, from what I know, there are only a few ‘designer’ brands that still exclusively manufacture here. There are large manufacturers that also make here, but they are not household names in the fashion industry, they make the ‘look of the season’, with nondescript brands through larger stores.

What will happen if the very few high-end brands decide to go offshore? What will the fashion students, who have been studying fashion in the hallowed halls of Otago and Massey, have to look forward to? Sitting in front of a computer everyday saying, “the container of knitwear has arrived?” No, they are going to take all that amazing talent and head overseas to Europe, where the revered designers still manufacture in the country they were founded.

Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Dior, Ferragamo, Goyard, Chanel, Hermes etc. have all stayed true to their country of origin, which is what has made them the luxury brands of today. They have hundreds of years between them of excellence, and people are on waiting lists to join, to learn their skill of craftsmanship.

The day any of these brands decides to manufacture in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh is the day they sign their own death warrants and are no longer considered luxury or even desirable. I have no doubt their respective Governments would get involved if they even thought about moving. They are a precious commodity to their countries and the industry, and they need to be looked after.

Clothing sold through the Warehouse, Kmart, and now H & M and Zara are entering our tiny little market and trying to flex their muscle in our miniscule bolthole. This won’t affect the luxury end of the market, but how sustainable is it? What about the New Zealand brands that are in this market? We just have to sit back and watch the big boys slug it out, and slug it out they will, as they have only one thing to bring in the punter: being cheaper than their competitor.

None of those brands offer anything unique. If you took their labels out and laid the garments out on a table and asked people to identify which item is from which shop, they would be hard pressed. The clothes have no ‘signature’. They all look the same,

This started to happen more regularly throughout the New Zealand fashion industry, people going offshore to get their items made. I have to say it, even though nobody else will. I am going to lose the will to live if I hear one more ‘New Zealand Designer’ say ‘designed in New Zealand’. unlike the New Zealand made designer brands.

Topshop in Australia went into voluntary liquidation owing creditors $35m. The franchisee Hilton Seskin has said that clothing sent to Australia was “made up of outdated clothing items left over from its British operation”. So this part of the world gets the leftovers.

The clothing went from China, or wherever it was made, to England was unloaded, checked, loaded and then sent to Australia. How was this ever going to work?

How was it going to work here, with a population of 4.6million, when it could not work in Australia, a population of 24.64million?

Was it the hype? Just because it works in the UK does not mean it will work here, but the excitement of some just made me think the world had actually gone bonkers.

The media went into a frenzy. It was all they could talk about for days. It is a shame they would never do that if a local designer opened a new store, with locally made items.

Now H&M and Zara are here, all share the same manufacturing bases, Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Cambodia, and whilst some of the factories may pay above their countries legal minimum wage, anyone with a single brain cell can work out, that this is slave labour. Someone is making a lot of money somewhere along the line, when I cannot even purchase fabric for the price of one of their finished products, and they have to pay all of things we have to pay; wages, rent, lighting, heating, security, deliveries, tax. They still come out with a profit, so who is not getting paid?

Beyonce, who is all about ‘empowerment to women’, designed a range for Topshop, where the workers in Sri Lanka who actually sewed her garments, earned the empowerment to say they made NZ$8.60 per day. Wow, thanks Beyonce! You are a star, how much did you make from it? More than NZ$8.60 per day, I’m guessing.

Don’t give me your ‘empowerment’ bullshit, or helping people in third world countries. The bottom line is, you use them because they are cheap, and you can make an enormous profit from their hardship.

From December 1999 until 2008, New Zealand was under a Labour Government. The Prime Minister at the time, the Rt. Hon. Helen Clark, was also the Minister for Arts & Culture and not just in name. She put her money where her mouth is, as she genuinely loved and supported the arts.

There were grants available for not only fashion designers to show their wares internationally, be it a Trade Fair or door knocking, but also most of the arts.

Today, there is nothing, and I really feel for the young students coming out of architecture, fashion, furniture design schools, who would love to show at Trade Fairs, but if you do, it is all at your own cost.

I looked into grants available, to see what there is from NZTE to Creative New Zealand and everything in between. There is minimum funding to show here, but get on a plane, and you are on your own. It has all changed.

Something has to give. The high end designer brands that do still make here, the likes of WORLD, Zambesi,

Nom d, Carlson, Crane Brothers and RJB, are held in the highest regard due to their quality and length of business, collectively well over 100 years of knowledge and expertise.

WORLD does not buy into sending freebies to New Zealand media. My philosophy has always been that if they like it enough, they will buy it. We have a minimum wage to adhere to - all of my staff are paid well above this, and work in great environments.

I remember having this very conversation with Philip Treacy, OBE, the UK milliner, when we had dinner one night. He told me he has never, and would never, give media or any celebrity any free anything, as all his workers are known to him, are artisans in their field, and he feels it undersells their worth. Giving away their pieces for the sake of a few lines in a magazine or being able to send out another press release to say someone wore your clothing was not something any luxury brand does. The product speaks for itself. It does not need endorsements.

The ‘celebrities’ may be wearing your items, but only because they were given it for free. If they had the option of buying it, they probably wouldn’t.

Yet here, the fashion consumer media thrive on their freebies. You see them out wearing them, one even told me the handbag she had been given was ‘loaned’ to her, what, for 3 years? That’s when I saw her with it again! They do not like talking about what they get, as people would be shocked at the amount of clothes, sunglasses, homeware etc, that are heaped upon them, all made in countries that do not care about their workers conditions.

That is how it works here: send me a load of free shit, and I will give you column inches, really not that interested in the people who keep the local industry afloat. And what about if we did decide to go offshore, adopted a ‘if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em attitdue’, what would happen to the new and local brands then? The brands that perhaps have one store and a few wholesale accounts, and do not do the volume to make overseas? When all the New Zealand factories have closed up shop, where will they go?

And then 20 years later, some smart thinker will come up with the idea of “let’s manufacture clothes in New Zealand!” and it will all start again.

• We have done this.

• We have done the hard slog.

• We have pushed the boundaries.

• We have stood up for what we believe is the right thing to do.

• We have put New Zealand fashion on an international stage.

• We have opened the door for others to pass through.

Don’t slam it in our faces.

I am going to keep on about this until someone listens. We need to get back to fundamentals and supporting local industries, not just in fashion, but everywhere. Not doing so is at our peril.

Support your local industry if you can, because if one day it is not there, it will be too late.

WORKWEAR THAT WORKS AS HARD AS YOU

INSPIRED BY THE STREET, DESIGNED TO WORK

WWW.SYZMIK.COM apparelmagazine.co.nz

Apparel Magazine_All Brands.indd 2

I 13

2/08/2017 12:31:43 PM

WHAT THE FREIGHT? Logistics - it’s a side of the fashion business which is indispensable, but rarely mentioned. Unlike e-commerce or social media marketing, it is not often discussed during the business of fashion classes at fashion school. It’s a mysterious side of the industry, often invisible to those outside of retail, so we’ve broken it down, and asked the questions you’re too shy to ask but need to know.

Wendy Haresnape is the owner of Apparel Line, a small but quickly growing freighting company, which exclusively services the fashion industry. “Every freighting business has a different way of operating,” said Haresnape “so it can be confusing to people who haven’t used a freighting company before.” Apparel Line works with both retailers and wholesalers, so there are options for everyone within the industry.

Unlike other freighting companies, Apparel Line specialises in garment transportation and serving the fashion industry.

Payment works on a ticketing system - which

14 I September 2017

sounds more complicated than it is. Apparel Line gives customers a book of different coloured tickets which are affixed to parcels and denote the price of the parcel based on the distance of shipping. When a wholesaler has packages to be shipped - such as a drop of garments to send to stores - they call Apparel Line, and the parcel is collected.

It then travels back to Apparel Line’s depot, where it is scanned, sorted and put with other packages going to the same destination. Packages are then line hauled overnight to their destination, and the receiver is sent an email detailing the contents of the shipment, so they know what to expect when it arrives the next morning.

When transporting garments, Apparel Line has hanging systems which mean garments aren’t transported lying down (a time-saver for steamerwielding retail assistants receiving the clothes). The system is not just confined to garments - Apparel Line also ships store fitting parts and other fashionrelated items for their customers. “Because we are concentrated in the fashion industry, we know what our clients need and can offer them specialised service,” said Haresnape.

Retailers use Apparel Line’s freighting system in a very similar way - choosing a ticket, calling Apparel Line, and having the shipment sorted and line hauled to the recipient anywhere in the country. However, this is where Apparel Line begins to act more as a courier than a traditional, business to business freighting company. Unlike traditional couriers, they have a much more stringent and sophisticated process for deliveries to consumers.

“Most couriers pay 70 cents per item the drivers scan,” explained Haresnape, “which means most drivers will end up just leaving a package at the door or in the letterbox, not even bothering to check if the recipient is home, so they can rush to their next delivery and make more money.” Apparel Line does not work that way; drivers do not leave packages without contacting the recipient.

Apparel Line also does not ask the recipient to come to the depot to collect packages - “asking people to collect their package is annoying for them, it’s extra work for us, we would rather deliver it the first time to save everyone time,” added Haresnape.

This is where Apparel Line have innovated the traditional courier system; by ensuring they have a phone number for the recipient, they can find out the best delivery time and make sure the parcel gets

to the right person, even if it is not at the time they were planning to deliver it.

“By delivering the first time, even if it was not when we were planning to deliver, we avoid all the inconvenience of missing the recipient and having to redeliver. And it keeps our customers and their customers happy.” A strength listed on their website is their driver’s communication skills and local knowledge.

With such a simple system, there are relatively few struggles, especially with larger deliveries. It’s the small parts of the systems which can sometimes cause difficulties. For retailers, using the tickets is one of the biggest struggles, according to Haresnape. “Retail stores are busy, they’re constantly on their feet, they have a million things happening - it’s a hard job.

“Also, retail stores typically have a high staff turnover rate, which means that there are always new people who have to learn to use the tickets, sometimes on their own. We’re trying to make things as easy as possible for the retail staff, which also means less confusion on our end” said Haresnape. The difference with Apparel Line’s tickets is that companies pay them after delivery, unlike most other freight businesses that work on a pre-pay basis, which can be an advantage for smaller stores or designers who may need to quickly ship packages at short notice.

“We are always open to new clients,” says Haresnape, who is used to helping out people entering the fashion or retail industries. “There are lots of people who don’t know how it works, and everyone at Apparel Line has enough experience to get them on their feet.” As for the growth of e-commerce, Haresnape is upbeat. “Every retailer was concerned about online shopping taking their sales, but for most, it has not had a huge impact on their businesses. Most retail brands and fashion brands still rely on in-store sales rather than online.”

Apparel Line has not been adversely affected by increases in online sales. They’ve kept busy, but it has fuelled further expansion of their business.

Then there is the question of storage; while Apparel Line’s management has nearly all worked in third party logistics, Apparel Line’s core business function is freighting - although they do a small amount of storage from time to time.

So there you have it - freighting isn’t as scary as it seems. The people who send clothing zipping around the country to stores and customers have plenty of experience and are accustomed to helping out someone new to the industry, whether they want to send one package or an entire collection.

John Widdows DIRECTOR, DSL LOGISTICS

DSL has found that its success with providing third-party logistics services has come from its flexibility and the need for importers and manufacturers to concentrate on their core services rather than tie up capital in warehouses and the associated staff and equipment.

DSL has 31 years of experience in providing customs broking services to importers, and now the primary focus of the business is the third-party logistics functions although they still provide the traditional brokerage services to their client base.

With a background in customs broking, John Widdows, along with the other three directors at DSL have worked tirelessly to change the focus of the business to one which provides exciting and innovative third-party logistics services.

So what services do DSL Logistics offer the fashion industry? They operate three large warehousing facilities that provide clients with full visibility of all their orders and stock holdings. They provide comprehensive pick

and pack services to their range of customers with single unit picking a speciality. They have a warehouse dedicated to providing full garment processing facilities to clients. Equipment is varied from a steam tunnel which allows large quantities of stock to go through and come out store-ready, a far cry from garments being prepared by a retail assistant with a steam wand.

Given this, DSL works with a range of couriers, both domestic and international, to get goods to the destination on time. They also use Apparel Line to undertake the delivery of their vast range of hanging garments so that retailers get their stock in store ready condition. DSL provides its own in-house warehouse management system that allows flexibility for clients

THE ONLY ONE STOP TRANSPORT SOLUTION FOR THE FASHION & RETAIL INDUSTRY.

and this maintains the main point of difference with other providers.

The growth of e-commerce means that DSL Logistics does a large amount of pick and pack for goods ordered from online retail sites. “This is an area that is growing steadily amongst our clients, and we have developed some unique ways of managing these types of orders to ensure they get processed quickly and efficiently. With a ‘no job is too small’ policy DSL Logistics are happy to work with any client,” explained Widdows. “With state-of-the-art internet tracking facilities, DSL are able to provide their clients with live data on all their shipments, so they always know where orders are.”

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

Our clients tell us

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Email: cservice@apparelline.co.nz www.apparelline.co.nz apparelmagazine.co.nz

I 15

Tess Norquay

BESPOKE FOR YOU

If there’s one thing designers can appreciate, it’s a seamless execution – especially when it comes to getting their work in front of buyers in perfect condition. That’s why designers at NZ Fashion Week were singing the praises of NZ Post as they stepped in to help with the all–important logistics.

With specially designed courier vans offering a free pick up service for the designers who were showing and onsite concierge service, designers had peace of mind and the freedom to focus on the fashion. Sara Munro from Company of Strangers said partnering with NZ Post for NZ Fashion Week was a game changer.

“Everything we sent up from Dunedin to Auckland on a tight timeframe was delivered on time - overnight meant overnight!” said Munro. “The onsite NZ Post concierge service at NZFW was also incredible for us. The NZ Post team took the stress out of getting everything to and from the venue and then even took care of getting our ten boxes back to Dunedin.”

In the NZ Post vans, clothing was hung on racks and shoes and other accessories were placed carefully on shelves. There was even space in the vans for the designers to travel with their collection too.

Create Your Future Do what you love Massey University College of Creative Arts Wellington Apply now creative.massey.ac.nz

16 I September 2017

integrate them into your own systems, the objective for NZ Post is always the same. We’re constantly striving to work with designers, manufacturers and retailers and explore innovative ways to tailor solutions to their individual needs. “As much as fashion is a creative industry, it’s also a logistics business and it takes the right provider to ensure success.”

“It’s important that we deliver a great experience for their customers as well so we offer delivery options which means that customers can receive their parcels first time, and can return goods easily, which we know can be a barrier to repeat purchase.”

What happens backstage with your parcels

What about the other 51 weeks?

New Zealand Fashion Week is a special event, but the same care and attention goes into delivering for the NZ fashion industry year-round, said Bryan Dobson, NZ Post’s GM Customer Solutions and Marketing.

“We’re always looking to create value added services for our customers and we’re continually working with the fashion industry to create smart logistical solutions that will give them the edge.”

“We’ve made sending fashion parcels within New Zealand or around the world, easier than it’s ever been before. You can book a pick-up and delivery effortlessly over the phone or online; or integrate our services into your ecommerce and business systems with our APIs.” Whether you use the NZ Post systems directly or

NZ Post has invested heavily in their infrastructure to ensure they can offer the fashion industry a robust, flexible solution.

NZ Post’s parcel tracking is controlled from a Network Management Centre with 24/7 monitoring.

This network comprises of more than 120 GPS-enabled line haul trucks, four Boeing 737-400 air freighters and over 700 couriers operate out of 26 depots.

Then there is a massive, high-tech Auckland Operations Centre (AOC) with their leading edge autosorting equipment. The first of its kind in New Zealand it can process up to 135,000 parcels a day and manage the massive spikes during key periods like Christmas.

A Southern Operations Centre has just been opened in Christchurch which utilises the same technology.

“NZ Post’s auto-sorting investment minimises parcel damage thanks to greatly reduced manual handling, optimal accuracy of delivery, greatly improved ability to track items using data captured during sorting, including a picture of each item, and a high degree of security with contact monitoring,” added Dobson.

For more information visit www.nzpost.co.nz/ business.

apparelmagazine.co.nz

I 17

GREEN

EYED

MONSTER

Erika Cavallini Resene Bitter

I

f Alexa Chung and Miuccia Prada vacationed together in Los Angeles and then designed a collection based on their experience - Vivetta’s aesthetic would be the result. Steeped in trends, the Cruise 2018 collection was a mod fashion girl’s fantasy, with statement pieces galore and an effervescent selection of colours. Gingham, puffed sleeves, embroidered patches and kitten heels all piled in on top of each other - the epitome of extra.

Combined with candy-fresh tones, from apple red to Resene Vista Blue, the collection was steeped in retro-Californian vibes.

If you’ve been perusing recent collections, wondering where you’ve seen them before, you wouldn’t be alone. Many designers are eschewing futurism in womenswear in lieu of demure, classic shapes and 1950’s inspired cuts which have a

18 I September 2017

Vivetta Resene Vista Blue

Creatures of Comfort Resene Xanadu

timeless air. Erika Cavallini’s Cruise 2018 collection did just this, with relaxed, wide leg pants (in Resene Bitter), classic tailoring, and midi-length skirts.

With Valentino, it’s all in the details. You may glance over the collection and think it just looks like a continuation of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s previous work, but Cruise 2018 is so much more complex!

Take, for example, unusual pocket-placement on a coat similar to Resene Aquamarine or a bomber jacket cut without the ribbed waistband. Denim pants were stained with red paint, although it was so delicate that it’s an easy detail to miss, as are the cut away cuffs of shirts. Piccioli’s signature full-length gowns crafted from intricate lace and embroidery were also included, as were distinctly un-Valentinoish ideas, like full-body tracksuits and incredibly low-cut dresses.

Off-White Resene Half Limerick

‘Tropical Safari!’ screamed Alberta Ferretti’s Cruise 2018 collection, with its jungle-print patterns, slouchy button downs and zebra motifs. With cuts which were as classic and serene as the patterns were wild, the collection had an intriguing dichotomy which played out between floaty layers and stiff-collared jackets, and the deep purples and muted greens close to Resene Flourish.

Chloé has got post-2000’s boho-chic down to a fine art, and they’re sticking to what they know.

Think flares, slouchy kaftans, fringed suede boots and crocheted ponchos. While the garish maximalism of Michelle Alessandro at Gucci may seem worlds away from Chloé’s louche aesthetic, their approach to collection-spanning design is similar - the collections mesh together with minimal differences between seasons, only subtle differences are noticeable to the

Gucci Resene Chelsea Cucumber

Alberta Ferreti Resene Flourish

most avid fashion follower. The colours were muted, with hues ranging from Resene Frontier to soft ivory and blues. Clogs are back for Spring, which is fabulous.

Off-White’s Cruise 2018 collection ironically did not feature any off-white hues. It was instead filled with jewel hues (like Resene Half Limerick) and crisp, cold whites. The contrasts continued with structured garments almost military-like in style, and dresses which appeared to be simply draped over models.

Sheer lace contrasted with rough-finished linens. A new-season quirk; striped cotton (reminiscent of your dad’s 1990’s work shirts) which was draped as softly as

Colours available from

Valentino Resene Aquamarine

Chloé Resene Frontier

the jewel-toned silk dresses. The entire collection had a fresh, introspective air, and seemed like the kind of thing Solange Knowles would wear on date night.

Andy Warhol famously said “Fashion is closer to art than art is.” Alessandro’s work for Gucci gives undoubted proof to this statement. With collections so decadent, so richly assembled and so vast in influences - no one aspect is important. The mismatch and maximalism and pushing together of such an overabundance of little, yet significant, details is the point. It’s overbearing and challenging, fashion for the sake of art, and yet commercial. Gucci has had unprecedented revenue growth since Alessandro

Resene ColorShops

www.resene.co.nz

took over. Gucci is a treasure trove and dress-up box, a treat for the viewer as much as the wearer, an unashamed exploration of ugliness. Amidst the pear embellishments, fur cuffs and art-deco detailing was a cool green similar to Resene Chelsea Cucumber.

Spring has sprung at Creatures Of Comfort; with shirring, ditsy florals and oversized trousers. The cool-as-a-cucumber brand showed oversized overalls, co-ordinated ribbed sets, and muted khakis (Resene Xanadu) mixed with soft light blues. Menswear influences were in the form of oversized tweed suits and floor-length duster coats. There were also trousers with shirring - and if that’s not ground-breaking, what is?

0800 737 363 apparelmagazine.co.nz

I 19

ALLORA CAPES POSPERFECT When choosing a Point of Sale system, it is important to find one that has the specific features that are needed for your industry. There’s no point in trying to repurpose an Automotive Servicing system for the fashion industry, when systems like POSperfect are already tailored with features you need to manage your inventory quickly and efficiently. At its heart, POSperfect is designed around the SKU/PLU system, allowing users to set up ratios between the stock received and the stock sold, and giving users the power to divide up and sell their stock however you see fit. However, POSperfect goes further than that and allows you to hold multiple sizes and colours under a single product code! Not content with simplifying difficult inventory, POSperfect also allows you to a four tier hierarchy as well as horizontal reporting groups for keeping track of fashion seasons. Extensive reporting options present complex information in a simple format. Discover what is hot and what is not, and stop wasting precious space on items simply not worth stocking. Users will know exactly when stock needs to be replenished and customers will never be left high and dry.

POSperfect is an industry leader, and has a reputation and clientele which precedes it. POSperfect is the result of 25 years of listening to customers and building the point of sale software that they want to use. POSperfect serves as the bedrock for thousands of retail stores worldwide, ranging from small shops all the way up to large retail chains. With its intuitive interface, clients have no trouble getting up to speed within a couple of hours. Your staff will be making sales with minimal training. More and more customers in a variety of retail markets around the world are recognizing the superior feature set, stability and pricing of Today Software’s products, and benefit daily from the solid support provided. www.posperfect.com

Tabatha Brixton started designing and developing the concept for Allora in September, 2015 following a redundancy. “I found myself in a position like many mothers where I loved working and was passionate about what I did, but I just didn’t want to be locked into a role with little flexibility while I had a young family,” she told Apparel. “It was at this time that I also felt a strong desire to create something of my own and create my own opportunity and also extend myself professionally and personally. I started working on Allora straight away.” Allora launched mid Winter 2016 with a small collection of black and light charcoal capes online to test the market. In a very short time sales began online and through word of mouth. Brixton then started to approach designer boutiques in Melbourne, Sydney and New Zealand to indent for Winter 2017. “I have a unique high quality product which is something boutiques are always looking for so I was able to secure orders.” Brixton is the founder and sole designer, working with patternmakers, garment technicians and manufacturer on contract basis. In February, 2017 Allora became accredited with Ethical Clothing Australia.

“This was something that was very important to me,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that I was giving my customers the assurance that their garment was ethically produced in Melbourne and that people who cut and sew the capes are paid appropriately.” Every cape is handmade in a manufacturing facility located in Brunswick, Melbourne. “My very talented maker has run her factory for over 35 years is making for some of Australia’s top and longstanding designers.”

FERN TEXTILES

MAVI

Mavi is a global brand originally started in Turkey in 1992. Meaning ‘blue’ in Turkish, Mavi’s business pivots around the perfect indigo denim inspired by the Turkey’s love of the crystal blue of the Mediterranean Sea that surrounds it. Allison Hootman, a former national buyer for David Jones, is the owner and creative director of Mavi Jeans Australia, which has been the licensee and distributor of the brand across Australia and New Zealand for the last 15 years. “The Australian and New Zealand customer loves wearing denim,” said Hootman. “It’s a real staple in their wardrobes and especially a premium denim brand such as Mavi with our emphasis on using the latest technology, cuts and washes.” Once Hootman has the perfect buy selected for the market, she goes about designing a capsule of tees, shirts, sweats and dresses to work back with the denim. This is a collaborative process with her team and Hootman works with local product agents in Sydney to produce the final assortment. Mavi’s denim factory located in Erak, Turkey produces all the jeans and is run sustainably and with conscious capitalism in mind.

Practices such as purifying the chemical and biological components of its water usage so that it can be re-used to wash denim to its particular shades, as well as ensuring heat production from the factory’s electricity is used to create steam and hot water for denim washing, are just some of the initiatives that are carried out. The factory boasts over 700 machinery groups who operate cutting, sewing, washing, ironing and quality control. Mavi is currently stocked in David Jones, MYER, Just Jeans and a myriad of other stockists across New Zealand and Australia, and Hootman is proud of the way customers take the product and make it their own. “Denim is such a deeply personal item of clothing so these girls and boys really bring so much personality to our brand,” she said. “I would love to see more New Zealand street style influencers wearing the brand and see how they bring our pieces to life.

New Zealand is such a good climate for denim after all!”

20 I September 2017

Fern Textiles is one of New Zealand and Australia’s leading organic and conventional fabric wholesalers and textile agents, supplying a wide range of apparel and dress making fabrics for kids, men and women, patchwork and quilting fabrics, homeware fabrics, soft furnishing fabrics, fabrics for accessories, etc., all across New Zealand, Australia, UK and Singapore. It has the biggest footprint of textiles coming from Japan, one of the best quality batik ranges amongst a lot of other things in various aesthetics. Fern Textiles also can assist in organising custom production for- garment, accessories, homewares through one of the most established textile mills in India, Silk n Fab (www.silknfab.com). Fern Textiles have in their range a very wide variety of fabrics from Japan, Indonesia, USA, France, Denmark, Korea, China, India, etc. They also have exclusivity on some fabric brands and textile mills. To name a few in woven, knits, prints and plains – batik fabrics, all kinds of cotton, linens, organic cottons, bamboo, hemp, blends, sustainable fabrics, wools, poly, nylon, chambrays, yarn dyeds, denims, manmade fibres, cupro, viscose, flax, metallic, etc. Fern Textiles also has patterns from various designers worldwide for dress making, quilting, accessories and other. Fern Textiles are very New Zealand friendly with NZ pricings, smaller wholesale minimums and all locally payable in New Zealand dollars, making it easier for all customers, big or small, to deal with.

Fern Textiles believes in and strives to provide exceptional customer service and quality products. They always look forward to a long term consistent business relationship in mutual interest.

Fern Textiles From Conventional to Organic

www.ferntextiles.com.au

THE DOWN-LOW Distributors - who are they? What do they do? Why do we need them? If images of pinstripe suit-wearing, fast-talking men with oil-slick hair have sprung to mind, you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.

Fashion distributors are an integral part of the industry and an important source of support for retailers and designers.

For the uninitiated, a distributor may seem like an unnecessary middleman, eating up profit and complicating the supply chain. However, nothing could be further from the truth. For many emerging designers, the role of creative director, marketing manager and even accountant can fall on the shoulders of one person, taking up valuable time and energy which could be spent on design.

Enter: a distributor. The distributor’s role is to look after the wholesale aspect of the brand, and ensure stockists align with the brand’s target customer with a solid retail strategy. They might also provide marketing, public relations and customer service - depending on the brand and if it is required. The primary benefit of a brand utilising a distributor is the instant access to a vast array of

buyers. “We supply to over 400 boutique retailers, including major department stores (David Jones, Myer, Smith and Caughey) and multi-door vertical chains throughout Australia and New Zealand,” explained International Fashion Group’s NZ sales manager, Amanda Smith. For a young designer, that access to the heart of the industry is unprecedented and nearly impossible as a solo undertaking.

Smith also mentioned the marketing expertise which distributors possess, “We create brand awareness through strategic marketing and secure representation in boutiques with a like minded customer and brand portfolio.”

Retailers can also reap the benefits of a distributor. Instead of chasing individual brands, or having to deal with a multitude of people, working with a distributor can simplify the buying process. “We provide access to leading international fashion brands,” said Smith. “We work closely with retailers in the marketing of these brands within stores by providing key marketing initiatives through editorial and social channels. We also work with retailers on in-store training and customer

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focussed VIP evenings.” This support can prove indispensable to retailers, as they will have additional resources on which to draw for social media and digital campaigns. Not only that, distributors can provide a wealth of experience-based insight into customer preferences, sales and logistics. At this point, readers who have dealt with the traditional fashion agents may be thinking that distributors sound similar but different. And they’d be right; there are some key differences between agents and distributors. “I often hear disappointing stories from retailers on how they only hear from the agency sales manager or rep once a season.

We offer a much more personalised service and work closely with our valued accounts,” explained Smith. Distributors offer much more of a marketing focus and prowess in this arena, which allows them

to work collaboratively.

For designers doubting the power of a top notch distributor, the introduction of Australian brand Interval into the New Zealand market is an undeniable success story attributable to International Fashion Group. “Due to the established relationships we have here in New Zealand with both retailers and media we have been able to position Interval in the best boutiques and have quickly gained brand awareness through editorial, influencers and also by working closely with our accounts providing them with campaign imagery and updated press,” said Smith. Interval’s inclusion in the Fashion Quarterly consumer-based show at New Zealand Fashion Week, despite being one of the youngest and the only non-Kiwi brand, was confirmation of International Fashion Group’s success.

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apparelmagazine.co.nz

I 21

vancouver fashion week designer showcase

CHOIBOKO

OLOH

Inae Sung first saw a copy of Vogue when she was 14 years old and fell in love with the fashion industry.

Unlike many fashion designers, Sung’s Korean childhood was not immersed in fashion - her parents were strict and bought sturdy dresses which would last a long time. After leaving high school, Sung studied a Bachelor of Fashion Design, before starting at London College of Fashion, where she studied Womenswear.

After graduating in London in 2017, Sung launched her brand, OLOH, and her first collection. OLOH is named after her Korean first name, which looks like English letters.

Sung will be staging her first public runway show during Vancouver Fashion Week. The collection shown will be A/W 2017, and Sung has created a range based on Jan van Eyck’s 1434 painting The Arnolfini Portrait.

Having created dramatic, high-fashion collections while studying at London College of Fashion, Sung’s Vancouver Fashion Week show promises to be a

highlight. Taking inspiration from unusual places is a regular occurrence for Sung, who draws ideas from things she likes as well as dislikes.

This goes hand-in-hand with Sung’s belief that design and production are not separate processes. “I believe that design and making are done at the same time. It starts with the design, but that is not the end because new designs are developed through making,” explained Sung. In terms of creativity, Sung’s approach is one of trial-and-error and experimenting to find the right look for her brand identity.

Sung is also working on her brand’s social media presence. Despite showing at an international fashion week already, Sung currently has no retail stockists - something she hopes will change after Vancouver.

“This is my first visit to Canada. It would have been nice to have visited for travelling. However, it is much more meaningful to be the first to come for Vancouver Fashion Week,” said Sung.

22 I September 2017

Boko Choi is a fashion designer from South Korea and as a child Choi would make Christmas decorations at church. “The pastor saw it and suggested that I become a fashion designer.”

Choi enjoys seeing his drawings develop into textile design and then again into garments. “And during the textile development, using a Digital Textile Printing will show the colours more effectively than the original drawings,” he added. “The mysterious colours of nature turn into a fashion design, based on a view of painting in fine arts.”

His mantra is “fashion does not dress body but soul” and considers a social role of fashion with interests in human beings and nature in a philosophical point of view. Heavily influenced by human life and nature, Choi finds himself also inspired by Cheongdo, a small town in south-west Korea, where his studio and showroom is. “The garden and surroundings of the studio inspires me the most,” he said. “Secondly, Francis Bacon’s artwork

who said ‘God almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures.’”

CHOIBOKO has a crew of over 60 members spread across textile, design, marketing, R&D and so on. As creative director, Choi debuted his brand in 1073 with a body of work titled ‘Accusation Costume’. Highlights in his collection showcasing at Vancouver Fashion Week is pattern printed fabric of various motifs from nature, and hand block printing and marbling pattern printing. The collection also presents avant-garde and minimal silhouettes inspired

by Madeleine Vionnet’s constructive pattern cutting.

Collections by the brand have been presented in over 70 other exhibitions and runway shows around the world including; USA, France, Germany, Dubai, Japan, and Vietnam. Through these events, CHOIBOKO was sold to various retailers and consumers across the globe, but is also stocked in 30 major department stores in South Korea. Choi said having events in other countries excites him and gives him new energy and inspiration. “So I expect so much fun and excitement in Vancouver and it will bring new ideas for the brand.”

L BY L

L BY L heavily focuses on femininity, and designer Yu Jung Lee hopes that her Vancouver Fashion Week show awakens the dreams that were lost to adult women. Since her childhood, Lee always made something with her grandmother. She also learned how to use sewing machines and went to the market with her grandmother and buy fabrics, make clothes and had her own fashion show in front of her family.

Born and raised in Daegu, Lee studied at Yeungnam University and Donga University. “I taught students for ten years at the university, there was nothing interesting except for fashion,” she said. During her college days, she fell into stage costumes and began to make them herself. Stages and costuming were everything for Lee, and after graduation, she continued to make costumes.

“While making theatrical costumes for one or two plays a month, I spent the night analysing the characters of each actor.” Lee values each relationship that makes up her brand. She added that it is important to have a common dream and to achieve it makes their own dreams come true through the company. “I hope this company gives good influence and helpfulness to a community.”

Lee’s small team consists of herself and one assistant in her design studio. The daywear brand L

BY L started three years ago when Lee was exporting her wedding and costume brand ‘LEEL DRESS’ to Europe, Middle East, China and Japan. Now Lee is expanding into international markets, but currently, has a pop-up store in Korea’s open market.

“I think online stores around the world will become increasingly important and our brands should prepare for them.

Social media cannot be ignored these days.” Even though it takes a lot of time and energy to do social media, Lee spends 24 hours on creating new ideas every day, and it would be great if she could have a separate social media department. “But at the same time, I want to engage more of my ideas and express my thoughts on design to my audience.”

Her biggest influence is God. Lee is a Christian and believes that in addition to living things, God created clothing. “I always think about how he felt when he made his own clothes of Adam and Eve, who was guilty of the crime and driven out of the Garden of Eden. When I think of the sadness and heartbreak, he felt when he makes leather clothes.

We can feel the love of God as it is,” she said. “The slogan of L BY L is also ‘Clothes Made By Love.”

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Jamal Abdourahman FOUNDER OF VANCOUVER FASHION WEEK

Originally from Toronto, Jamal Abdourahman comes from a big family that has seen a lot of success, this meant he could look up and see how to achieve it himself. “This is challenging and motivating at the same time,” he said.

Abdourahman claims his sister is more into fashion than he is, and they never imagined that he would be in the fashion industry.

“Yes, I was interested in fashion itself, but I never thought it would be possible for me to have a career where fashion and business were combined.” As a child, Abdourahman couldn’t imagine there was an opportunity in fashion as business. Fashion was like a fantasy and when Abdourahman really liked something back then he would always make sure he would get a hold of it no matter how expensive it was.

Even though no one in his family is in the fashion industry, Abdourahman added that his sister was one of his earliest inspirations. “She does not work in the

24 I September 2017

fashion industry, but she loves dressing and styling up.

She has great style.”

Abdourahman was a nightclub promoter, but never really liked the club scene. “I just loved dancing and music. That’s why I threw parties,” he added. It all started with a friend of his who knew Abdourahman was a promoter. “He had a fashion show in his club, and I thought ‘I should do this to promote’ and it grew from there.” And Vancouver Fashion Week was born.

With a business diploma under his belt, he had one big challenge while starting Vancouver Fashion Week – himself. “Finding the motivation to work was definitely one of the difficulties and lessons I experienced.” Abdourahman explained that he needed to constantly work and push himself because at the end of the day, it’s going to be him – not the environment, not the people – that makes things happen.

Seventeen years and thirty seasons later, Abdourahman has seen the runway transform year after year, and there have definitely been some changes since the first warehouse party. The biggest change has been the market. “The current market has more access to fashion, which means it is easier to contribute and distribute.” The audience has also changed; Abdourahman added that fashion consumers

Vancouver Fashion Week is similar to London or New York, but on a smaller scale.

Each season, they highlight a various range of emerging and international designers.

nowadays have more access to local designer items and buy more from local designers because they want exclusivity and uniqueness in their purchase.

In regards to the evolution of social media, Abdourahman said they are their own media now.

Technology has made the world even easier to share and promote through social media channels creating huge potential audiences. “People, especially the younger ones, would prefer their mobile phones or tablets more than huge television screens since they find this more convenient and accessible.”

Vancouver Fashion Week is working to promote more eco-designers because they want to advocate sustainability in line with the City of Vancouver’s goal of being the Greenest City by 2020. Vancouver Fashion Week invest on local designers because they want to help the local industry to grow and sustain itself by having designers help out in the economy.

“For example; business people will set up here, employ people to work here, thus more money will stay here in Vancouver. And after SS18 is completed, we will be bringing ten local and international designers to Tokyo for the Amazon Fashion Week in October.”

While each fashion week is unique in its own way, Vancouver Fashion Week is similar to London or New York, but on a smaller scale with smaller shows and designers. Each season, they highlight a various range of emerging and international designers. “We support those coming up while still paying homage to those who are more established,” he said. “We are home grown.”

Abdourahman encourages New Zealand designers and retailers to head up to Vancouver Fashion Week to witness designers and media coverage from across the globe. “You will not see these designers in the big scenes yet, so what they will see here are unique and fresh talents.” Designers looking to showcase their collections at Vancouver Fashion Week will experience a more accessible opportunity to be covered by global media and gaining a worldwide exposure. Retailers attending will quickly find new and unique talent who are more accessible for buyers.

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KEPT Jonathon Hall, his wife Justine and business partner Brian, aren’t big on job titles - their accessories brand, Kept, is a collaborative effort with everyone pitching in and helping out. In general, Justine is in charge of sales, Brian takes care of photography and graphic design, and Jonathon is the product designer although the roles have a fair amount of overlap.

“If you ask Justine she’ll say she’s not a designer, but the truth is that she is the gate-keeper, nothing gets signed off without her approval,” said Hall.

The team are building Kept between their day jobs. While many designers follow their love of fashion outside the hours of jobs outside the

OTTOLOOM Rebecca Burke has been making things since a very young age, creating her own clothing and art projects. “I remember attending art classes after primary school, and I think the first thing I ever made was a lamp out of wire and recycled paper,” said Burke. After finishing high school, Burke studied a Bachelor of Design at the University of Otago and then spent time travelling on superyachts before heading to Australia to work in marketing and design, and study interior decorating in her spare time. Upon returning to her hometown of Mt Maunganui, starting a business was at the forefront of her mind, and Ottoloom proved to be the perfect creative outlet for Burke’s skills.

Ottoloom’s Turkish towels are hand woven by a small group of families based in Southern Turkey who have been producing hand woven textiles using the same loom techniques for generations. Burke designs the towels and other textiles, including selecting colours and patterns.

“Then I cross my fingers they come out how I imagined,” explained Burke. “As all dyes are made from botanicals and vegetables, so you can never guarantee it will come out exactly as planned.”

26 I September 2017

industry, Hall has been an industry stalwart for the past two decades. After starting (and not finishing) a commerce degree, Hall studied fashion and subsequently launched his own brand producing leather bags which were sold through Karen Walker and Crane Brothers stores. His current day job is the Design Manager at Rembrandt, where he particularly focuses on accessory designs which compliment Rembrandt’s collections. It is through his illustrious career in the fashion industry that Hall has been on multiple work-related trips to Italy. During these trips, Hall purchased the essential Italian-made accessories; scarves, leather gloves, and more. After Justine began incorporating Hall’s

menswear scarves into her own wardrobe, they realised that New Zealand had no local offerings of similar quality and Kept was born.

Kept was named after designers’ intents for the future of their products. The ethically-minded luxury accessory brand was created with longevity and ethics in mind. Working with families based in Italy and Germany, who are part of multi-generational manufacturing businesses, Kept capitalises on the craftsmanship and secrets of garment manufacturing excellence have been passed down from generation to generation. While the brand is still new (they only launched in mid-March), there are no goals of quick growth. “At this stage, we just want to grow slowly and sustainably,” explained Hall, who also has no plans for retail stockists. “Choosing to manufacture in Italy and Germany and choosing only to use natural materials means our accessories are very expensive to manufacture and as a result if our products sold at retail stores they would cost at least twice as much. In the long run, we’d love to do some pop-ups and eventually have a store of our own.”

The sensibilities in their approach to business also underpin Hall’s design; with vintage and modern inspiration meshed together to create products women will treasure and keep for a long time.

According to Burke, it is also a struggle to get images from the weavers during manufacture, as the small villages do not have access to smart phones. The beauty of the final hand woven products is their incomparable uniqueness and the transparency of knowing exactly where the product originated.

Working with artisans also enables Burke to ensure her products are sustainable. “What I love about our products is that they are made to last.

For example, our thick looped Turkish towels last a minimum of 20 years due to slow weaving speeds and quality threads, so they an investment for consumers,” said Burke. Ottoloom uses Global Organic Textiles Standard organic cotton, which is defined based on social and environmental compliance with stringent criteria.

“Many people and many things inspire me, but the biggest motivation for me is helping the lives of the weavers,” said Burke, who notes that the increase in popularity of Turkish towels has allowed the weaving families to maintain their livelihoods. Burke’s current plans involve expanding the product ranges and working with more artisans, although an Ottoloom physical store is a long-term goal.

BEYOND SKIN Designers Natalie Dean and Heather Whittle have very different backgrounds. Whittle grew up in a very archetypal English countryside while Dean grew up in London with a very fashion-forward mother who inspired her to pursue a career in the fashion industry.

Whittle pursued her footwear curiosities and studied footwear design at Cordwainers, London College of Fashion. After graduating in 2006, she met Dean who founded Beyond Skin in 2001. Dean first started the brand with a strong desire to create something that would inspire a cruelty-free lifestyle.

“At the time there was simply no stylish, good quality, non-leather footwear available and past attempts to combine fashion and ethics generally resulted in one side of the equation being sacrificed,” explained Dean. Dean was keen to prove that fashion and ethics need not be mutually exclusive.

She started making with a small factory in East London, taking

STITCH AND HIDE

CRYSTAL OF A KIND

Far from her fashion-focused childhood in Germany, Marlen Wolff now lives in sunny Byron Bay although she is still squarely situated within the fashion industry.

Wolff is the Creative and Marketing Manager at Stitch and Hide, a leather accessory brand which is stocked by approximately 500 physical stores across Australia, New Zealand and the US. Although the business began as a men’s leather accessory brand, demand from female customers for more styles encouraged Wolff to expand into a full range of handmade accessories.

Wolff has always had a penchant for design, growing up within a creative family. That creativity was first channelled into a laser cut jewellery range and is now expressed in her leather designs. Values close to Wolff’s heart are the high level of attention to detail which her craftsman put into the goods. “Each bag, clutch, wallet and belt is handmade by our skilled craftsmen, using full grain leathers of superior grade and tanned with our old-world ‘vegetable tanning’ technique, which is environmentally-friendly,” explained Wolff. Stitch and Hide are also very sustainable and ethical. “Our fair-trade status and environmentally friendly methods are very important to us – it’s about making a positive impact on lifestyle: for our customers and our staff.”

The bags and belts are all made in India, by a fair-trade team who are highly skilled in leather good production.

Stitch and Hide regularly fly team members to India to meet with these artisanal workers and keep up to date with operations and manufacturing methods.

With a strong social media following, Stitch and Hide have gained traction with retailers and has seen a

rapid growth of stockists in recent times. Wolff would like to find more stockists across New Zealand and Australia, to grow their already-strong distribution.

Next on the agenda is a website relaunch, which will further promote brand awareness with new customers and loyal existing consumers.

orders over the phone and online.

In the beginning, Dean took a very hands-on approach to the art of shoe-making. Working with small factories made the learning curve very steep and very fast. “We both love the design process, and after a beginning of being incredibly hands-on, we are, to be honest, super relieved to not have to cover any more heels,” said Whittle. “We now work with manufacturers in Spain, who are very reliable and with our increasing quantities it’s imperative to have a trustworthy manufacturer to partner with.”

Beyond Skin takes pride in creating shoes that can compete with their real leather counterparts; proving that fashion and ethics need not be mutually exclusive.

“We are continually researching new innovative sustainable materials to feature. Currently, we use recycled PET faux suede uppers, and all of our shoes are now lined using 100 percent recycled PU lining,” explained Whittle. “It’s amazing to see

how the sustainable textile industry is growing season upon season, making it more accessible for brands like ourselves to use alternatives to PU’s or real leathers.”

Seen on the feet of Natalie Portman, Leona Lewis, Cheryl Cole, Evanna Lynch and Anne Hathaway – celebrity endorsement is really important to Beyond Skin. “When Beyond Skin was first established we gifted celebrities who had a similar philosophy to ours and this was an explosive way to create brand awareness and introduce ourselves to the press. Celebrity endorsement has now grown organically and we have requests frequently by stylists, managers and sometimes directly from the ladies themselves.”

Now with a team of nine, Beyond Skin is now solely e-commerce. This enables them to have a wide, global reach, and social media has been incredibly instrumental to help them to connect to their audience. “We are a cruelty-free brand, sustainability is equally at the core of our philosophy.” For more information, visit www.beyond-skin.com.

Born in Thailand, Janejira Kongsupapkul went to highschool in Glendale, California and later moved to Sydney, Australia to study at Whitehouse Institute of Design.

Kongsupapkul explained that she was raised by her grandparents in her early childhood and would make ships out of scrap paper with her grandma. “My grandpa owned a stationary shop and I used to build ships and castles from scrap paper. I was very lucky and never ran out of water colour and coloured pencils,” she said.

The design process is her favourite part and she uses creative programs to help as well as drawing. She explained that it is crucial to do research to identify trends and analyse what will work and what won’t. What will be popular and what won’t sell. “I create some of the pieces myself and some are made by professionals that work with me to make my designs come to life.” Kongsupapkul’s studies focused heavily on quality and styling to create a high-end experience. Everything from designing to graphic design to customer service is done by Kongsupapkul, while her partner helps out on the accounting side of things. “My partner and I discovered our common interest in crystals and gemstones, which made us want to seek more.

We went on fossicking trips around NSW and found some amazing crystals,” she said. “Friends and family encouraged us to turn them into jewellery and here we are.” Their sustainable cork range was developed later on in early 2017, Kongsupapkul is constantly trying to create something new and the cork bags is just one of their successful products.

The origin of the brand’s name came from the uniqueness and one of a kind quality of crystals and gemstones. Living in Sydney, her and her partner love the ocean and wanted to create a brand that reminds them of their home in Sydney. This year, the plan is to try out all of the big handmade markets in Sydney and Canberra.

The duo is also looking at stocking more retailers to add to their stockists in Australia.

Her biggest inspiration is Mark Cuban and her mother. “He used to be broke, got fired from his job and so was I. My mum was also fired during the economic crisis in the early 90’s.

Both of them are now successful entrepreneurs.

The thing is we never let anything stop us.”

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I 27

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THAT’S A WRAP

NEW ZEALAND FASHION WEEK 2017

28 I September 2017

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I 29

Line Up

New Zealand Fashion Week 2017 showcased a variety of stellar beauty looks, which pushed boundaries and brought an extra layer of creativity to the shows. We’ve broken down the looks to bring you the trends you’ll want to use…

Go Green

30 I September 2017

Au Natural

Put down your brow pencil; eyebrows are now acceptable just as they are.

While not the most eye-catching beauty look on display during NZFW, natural brows are on-trend and a quintessential detail for new-season looks.

Strong brow looks favoured in past seasons are leaving the trend-cycle and will soon be out of favour with consumers, in lieu of the neatly brushed look seen across most of the NFW shows. Bereft of any brow enhancing products, the look is soft and youthful, brushed upwards but not secured with brow gel.

The look is flexible, and works with almost every other makeup look, from statement looks to more laid back makeup designs. Shaggy, natural hair was also having a moment, and the trends work well together.

Glossing Over It Both the collections showed clothing in matching colours, and yet the makeup designs did not distract from the clothing but served as a continuation of the look.

An unexpected colour choice - and not for the faint hearted. Yellow eyeshadow was the surprising shade seen at NZFW. The look can be either futuristic or vintage. Ochre shades were swept deftly across models’ eyelids at Hailwood’s show, which seemed both wearable and artistic.

Conversely, Zambesi’s opening night show featured bright yellow, a neon jolt created with MAC Chrome Yellow Eye Shadow.

as well as a curved line above the crease. Katherine Victoria showed a similar look, which combined pastel geometric designs above the eyelid, and a bold line of black eyeliner below the lower lash line.

by Lochie Stonehouse for MAC Cosmetics and consisted of smokey dark green which was evocative of 1970’s cocktail hour glamour. The eyeshadow-heavy look was blown out, with a single shade (MAC Pigment in Landscape Green) swept across models’ eyelids and up to the middle of the brow bone. The green hues seen at Ovna Ovich’s show was more modern, with a custom shade of leafy green mixed by lead makeup artist Blair Gamblin. Makeup artists swept the bright hue in a line just above the crease of the eye, and finished the look with a soft brown eyeliner and a liberal coating of mascara.

With spring here, makeup artists are drawing inspiration from nature, including an abundance of greenery.

Seen across multiple collections during NZFW, notably Hailwood and Ovna Ovich, green hues are flexible and lend themselves well to a variety of looks.

Hailwood’s beauty looks were created

Mellow Yellow

Eyeliner is taking on a life of its own!

The NZFW shows featured several makeup looks which incorporated bold eyeliner looks. The inspiration was mainly vintage - think 1960’s and Twiggy. At Kathryn Wilson’s air hostess inspired show, statement black lines outlined models’ eyes, designed by key makeup artist Kiekie Stanners. The eyeliner was MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack, and along the top and bottom lash lines,

Undoubtedly the biggest makeup trend at NZFW was a throwback to the good old 2000’s. Lipgloss is back, and shinier than ever.

Bucking recent trends of liners and natural-looking matte pigments, pale lips with transparent gloss were seen across multiple collections.

Often combined with a bold eyeshadow look, lip gloss added a new-season feel to beauty looks.

Makeup artists at Jimmy D, Hailwood, Katherine Victoria, and Zambesi all used MAC Lipglass in Clear. Lip gloss looks are still on the rise, and this is likely to be a large trend for consumers, so adding a gloss to the beauty looks of your show or campaign will keep you ahead of the trend.

Blair Wheeler WHITECLIFFE

The evolution of Blair Wheeler’s label BW 36.174, from inception to present day, really began when he chose to study Fashion Design at Whitecliffe.

Coming from an all-boys school with little focus on arts and design presented a creative student like Wheeler with challenges. Wheeler required an arts and design school that supported and encouraged risk-taking and creative thinking, which led him to Whitecliffe. “Whitecliffe served as a catalyst for my development, my brand BW and my vision,” said Wheeler.

Throughout his time at Whitecliffe, he challenged the conventional idea of fashion and its expectations, and was supported by the Whitecliffe faculty in doing so. Wheeler continues to push boundaries using unconventional materials such as the application of fabric deconstruction and manipulation to create one off, made-to-measure avant-garde garments.

His brand ethos is crafted around the manipulation of organic and inorganic materials and the exploration of fabric experimentation. He takes his inspiration from alchemy and applies this to his pieces, allowing for the demonstration of raw materiality.

Whitecliffe’s industry ties worked well for Blair while he was a student, giving him the opportunity to work with a range of designers, stylists and photographers. “I was noticed through our end-ofyear fashion shows, and have built strong relationships with important people in the fashion industry, who I still work with today.”

His label BW 36.174 geographically maps the longitude and latitude of Auckland New Zealand, where each garment has been crafted by hand. The idea for the industrial-styled store, which has been opened in collaboration with a hair designer, is that it

will be a constantly creative hub of activity. His vision was crafted from scratch and he has personally put everything into making his vision a reality.

The new store is located on Anzac Ave in the City.

It is an industrial and brutalist approach to what is considered today a high-end store.

GET THE WHITECLIFFE EDGE

http://www.whitecliffe.ac.nz

Olivia Cashmore

Whitecliffe Fashion Design graduates think creatively, take risks, and have a high level of industry standard technical skill. They are innovators with a personal vision who build careers as highly respected professionals within the Fashion industry.

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I 31

Olivia Paige Walker

Maddy Mossman

Laruen Sherlock

Two and a half years ago, a concert by a former child star turned into the opportunity of a lifetime for Olivia Paige Walker. Scouted by Unique Model Management at a Miley Cyrus concert in 2014 at age 14, Walker has gone on to sign with IMG Sydney and Image Tokyo, and has featured in Australian Vogue. Despite never having considered a modelling career before being scouted, Walker made the decision to give it a go and has never looked back. “If I weren’t a model, I would still be wondering what I wanted to do,” she admitted. “I love modelling! The biggest challenge I have had to face so far was having to stretch myself outside of my comfort zone and put myself out there, but I love it.”

Now based in Sydney, Walker noted the differences between the New Zealand and overseas fashion industries. “It is so much more competitive overseas and you have to work really hard,” she said. “I like New Zealand but I’m also really enjoying Sydney right now – the lifestyle, and the challenge.”

Walker returned to Auckland for NZFW. “I love all of the New Zealand designers,” she said.

“I especially enjoyed walking for Harman Grubisa last year.”

After returning to Sydney after Fashion Week her goal is to head to Paris in the near future. “My favourite part of the job is the opportunity to travel and experience new things and meet new people.”

For those looking to get into the industry, Walker offers this advice: “Back yourself, be confident from day one, and have fun with it.”

Growing up with a writer as a father and a mother in the film industry, Maddy Mossman was never far from the creative industry. However, when first given the opportunity to model, she turned it down. “Cleo Magazine was doing a model search and I was asked if I wanted to give it a try,” she told Apparel. “I was bribed with shampoo samples entered and eventually made it into the top 10 of the search. I signed with Red11 a few months later.”

Mossman has featured a number of times in Wellington’s Capital magazine over her two-year career, as well as being featured in Remix earlier this year as a model for makeup artist Kabuki. Earlier this year Mossman was given the opportunity to shoot in Hong Kong, which she described as a completely unreal experience.

“I love being able to go places that are so different from home,” she said. “Plus the noodles were life changing.”

In January Mossman made the move up to Auckland to pursue her modelling career. “It was a really scary move to make because I didn’t know if it would work out for me.

Being so far away from my parents was difficult, but I couldn’t be happier that I summoned up the courage and went for it.”

Mossman’s favourite part of modelling is that she gets to be something different every day. “One day I’m in a beautiful wedding gown, trying to convince people that I’m graceful and elegant. The next I get to be a badass biker chick with an attitude and whole lot of eyeliner.”

Fresh out of her third NZFW, Mossman is looking long-term to travel as much as possible and grab all the opportunities that are available. Having started part-time philosophy study through Canterbury University’s online course, she’s keen to continue this in the future.

Scouted at 14 by 62 Models at her local shopping mall three years ago, 18-year-old Lauren Sherlock fell in love with the profession. “I never thought about being a model until I was scouted,” she said. “I love modelling as it has helped me with my confidence and brought me into a world of great people and an exciting profession.”

There isn’t one particular person who inspires her. “I admire people who work hard to achieve their dreams even in the face of adversity.” Believing in herself and building up the confidence to work with all the highly respected and talented people that are a part of the industry was her biggest challenge, she said, but it has paid off – being featured in the latest edition of Fashion Qaurterly.

If Sherlock wasn’t modelling she would be doing something relating to medicine or working in the caring and support services – her mother is a learning assistant for special needs primary school students, and Sherlock plans to study medicine at the University of Auckland while furthering her modelling career.

Sherlock hasn’t been signed overseas yet but hopes to build up her portfolio in New Zealand in order to go worldwide, with an aim to walk for the major designers in Europe and American fashion weeks.

“My favourite part of the job is the buzz you get backstage at fashion shows and the friendships you make with the designers and other models.”

Sherlock has walked in the last two New Zealand Fashion Weeks for designers like Zambesi, Knuefermann and Jarrad Godman, and was casting for New Zealand Fashion Week this year. “I love seeing World as their shows are always exciting and creative, and also Stolen Girlfriends Club as their shows are usually off site and have a unique style.”

UNIQUE MODEL MANAGEMENT

32 I September 2017

RED11

62 MODELS

Luxury has to get over its problem with plus size Plus size has been touted as a lucrative opportunity for a few years, but new data suggests the industry is all talk and not enough action.

Katie Smith, Trend Analyst, EDITED Before we get to that, we should start by saying there are many positive things happening in plus size. In the US, 2016 plus size apparel sales grew 17% from three years before, to $20.4 billion. There are mass market retailers adding plus sizing to their offering, most recently Canada’s Joe Fresh. Then there are the new retailers reassessing the shopping experience for plus size women.

One is Dia & Co. who collects data from its customers to create stylist-selected personalized boxes for shoppers to try at home, choosing to keep or return.

There’s the revolutionary Universal Standard who has recently launched its Universal Fit Liberty programme. It offers the free replacement of clothing if the consumer’s size fluctuates within the first year of ownership. That kind of strategy is undoubtably an industry gamechanger. And this is an industry that’s received a massive boost from social media driving positive messaging about body, gender and sexuality. For one, plus size celebrities have a greater platform to voice their frustrations with the industry. And importantly, fashion-obsessed plus size communities have a place to be heard.

With fashion week kicking off in New York next week, can we expect to see greater equality in the shapes of the models on Spring 2018 runways? Aside from plus retailer Torrid’s show: no. Unfortunately the industry makes a lot of noise about the one or two plus size

ASOS leads millennial plus size retail, while growth at H&M and Forever 21 is lacklustre given the size of each retailers’ market.

models who get booked for a handful of shows. The real focus of the industry is starkly revealed in data.

Luxury has a plus sized problem

Here it is: just 0.1% of all premium and luxury apparel identifies as plus size. Almost certainly there are garments which extend into plus sizes without any mention in the product description, how on earth is a plus size shopper supposed to find them if they’re left ignored by 99.9% of the market? That 0.1% is even more implausible when you find out that, according to Plunkett Research, 67% of women in the US wear a size 14 or above.

Luxury growth has been slowing and brands are struggling to find ways to connect with consumers in a more globalized world, and yet the market still shuns the majority of women. If consumers’ attitudes towards gender, sexuality, race and size are becoming more inclusive, the luxury market absolutely has to reflect it.

For too long the industry has been entirely blinkered to the that fact that a consumer can be plus size and passionate about high-quality clothing and have the money to shop it. In the UK, 18% of ‘regular’ sized apparel is priced $20-40, and 20% in the US. However, for plus size apparel, 37% of UK and 39% of US women’s apparel is focused on this exceptionally low price point. Plus size is crying out for an improved price architecture.

Plus sized women are already your customers One theory is that luxury considers plus size to be off-brand. Plus size doesn’t conform to the industry

standards of sample size perfection. Yet luxury is bankrolled by items that are already invested in by the plus size customers apparel overlooks: accessories, leather goods, beauty and fragrance. Why not make clothes for these women too?

In fact, so many luxury trends are translatable for the plus size market. Statement sleeves, ornate embellishment, bright color and bold prints are all selling well for plus and are also trends rife on the luxury market. Brands need to understand that plus size doesn’t need a different message. It can come from the same brand, follow the same story and take the same seasonal direction. Brands should spend time and money on getting fit right, but in this age of big data, that needn’t be a deterrent. If Stella McCartney can build a luxury accessories brand without using leather, plus sizing is a puzzle the industry can also solve. (Incidentally, Stella McCartney does carry a few US 12-14 styles).

There are retailers that have made attempts to access the plus size market, but the execution is still frustrating.

Prabal Gurung has a popular line at plus size retailer Lane Bryant and yet the brand’s runway offerings stop at US size 10. At least millennial retailers are a bright spot, right? Ah, well…

Millennial retailers not growing plus fast enough

The plus size opportunity for millennial retailers is vast.

34% of 13-17 year old girls bought plus size clothing in 2016, according to NPD, more than double the percentage in 2012. There are retailers who excel with plus size. ASOS’s Curve line suffers from less discounting than any of the retailer’s other own-labels and Q1 of this year saw a 119% increase in new arrivals from two years ago. But growth at H&M and Forever 21 is slow, as the chart above shows. In the most part, it doesn’t match that 100% increase in 13-17 girls buying plus size . It looks like ASOS is capturing the majority of millennial business. Currently trending in plus size are midi dresses and skirts, off-shoulder dresses and tops, gingham and kimono shapes. See, those trends don’t sound so different do they? And yet, where is Topshop or Zara on plus size?

Retailers, particularly premium and luxury, we urge you: wake up to plus. With a little care, there’s potential to reach someone new who has been itching to become your customer.

Recent successful luxury items that could easily have worked for the plus size consumer:

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