The runway is ready for action!

Media release
September 15th

The runway is ready for action!

Get set for Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2008
16th-21st September 2008

The official Air New Zealand Fashion Week opening party took place tonight at Auckland’s Viaduct Marine Harbour Village. The Rt Honorable Helen Clark was there to open the 2008 fashion festivities and was well received by designers, media and fashion industry guests.

The Prime Minister was joined on stage by Fashion Week Managing Director Pieter Stewart and Auckland Mayor John Banks who spoke in recognition of the biggest fashion event on the New Zealand calendar.

During the ceremony Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe announced the winners of the Air New Zealand Fashion Export Awards. Dunedin-based label NOM*D, which already exports to Australia, Europe, the United States and Asia, won the growth category. While the development award was won by Auckland designer Cybele Wiren, who started exporting in 2005 and is now sold in Australia, Japan and Dubai.

The runway is ready for action tomorrow, (Tuesday 16th September) as WORLD open the weeklong fashion event with their greatly anticipated 11.00am show. This will be closely followed by the inaugural Australian Designer – Kirrily Johnston, who’s flown her team across the ditch to be the first ever Australian fashion label to show at Air New Zealand Fashion Week.

Designers will get the chance to showcase their Autumn/Winter collections to a pool of more than 600 local and international delegates. The schedule offers buyers, media and international fashion guests more variety than ever before with an ideal balance of emerging talent versus a stable list of New Zealand fashion greats.

Some of the new talent to the catwalk this year includes NYNE, Michelle Yvette, Stitch Ministry, Emma, Sable & Minx, Ana Steele, Doosh, Moneyshot and twentysevennames. While some of the most sought after shows of the week include Zambesi, Nom*D, Trelise Cooper, Karen Walker, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Annah Stretton and Huffer. Other popular designers returning to the catwalk are Cybele, Deborah Sweeney, Sera Lily, Lonely Hearts, Deadly Ponies, Alexandra Owen and Jaeha.

Seated front row will be a number of new and influential media journalists and commentators from around the world and buyers from key targeted stores in Asia, the USA, Dubai and Australia, as well as from around New Zealand.

“We know areas such as Asia and the United States are the places our designers want to sell to so it makes sense for us to bring buyers to Air New Zealand Fashion Week from these regions. This strategic approach works well and provides considerable benefits to designers,” says Managing Director Pieter Stewart.

The Verge Breakthrough group show will also prove popular with fashion talent spotters. This year there’s a $10,000 grant up for grabs by the winning designer and an exciting new buzzer style voting system implemented for guests in the front row who can vote for their favourite designer collection.

The 8500 square meter Halsey Street venue has taken 250 staff two full weeks to erect and includes a total of more than 300 catwalk lights. This year the new art gallery space is a new feature at Fashion Week and will display works from a number of renowned New Zealand artists, with several of the works being auctioned off in a silent weeklong auction.

Air New Zealand Fashion WEEKEND

On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September, Fashion WEEKEND will come to life for the public. An exciting mix of fashion, music, competitions, entertainment, seminars and art will be on display. Areas include the Rumpus Room, Beauty Zone, Fashion Plate Restaurant, Art Gallery and the Cutting Room Bar. Plus the Designer Garage show is back in the bigger venue of The Westpac Tent, and includes more than 36 fashion labels and some serious shopping bargains! The

Season Preview Selection fashion shows including New Zealand’s favourite designers such as Huffer, The Carpenter’s Daughter, Lucie Boshier, Hailwood, Annah Stretton, Lara Parker, Westfield St Lukes, Moa, Jessica Aitchison Boutique, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Liberty and Carlson. All of these shows work on a first in first served bases and are all inclusive for the GA Price of $25 presale from Ticketek.

For more information on Air New Zealand Fashion WEEKEND go to www.nzfashionweek.com or
www.designergaragesale.co.nz

ENDS

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