Finally, some good news for our local fashion industry after a year from hell.

Incumbent New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) owner Feroz Ali has released an e-mail statement to local designers, proudly announcing the official return of the marquee event for 2025.

Moving to the new location of Shed 10, Queen’s Wharf, on Auckland’s waterfront, New Zealand Fashion Week is set to take place between August 25-30, 2025.

In a move that mirrors that of Australian Fashion Week, Ali has stated that all designer entry fees will be waived in order to make the event “more inclusive”.

Ali goes on to say “It’s critically important that our fashion industry flourishes and thrives. NZ Fashion Week provides a platform to help enable recognition and growth and we’ve been listening to the needs of you, our designers. Our intention is to present an event that champions and uplifts New Zealand fashion and draws consumers.”

On May 1, 2024, former NZFW General Manager, Yasmin Farry, announced that it had been decided to postpone the 2024 event and enter into a biennial schedule. The announcement to shift to a 2-year cycle was symptomatic of the mood in New Zealand’s fashion industry at the time; stores were closing, brands shutting their doors, and the cost of living crisis was biting hard.

However today’s muted announcement will come as welcome relief for many fashion lovers and industry insiders who considered the possibility that the event may never return.  Along with New Zealand’s slow climb out of recession, the promised return of New Zealand Fashion Week in 2025 is a positive sign that the industry is finding its feet again, albeit with new leaders, a new media landscape and a renewed sense of purpose.