In just 12 weeks, New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) will open the doors on the 13th year of the event.
Dates have been set; with New Zealand’s top designers showcasing their Autumn/Winter 2014 collections to the world from the opening on Monday, September 2 to Thursday, September 5, with some trade events that will also take place on Friday, September 6.
RUBY NZFW 2012. Image Michael NG/NZFW
While New Zealand Fashion Week remains a trade event, providing a platform for New Zealand designers to showcase their work to the world, the event continues to evolve to best meet the needs of New Zealand’s fashion industry.
In a tough international retail environment, designers are focusing on developing domestic markets and their online stores, so showing in-season collections to the public is becoming equally as important as showing forward collections.
In response to this growing demand, Fashion Weekend will be extended by one day, with full on schedule and exciting public shows running all weekend, kicking off Friday, September 6 through to Sunday, September 8.
Trelise Cooper NZFW 2012. Image Michael NG/NZFW
For the third year NZFW will be held in its new home in the vibrant hub of Auckland City, the state of the art Viaduct Events Centre (VEC).
“We love our new home and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive since we moved the event,” said Managing Director Dame Pieter Stewart.
“One of the comments we keep hearing is that the venue feels very international in the VEC. The driving force behind NZFW is to deliver a truly international event, and to back this up we have some very exciting news to announce in the coming weeks about international guests,” added Stewart.
Zambesi NZFW 2012. Image Michael NG/NZFW
NZFW is busy developing other innovations that will add richer ways for designers to engage with fashion lovers, strengthening the online channels NZFW has already created.
NZFW Sponsorship Manager, Myken Stewart says there are some groundbreaking new projects in development that will ensure NZFW is well ahead of the game in the way it connects designers with their audiences.
So with 12 weeks to go, the NZFW team is busying itself for the final months of preparation, creating a platform for designers to showcase their work that stretches far beyond the catwalk.