Hej Hej at New Zealand Fashion Week 2018. Images by Katherine Tuenter.
Hej Hej was born out out of a deep friendship, Alice and Kiki met at university and fifteen years later decided to embark on something together, even though one lives in China and the other in Auckland. It’s a testament to the friendship that it can flourish in business AND in different countries.
Commercial Designer Alice has previously worked for companies like Marc and Sportscraft so had had an insiders view of what works with large companies but also what doesn’t. What tight and clever planning can do. While visiting Kiki in Hong Kong the pair were inspired by the bright vibrant fabrics they saw at every turn and realised they wanted to do something together.
They see themselves as purveyors of fast slow fashion – fast with their production and turnaround, but slow in terms of consideration and timeless design. They have chosen to sell exclusively online, with no bricks and mortar stockists. They can currently be bought from Garmentory, and from their own website. And for a very short time they will have a pop up. Everything is online as of today.
They are very much designing for themselves, and their friends. It has been a pleasant surprise that their mothers and their friends have also fallen for the label with its soft, simple shapes.
So sitting on a boat on a sunny afternoon is simply the perfect way to view a show. But in this case the “show” was models dressed in linen in a whole range of of beautiful colours – watermelon, white, peach, soft blues and a crispy white and blue pinstripe. Smart shorts, summery dresses, simple short sleeved tops, and sharp pants, all in linens with a few pieces of knitwear thrown in for good measure. It all felt beautifully nautical, summery and relaxed. Like you were going on a short cruise with friends. But I think we all wished we were as well dressed as the models… After the rain falling so fiercely all morning, it was a small fashion miracle that the rain stopped, the skies cleared and the sun came out. It was just meant to be. Pretty much like Hej Hej.
Hej Hej are holding a pop-up shop from Thursday – Sunday this week at Endemic World, 62 Ponsonby Road. Their new collection is also available on their online store today.
Images by Katherine Tuenter.