SeventhAir NZ Fashion Week Dubbed Best-Ever

Media release 8th October 2007

Seventh Annual Air New Zealand Fashion Week Dubbed Best-Ever

The seventh annual Air New Zealand Fashion Week has been branded the ‘best ever’ with international VIP media and buyers raving about the wealth of local fashion design talent and designers themselves enjoying an exciting number of export opportunities.

International media and buyers were wowed by emerging and returning talent on the Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2007 catwalk. Cybèle, Lonely Hearts, Deborah Sweeney, Alexandra Owen, Hailwood, Trelise Cooper, Trelise Cooper Kids and Stolen Girlfriends Club all received local and international acclaim for their unique offerings on the catwalk.

Designers had fantastic success, with many snapped up by overseas stockists. Hailwood, Jaeha and Alexandra Owen were all bought by renowned boutique H Lorenzo in Los Angeles, while Cybèle was taken on to be represented by H30 in Japan.

“We had an absolutely fantastic Air New Zealand Fashion Week! The response to the show was incredible,” says designer Cybèle Wiren.

“We had really positive response from the international media and from new and existing USA and Australian retailers.”

Jaeha-Alex Kim has seen a 60 per cent growth in sales from his previous season and along with being bought by Los Angeles store H Lorenzo, Jaeha now has ten more stockists between New Zealand and Australia. Talented Auckland Designer Sera Lilly also opened a significant number of new accounts based on her Air New Zealand Fashion Week success.

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International buyer Jo Farrelly, former marketing director for British retailing giant TopShop, says the level of organisation and fashion at Air New Zealand Fashion Week is excellent. According to Jo, the labels seen at Air New Zealand Fashion Week appear to provide clothing for a broad spectrum of women – and that other Fashion Week’s around the world could look to New Zealand for direction.

“London Fashion Week has talked about setting up mentoring programmes and running seminars for designers – here in New Zealand you are actually doing it,” says Jo. “It’s great, and other countries should be looking to New Zealand for ideas like this.”

Tim Bess, market analyst for the Donegar Group, New York, says the amount of retail offered in New Zealand is amazing. “I was impressed by the youth fashion in New Zealand and the quality of workmanship,” he says.

“The professionalism of Air New Zealand Fashion Week is comparable to the New York shows.”

Australian Fashion Designer Nicholas X Morley was also impressed by Air New Zealand Fashion Week. “If you look at Fashion Week in London, it’s not all English designers, it’s designers from everywhere and it’s the same in New York and Paris. Here at Air New Zealand Fashion Week it’s all about New Zealanders. Wave the black flag!”

Eleanor Morgan, editor of the front section of Dazed and Confused magazine in London, says the electric vibe of fashion week in Auckland was perfect for the unique nature of her publication. And Carol Lee, creative director for Paper magazine, New York, was also impressed by the Kiwi hospitality and – of course – the fashion!

“A highlight for me was meeting so many cool and interesting people,” she says. “The diversity of the collections, the sensibility and the aesthetic was really fun to watch. Some of the collections were really feminine and girl and some were really out there and edgy and avant-garde.”

Celebrity Stylist Britt Bardo, whose clients include Hollywood starlets such as Cameron Diaz, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Lopez and Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen, was
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entranced by the likes of Cybèle, NOM*D, Kate Sylvester, Hailwood and Zambesi
and has plans to style Kate Hudson with one of Cybèle’s catwalk offerings.

The fashion-loving public were treated to an eclectic mix of shopping, music, art, fashion and design at the Air New Zealand Fashion Week 4 U. With two public days on offer this year, fashionable individuals put their best foot forward at the Halsey St venue to enjoy Designer Selection Shows, the latest hair and makeup trends at the Beauty Zone and designer bargains at the Designer Garage Sale.

Air New Zealand Fashion Week Managing Director Pieter Stewart says she is delighted with the feedback received about the 2007 event.

“The calibre of this year’s event is testament to the investments made by designers, media and buyers alike to make Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2007 a fantastic success,” she says.

“Air New Zealand Fashion Week represents the opportunity to showcase our designer talent on a global stage while leveraging associated business and sponsorship opportunities.”

To view footage from Air New Zealand Fashion Week check out www.nzfashionweek.com and click on the Fashion Desktop TV link.

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