We’ve picked some of our favourite reads for you to enjoy. Image supplied.
The summer break is finally here and with it comes the opportunity to catch up on some of the great stories you may have missed in the craziness of the year. We’ve curated our favourite features and interviews for you from 2021 on FashioNZ.
Bridal designer Katie Yeung on celebrating individuality and honouring curves
The modern bride is eschewing tradition for self-expression, with more brides choosing unique looks for their wedding day that reflect their personality, and at a price they can afford. It’s something that local bridal label Daisy by Katie Yeung understands well, with the brand launched in 2016 by Hera Couture founder and designer, Katie Yeung, to cater to that growing market. Daisy offers contemporary bridal outfits in a diverse size range from 2 – 36… Read More
10 things I’ve learned in 30 years of using skincare
I’ve tried countless skincare products over the past 30 years, and one of the joys of being in the fashion industry for the past 13 years has been the opportunity to try lots of new beauty products. The past five years in particular of being editor of FashioNZ, I’ve attended many beauty product launches and learned a great deal about the science of skincare as well as how some of these products are made. It’s been a fascinating experience and I thought I’d share my best tips from my skincare journey with you… Read More
Kimbra on the return of Popstars and mentoring young talent
Kimbra lives and breathes music, having first picked up a guitar at age 12 and being signed to a recording label at age 17. Over the past decade, her incredible voice and impressive talents as a songwriter, producer and engineer have seen her awarded two Grammys (Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo) for her duet with Gotye for Somebody I Used to Know, six Tuis from the NZMAs including Best Pop Artist 2008, and four Aria awards (Australian Music Awards) including Best Female Artist 2011 and 2012… Read More
Boody is the sustainable basics brand you need to know about
You may have seen Boody‘s super soft basics made from organically grown bamboo in your local pharmacy. The Australian brand is also stocked online and is growing a following in New Zealand for their range of underwear and apparel with women’s, men’s and babywear available. The business is run by Shaun Greenblo and Elliot Midalia, with Boody basics crafted from EcoCert certified organic bamboo, using no fertilisers, pesticides or irrigation – just rainwater… Read More
How to tackle redness and rosacea
Unfortunately, facial redness isn’t just a cute blush-like flush (we wish!) it can present as rosacea, broken capillaries, patchiness or even just general sensitivity. Whilst it can appear at any age (even childhood) flushing or unwanted redness tends to peak from ages 30-50, presenting primarily across the face… Read More
Liam Bowden on how Deadly Ponies is becoming a truly responsible brand
There are plenty of businesses that talk the talk about minimising their impact on the planet and working in a considered and transparent way, but few who deliver on it like Deadly Ponies. The renowned leather accessories brand recently announced their business’s mission to become the world’s most responsible handbag brand calling it ‘The World is in Our Hands,’ it’s a bold goal but one Deadly Ponies are well on their way to achieving… Read More
50 Shades of Grey Hair – how it feels to embrace going grey early
I wanted to encapsulate the narrative around grey hair, as I’ve found with many articles that I’ve been reading it often seems that if you’re sporting silver hair, you’re also an older woman. That’s not me, I’m 32 years young, and I’ve been going grey since I was 17 years old… Read More
Tami Neilson on creating change in the music industry and her killer style
There really aren’t enough superlatives to describe Tami Neilson‘s incredible voice and she’s an artist who has honed her craft since a young age. Growing up with musical parents in Canada, Tami joined the family band The Neilsons at age twelve and has been performing professionally ever since. Moving to New Zealand for love in 2007, Tami has grown a loyal following here who love her soulful music and killer style… Read More
Five things you need to know about Retinol
In your quest for healthy skin, there are some key ingredients that play an important part in the process and Retinol is one of them. However, working with ingredients such as this has its pros and cons, it will be good for some people and not so good for others. So, we’ve investigated what you need to know about Retinol, so you can decide for yourself… Read More
Celebrating 20 years of NZ Fashion Week with a special film by FashioNZ
New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) would have been celebrating the event’s 20th anniversary last week but due to our nation’s return to Alert Level 4 on August 18th, this year’s event has been postponed with new dates still to be confirmed. While we’re waiting for the event’s return, we’ve got something special to share in the meantime that was created as a fitting celebration of the past 20 years of New Zealand Fashion Week… Read More
Designer Sarah Cotterall on Silk & Steel’s new collection and caring for jewellery
Silk & Steel recently launched the brand’s newest jewellery collection called Sentiments which speaks to the feelings, memories and defining moments that jewellery holds. Designer and founder Sarah Cotterall is known for her love of elegant jewellery and often draws inspiration from her personal collection of jewellery when creating new ranges for Silk & Steel… Read More
6 tips for shopping plus size second hand clothing
It’s becoming more and more apparent that we need to make more sustainable choices in terms of fashion. One way of doing that is shopping second hand. That’s easier said than done, however. When you’re plus size (especially over a size 24), it can be a bit hit and miss to walk into an op shop… Read More
Tips and tricks to boost your skin’s collagen levels
As we age, our skin becomes looser we lose volume and elasticity, our body’s collagen production levels slow right down producing less and less often, elastin fibres wear out and our dermal layer thins. However, we can help curb the effort of those things by making sure our skin is plump and hydrated… Read More
Chloé Julian on her new label Videris and creating considered lingerie
Chloé Julian has worked for some of the biggest lingerie brands in the world in her 15 year career, and in late 2020 she went out on her own and launched New Zealand-based lingerie brand Videris. Created as an alternative to synthetic, mass-produced lingerie, Videris was the result of two years of research and development… Read More
How to apply your skincare products in the right order
As a Beauty Editor, I have learnt a lot about skincare ingredients during my career and I like to think that I have honed my routine to encompass the most important ingredients for my skin. Looking after your skin doesn’t have to mean spending a great deal of money on eight different products, instead, choosing the most efficient products that will work together… Read More
Claire Regnault discusses her new book on 19th century fashion in Aotearoa
While you can pick up any local fashion magazine or browse Instagram to find out more about today’s fashion, the clothing of 19th century Aotearoa New Zealand was a lot less accessible until the recent publication of a new book that brings it to life. Dressed: Fashionable dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910 by Claire Regnault was published last month by Te Papa Press and is an incredible journey through 19th century and early 20th century fashion… Read More
The importance of creating space for radical fat body sovereignty
In the fashion world, we use the term plus size to describe clothing made for people who wear size 14+. That’s how I referred to my body for a long time, but when I joined the world of body liberation and fat activism, I started using the word fat as a self descriptor. A term that describes me in the same neutral way I’d describe myself as being short, Māori and having brown eyes… Read More
Dame Pieter Stewart on twenty years of New Zealand Fashion Week
For the woman behind it all, that twenty years has been somewhat of a rollercoaster as she navigated the event through the Global Financial Crisis and now a global pandemic as well as many other ups and downs. The first event actually took place mere weeks after the September 11 attacks in 2001 when the world was also in a tumultuous state… Read More
Sarah-Jane Duff from Lost and Led Astray on why plus size fashion matters
Sarah-Jane Duff is the creator of womenswear label Lost and Led Astray (LaLA). Her garments are proudly made in New Zealand and she has a foundation range that is made in Bali. In addition to her clothing label, Sarah-Jane founded Fat Yoga in 2017, and runs fat positive yoga classes in Auckland and online… Read More
How to have a more eco-friendly period
Period waste is notorious for contributing to our plastic pollution problem, with plastic-based sanitary products taking roughly around 450 years to decompose – let that sink in. So with all that being said, it is our responsibility as women to ensure that when it comes to periods, we are not only making the right decisions for our bodies, we are also doing our part to reduce our plastic pollution footprint on the world… Read More
Second Hand September: Alice Brazendale from Thrift Hunter
It’s no secret that I love op-shopping! Every weekend I’ll try and hit up at least one secondhand store while I’m wandering around doing errands and I truly believe thrifting has contributed to how my personal style has evolved over the years. This month, it’s Second Hand September and I chatted with local gal Alice Brazendale who runs Thrift Hunter, an online reseller platform based in Waikato… Read More
Seeing the light – Everything you need to know about LED technology
Are you are dealing with acne, fine lines, pigmentation or perhaps your skin is just a little lacklustre and you want to give it back some oomph? Rest assured, LED light therapy will be your best friend as it can address all these common skin concerns and more. If like a lot of us, you were wondering exactly how these fancy multi-coloured lights work, then read on to get the inside scoop… Read More
What it means to participate in NZ Fashion Week as a disabled model
When I was younger, my favourite show to watch with my mum was America’s Next Top Model. For little 12-year-old Rebecca, there was something magical and glamourous about the life of a model – from the hair and makeup to the extravagant outfits and the amazing places they got to travel to, it seemed like a dream life… Read More
How to decode beauty product labels
Decoding beauty product labels can be somewhat of a minefield. Unless you’ve done extensive research to familiarise yourself with what certain ingredients are and what certain names mean, looking at a label on a beauty product can look like technical gibberish to the common beauty consumer… Read More
International Women’s Day 2021: Six women who are challenging the fashion industry
When women lead, we all see positive results. In this past year some of the most efficient responses to the global pandemic were led by women, our own Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, among those leaders. Around the world women are also leading diverse and inclusive movements campaigning for social justice, climate change action and equality… Read More
Why you need to add Gua Sha to your wellness toolbox
If you are a fan of beauty and wellness and you haven’t been living under a rock then you would have heard of the term Gua Sha. Gua Sha is an ancient Chinese practice translating into the word “scraping.” This practice was originally used as an ancient healing technique for heatstroke and viruses such as the flu and could be used with any tool that was on hand, such as a wooden spoon, coin or even the knuckles… Read More