New Zealand’s First Dedicated Steampunk Fashion Show
October 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday 22 March 2010

Confusion As Otago Group Announces It Is Also Having A Steampunk Fashion Show

Organisers of Christchurch’s first dedicated steampunk fashion show, announced in the press on February 23, are very annoyed that an Otago group have recently announced they are also having a steampunk fashion show by “using some of our original wording on their website”.

Christchurch show convenor and spokesperson, Fabiana Bronte, says this “isn’t kosher”.

The Christchurch event, to be held in October, was billed as “New Zealand’s first dedicated steampunk fashion show”, and was published in media and on the internet as such in April. The idea of holding such an event in Christchurch has been in the wings for at least a year, she says.

“We did our research thoroughly at the time we issued our press release in April, and there was no show announced at the time. We are getting calls and emails from members of the public now completely confusing the two events.

“I believe it is obvious plagurism, and appears to be an attempt to stifle or steal the thunder from other initiatives.

“We set our show for October to give us a chance to organise a great show, and give participating designers enough time to produce some great new work.”

A story on the upcoming Christchurch show has been on the Otago Daily Times website for almost a month, she says, as well as on other sites and several Facebook pages.

“It's not that we mind they are having a show but it seems just plain wrong to use the same wording, which has been most confusing for people and frustrating for us.

“We only became aware of the other show over the weekend, when we received emails from confused members of the public. Then today I received an email obviously intended for the Otago group, and was alerted in that email to their website. They have billed their show using some of the same wording we used in our original press release. Apart from anything else, this is just plain silly.”

“Organisers of the Otago show have announced theirs is to be held in June, so of course it is going to be held before ours now, but ours was announced first, and we also specifically chose the word ‘dedicated’, to avoid confusion with any Neo-Victorian events that have been held anywhere in the past.”

Steampunk is a sub-genre of design that has been rapidly evolving in the last five years, Ms Bronte says. “Its based on neo-Victorian design, Victorian science fiction from the era of Jules Verne, and has a pinch of Victorian gothic and other things thrown in, and is constantly evolving. It has a growing following among artists, designers, writers and people involved in theatre, particularly in Britain, the United States, and Canada, but is becoming increasingly international as a design trend.”

“It has been called by others overseas as ‘the first real design and cultural trend to come out of the internet’, and I think that is probably true.” Ms Bronte says plans are well underway for the Christchurch event, but details are still under wraps

The Christchurch event is shaping up to be “an exciting affair. We are receiving submissions and expressions of interest from some very talented people.”

Anyone wishing to put forward steampunk and accessory designs for the show can email fabianabronte@gmail.com.

ends

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