Air New Zealand Fashion Week declared open!

Media release
September 21st

Air New Zealand Fashion Week declared open!
21st - 25th September 2009

The official Air New Zealand Fashion Week opening party took place tonight at Auckland’s Viaduct Marine Harbour Village.

The Mayor of Auckland, Hon. John Banks was there to open the prestigious week of fashion and was well received by designers, media and fashion industry guests. Also taking the stage was Neville Findlay, Director of fashion house Zambesi who spoke in recognition of the importance of Air New Zealand Fashion Week to the fashion industry, along with Fashion Week Managing Director Pieter Stewart.

During the ceremony Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe announced the winners of the Air New Zealand Fashion Innovation Awards 2009. ‘From the Runway to the Runway’ designers were invited to create an iconic outfit which must be suitable for comfortable long haul airline travel. Twenty-seven Names emerged as the public favourite and took home the $10,000 travel prize. While Stolen Girfriends Club won the overall $30,000 travel prize, which was judged by a panel of fashion and creative industry influencers including Pieter Stewart, 62 Model’s Sara Tetro and Colenso BBDO Managing Director Brent Smart.

Tomorrow the first day of fashion shows (Tuesday 22nd September) kicks off with last year’s Air New Zealand award winner and fashion designer Cybele Wiren who gets the week off to a good start with her greatly anticipated 11.00am “Cybele” show.

Amongst the newcomers to hit the runway this year are designers Andrea Moore, Julian Danger, House of EZIS, Emma Ford, ISBIM, Oyl, Riddle Me This, Serena Fagence, Trix & Dandy and Tara Cunniffe. While some of the most sought after shows of the week include Zambesi, Nom*D, Kate Sylvester, Trelise Cooper, Karen Walker, Stitch Ministry, Adrian Hailwood, Alexandra Owen, Sable & Minx, Annah Stretton and Huffer.

An exciting highlight on the 2009 schedule is the very first U.S. fashion label to be showcased at Air New Zealand Fashion Week. A*Muse is a ready to wear collection by L.A. designer Richie Rich and inspired by celebrity model Pamela Anderson, who will both be present at the much talked about show on Friday 25th September at 5pm in the Westpac Tent.

Seated front row in a number of shows this year will be Asian celebrity and supermodel Denise Keller who is joining us for the week from Singapore. Keller has recently been touring the world with Al Gore speaking on climate change, is the face of Discovery Channel and MTV channels in Asia and has a keen eye for New Zealand fashion.

A number of international buyers can also be spotted front row. Husband and wife buyers Brian Eible and Katy Tyler will be joining us once again from Foxy Lady, who together own two large Florida fashion stores. Foxy Lady stocks a number of NZ labels with current gross sales figures at USD$5m and still growing. Eible and Tyler also work to proactively link ANZFW with showrooms in the U.S.

From Hong Kong joining us this year is Lianna Chan from ENZYME fashion agency and Vicky Chan from General Cucumber who together market New Zealand designer brands into HK, China and other countries in the Asia Pacific region. Furthermore the pair plan to take New Zealand talents further abroad to the Paris tradeshow in Fall/Winter.

From Russia CARA & CO (Roza Kamenev and business partner Alexey Oleshov) will be scouting out high fashion labels for their business which is listed by The Guardian as “one of the best boutiques in the world.”

Joining us from renowned Asian showroom and media company “H3O” is Jason Lee Coates and Hirohito Suzuki who will be representing countries Japan, Singapore and Dubai. Lee Cotes is a pioneer of Asian publishing industry having worked for numerous high profile publications such as Elle, L’Officiel, Harper’s Bazaar and Oyster. As well as representing H3O the pair will be buying for fashion boutiques in the Middle East including Dubai boutique Valleydez.

Managing Director Pieter Stewart comments on the importance of buyers and showrooms.

“Buyers have always been crucially important to Air New Zealand Fashion Week designers, but increasingly we’re benefiting from bringing out international showrooms and fashion agencies to represent our local labels. Asia and the United States are continued focus areas for us with a great number of ANZFW designers already selling in these regions,” says Managing Director Pieter Stewart.

The New Generation group show will be keenly awaited by fashion media and buyers alike. This exciting new format show will showcase 8 up and coming designers on Thursday 24th September at 5pm in the Westpac Tent.

Information on the Air New Zealand Innovation Awards

Two lucrative travel prizes were up for grabs as part of the Air New Zealand Fashion Innovation Awards in 2009. The first competition, ‘From the Runway to the Runway’, designers were invited to create an iconic outfit which must be suitable for comfortable long haul airline travel then be ready for fashion runway action. Their video entries were posted online for the public to vote on. Twenty-seven Names emerged as the public favourite and took home the $10,000 travel prize on the Air New Zealand network. Entrants in the ‘From the Runway to the Runway’ competition could then go on to submit a second video entry for the $30,000 travel prize. Judged by a panel of fashion and creative industry influencers (Pieter Stewart, 62 Model’s Sara Tetro and Colenso BBDO Managing Director Brent Smart), designers were challenged to bring to life their creativity and export aspirations under the umbrella ‘Taking New Zealand Fashion Creativity to the World’. Stolen Girlfriends Club was judged the winner.

ENDS

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