FREE|STYLE
Editor-at-large Julie Roulston brings FashioNZ readers the very best from her fashion beat, each week…
NEW THING
Dan Buckley, who as a 21 year old founded Huffer as part of a school project while studying Fashion at A.U.T, is back with a new label, THING THING, due to hit stores in November.
About 2/3 menswear to 1/3 womenswear ('A Beautiful Thing'), Buckley has created THING THING with ex-Federation 'design star/wonder kid', Drew Gregory.
"We are a two part, balanced mix, and electrically charged" says Buckley.
Electric it must be, with 30 plus stockists on board with the first indent, to be complemented by THING THING's online store.
Buckley says THING THING, which he describes as a layered brand attack, was born of a need to build purposeful product with a sportswear edge. "We have tried more than anything to pop out something original with this thing thing, that hits a new consumer – a more attentive, kind of lightly fashion-focussed sporty and modern kid, and beautiful girl.
We have stretched out into the future to find our reference points with this new style. We want to appeal to a modern individual with a relaxed and integrity-based world view."
KATHRYN WILSON'S TURN FOR A FLASH BASH
First to pull out the party stops post Fashion Week will be Kathryn Wilson, with her "Evening Fit for a Princess" this Thursday at the Northern Club.
Billed as a celebration of the female love affair with shoes, the event will see Kathryn exhibit some 20 artworks based on her winter 2013 collection, created by the country’s best photographers, illustrators, painters and designers.
250 guest will view works from an impressive lineup: Fashion photographers Chris Sisarich, Steven Tilley, Garth Badger, Rob Trathen and Olivia Hemus; Danny Pato from D&M, Vida Flores, fashion stylists Barry Betham, Dan Ahwa, Rachel Morton; and artists Kelly Thompson, Stella Castle, Henrietta Harris, Scrap Wall, Adrian Hailwood, Alexi Willemsen and Gary Yong from the Cut Collective. "They're all people who have been part of the Kathryn Wilson family in a way, over the last nine years" says Kathryn.
Each artwork will be auctioned silently at the event with all proceeds from their sale to go to Ronald McDonald House, of which Kathryn is an ambassador.
In keeping with the Princess/Cinderella theme, Kathryn has also partnered with Sarah Hutchings of Orsini Fine Jewellery, to create a shoe covered in half a million dollars worth of diamonds, able to viewed on the night and is also to be auctioned. There's a focus on luxury around the event and Kathryn says "after the awesome fun of showing to 3,000 at New Zealand Fashion Week last year, we knew it was time to do something more intimate and special to celebrate with our supporters."
'ARRANGE'
On a less grand scale but no less exciting, is the upcoming show by a collective of outstanding young designers. 'ARRANGE' will be a presentation of capsule collections in the FLAGSHIP studio space in Grey Lynn, Auckland.
"We are treating this as a 'presentation of ideas' – design integrity and new ideas being our primary goal" says Emma Gleason, one of the five designers. "It will have a simple, conceptual, refined approach."
The group of young designers and friends who are using their group dynamic and collective strengths to create their own platform are Duncan Lamont Brown (knitwear), Georgia Pratt (womenswear), Glen Prentice (womenswear), Jackson Roy (menswear) and Emma Gleason (womenswear).
It's exciting to learn that the five are being supported by some heavyweight partners/sponsors, with Stephen Marr, N Model Management, M.A.C Cosmetics and photographer Oliver Rose namechecked.
Following several previous FLAGSHIP initiatives including a market and a photographic exhibition, the show will take place on Friday 19 October.
– Julie Roulston