Trelise, Kate and Karen have all become household names over the past 30+ years, not to mention a handful of their contemporaries who’ve paved the way for modern New Zealand fashion. But who will we see on the cover of Woman’s Day and on the New Year’s Honours list for ‘Services to Fashion’ in the next 20-30 years?
FNZ takes a deep dive into who our future faces of fashion could be.
Over the past four-and-a-half decades, New Zealand’s fashion industry has grown in strength, breadth and visibility like a parabolic curve. From its modest beginnings where just a handful of designers seemed to have a choke-hold on media and high-fashion retail, the local design industry has evolved into a dynamic and globally respected force, with homegrown designers gaining international recognition for their creativity and distinct Antipodean perspectives. Designers like Karen Walker, Kate Sylvester, Trelise Cooper, Zambesi and a few others have paved the way for a fashion scene that continues to grow, but finding our future leaders is becoming much harder in an increasingly fragmented market.
The Early Years and the Rise of Key Designers
In the early 1980s, New Zealand fashion was still in its infancy, largely defined by practical and understated clothing. However, the country’s remote location was a factor that inspired designers to look inward for creativity. New Zealand’s fashion scene began to gain attention during this time with the emergence of influential brands like Zambesi, founded by Elisabeth and Neville Findlay in 1979. Zambesi’s Antwerp-inspired intelligence and dark elegance were pivotal in establishing a perceived ‘New Zealand aesthetic’ that was dark and dramatic, a concept that would resonate throughout the following decades and (somewhat wrongly) determine our national sartorial identity.
Karen Walker, indisputably New Zealand’s most globally-successful designer, began her career in the 1990s. Walker’s designs exude an effortlessly understated, sharply tailored, quirky aesthetic that’s been underpinned by her enduring desire to dress ‘The Anti-It Girl’ (think Ally Sheedy’s character in The Breakfast Club). Walker was an early advocate for the global visibility of New Zealand fashion, executing almost a decade of twice-yearly runway shows at London Fashion Week before transitioning to New York Fashion Week. Over time, her brand grew to encompass a wide range of products, including eyewear, jewellery, and other licensed product lines, reflecting her versatility and broad, international market appeal. The question has to be asked: Could any of the modern brands we see today, featured in the pages of local magazines and at fashion week, sustain this kind of global traction, marketing spend, travel time and media dominance? The jury’s out for me…
Another designer who made her mark during the 1990s was Kate Sylvester, whose designs have been praised for their feminine sensibility combined with a rebellious-yet-bookish spirit. Her collections often feature vintage-inspired designs and striking prints that evoke a sense of nostalgia and femininity, while still remaining contemporary. Fashion fans in their late 30’s, 40’s and 50’s now have grown up with Kate and Karen as their North Stars of local fashion, but with Kate announcing the closure of her business in 2024, the door’s been flung wide open for the next generation to assert themselves.
The Growth of New Zealand Fashion Labels in the 2000s
By the early 2000s, New Zealand’s fashion industry had firmly established itself as an influential player on the world stage. Designers like Nom*D, Trelise Cooper and Workshop led the way, each carving out a niche with unique approaches to design and retail. Nom*D, founded by Margi Robertson in the late 1980s, is known for its dark, conceptual aesthetic that blends grunge with romanticism. The label’s avant-garde approach stood in stark contrast to the conservative fashion trends of the time and caught the attention of international buyers, further cementing New Zealand’s place in the fashion world.
Trelise Cooper brought a distinct, feminine approach to New Zealand fashion with her romantic, whimsical designs. Over the years, she developed a loyal following both in New Zealand and abroad, particularly in Australia and North America. Cooper’s designs often feature bold prints, feminine silhouettes, and a sense of opulence, making her collections ideal for both day-to-night wear.
Workshop, a label that started in 1989, is also credited with being one of the pioneers in developing New Zealand’s fashion identity. Founded by Chris and Helen Cherry, Workshop is often lauded for its experimentation with avant-garde streetwear elements, helping to blur the lines between high fashion and everyday wear. Helen Cherry’s eponymous line brought a far more feminine aesthetic to the company, with a focus on structured suiting and power silhouettes. Chris and Helen’s enormously successful Workshop stores up and down New Zealand were also a pivotal player in promoting premium fashion imports such as Chloe, Acne, Isabel Marant and more.
The Emergence of New Voices and Sustainable Fashion
As brands like Nom*d, Workshop, Karen and Kate were asserting themselves in the New Zealand market, the early 2000s also made way for a new batch of designers, keen to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. This group was spearheaded by Juliette Hogan, Cybele Wiren, Adrian Hailwood, Huffer, Salasai, Kathryn Wilson, Jaeha, twenty-seven names, Sera Lily, Deadly Ponies, Kowtow, Miss Crabb, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Lonely Hearts (later renamed Lonely) and a glut of others. It was a heady time for New Zealand fashion, with print media at its peak, and a new wave of fashion-specific marketing agencies popping up to support the designer influx.
After the GFC in 2007-2008, the 2010s saw another influx of new talent that embraced sustainability and innovation in their designs. Designers like Maggie Hewitt (Maggie Marilyn), Georgia Currie (Georgia Alice), Madeleine Harman and Jessica Grubiša (Harman Grubiša), Wynn Crawshaw (Wynn Hamlyn) and Paris Mitchell and Georgia Cherrie (Paris Georgia) gained attention for their commitment to ethical production practices and high-quality, long-lasting garments. Maggie Marilyn was, for 2-3 years, at the forefront of New Zealand’s sustainable fashion movement, producing collections with transparency in mind and using eco-friendly materials. The brand’s rise was astronomical, gaining international press coverage and landing in the world’s most prestigious fashion retailers such as Selfridges, Net-a-Porter and David Jones. Now based in Australia, Maggie’s commitment to responsible fashion has resonated with the increasing Gen Z and Millennial consumer demand for sustainable fashion options, and has set a new bar for the speed and volume of sales and PR success amongst local Kiwi designers.
So all of this begs the question: Who’s next? In the tentative post-Covid world, where potential new designers are risk averse and resource poor, and modern consumers are being pulled every which way by digital-savvy brands with far-reaching tentacles, who will our long-term, tried and trusted designers be in 2040, 2050 and beyond? FNZ posits a few options below who we think could be the Future Faces of Fashion in Aotearoa.