Finale on the runway at Federation show New Zealand Fashion Week 2016.
Federation’s return to the New Zealand Fashion Week runway after a seven year hiatus was one of the most anticipated shows of the week and talented designer Jenny Joblin and her team certainly didn’t disappoint. Streetwear brand Federation was established in 2000 and showed on the runway at the very first NZFW back in 2002. Although a lot has changed for the label since then, their Autumn/Winter 2017 collection called “Birds Versus Bees” has to be one of their strongest yet and we were hooked from the get-go.
From the opening look, which teamed an ivory faux fur coat with a white shirtdress featuring Federation’s custom F print, ombre socks and white sneakers, it was clear that this collection had a whole lot of attitude and quirky cool. The F print was spray-painted by Joblin and is a tongue in chic reference to certain luxury brands adding a playful touch to the range. As more looks followed it wasn’t long before one of the models shoulder-barged another model on their way down the catwalk in a move which at first seemed like an accident, but as it kept happening it was clear that these too cool for school models had a take no prisoners approach to the runway which perfectly reflected the confidence and, dare we say it, swagger of the collection.
The womenswear featured a great range of looks with sweaters, tees, casual dresses and skirts in soft tones of pink, blue and caramel as well as monochromatic tones making for looks that were fun and feminine. Black sequins added a glamorous touch while we couldn’t help but adore the faux fur jackets and vests. Motorcycle jackets and bombers were layered over snuggly knits and logo tees while Federation’s ever present hoodies kept things street and worked well with trenches and coats. For the guys it was more about camo print, stripes and lots of the signature F print on tees, bombers, relaxed fit pants and casual jackets. Everything was perfectly put together yet felt nonchalant and oh so cool. We’d be quite happy to saunter around in Federation’s brilliant collection all day, every day next winter.
Beauty Notes: Smoky eyes and nude lips created by Smashbox’s lead pro artist Sam Hart, while some of the guys sported faux smudgey bruises near their eyes for a bad boy effect.
Hot Items: We loved all the tees and dresses pieces in the F print, but we can’t go past those stunning faux fur coats and vests.
Check out our gallery to see every look from the Federation NZFW 2016 show here.
By Evelyn Ebrey
Images by James Yang Photography