Designer Jerome Taylor (centre) and the Not For You finale at New Zealand Fashion Week 2018. Image by Lyle Adams.
Holding his first independent show after partaking in the New Generation group show last year, designer Jerome Taylor presented the latest collection for his burgeoning street wear label Not For You. As guests entered the studio we were guided to stand clear of the centre and around the handful of podiums that lined the sides, no fuss of a seating plan here. Setting the mood was the hip-hop playlist which had many of the guests bopping away.
The first look was a fire engine red coat over a white branded tee and black chinos, the coat sported lines of ‘Not For You’ hand painted in white lettering on the front-this hand painted motif is a feature Taylor experiments with often on his clothing, imbuing his pieces with unique character. Following this was a black bomber jacket worn with a simple tee shirt and slim fit trousers, as the next few looks came down the runway we see the podiums put to use as models came back around they stepped atop to model, then zig zagged their way across the catwalk to take their place at the next podium and so on, it was a good opportunity to view the clothing and its detailing up close.
Though initially aimed at the menswear market Not For You has garnered a lot of interest from female customers which Taylor has embraced and we see two female models (twins!) walk the runway in an oversized sweat and tee paired with nylon tearaway pants which seem to be staging a major comeback of current. We see a parade of hoodies, sweatshirts, tshirts and shirts all oversized and relaxed and emblazoned with the brands name either by hand or screenprint, and which are worn with bomber jackets, coats, parkas and vests. A few pairs of dungarees and then a denim boiler suit (in red!) make a daring appearance.
The colour palette was a lot of fun, black and white and bright red as mentioned, which was then injected with pieces in fluorescent hues of lime green, hi vis orange, and bright yellow.
Stan Walker made a guest appearance and he along with model of the moment Danielle Hayes couldn’t help but bust out some inspired dance moves on their podiums, bringing a smile to everyone’s faces.
Soundtrack: Contemporary hip hop, featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Travis Scott.
Beauty Notes: The Not For You hair look was created by Sid Bahree from Servilles New Market, who went for a “badass girl vibe” with a sleek, high top knot and glossy shine. The make up was headed by Amy Elgar from M.A.C, keeping it natural for the male models with minimal grooming and a natural, glowy contour with a brown, smoky eye and lots of lashes for the female models. The idea was to let the models personalities shine through with a strong but natural look. (Beauty Notes by Nina Franklin).
Hot Item: The fluorescent pieces-namely the lime green parka and neon orange bomber.
Images by Getty Images.