Finale by Hailwood at NZ Fashion Week 2019, Hailwood will be returning for NZFW 2021. Image by Lyle Adams.
New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) is returning for 2021 to celebrate its 20th anniversary from Monday 23rd August – Sunday 29th August at Aotea Square and Auckland Town Hall. Like many other big events in 2020, NZFW was postponed due to the global pandemic but promises to return with a bigger and better event this year to delight fashion fans.
Usually the trade-only side of the week (Monday – Thursday) is for media, buyers and industry guests but this year NZFW will be opening some shows to consumers for the very first time. Ticket supplier iTicket will offer a limited number of hosting packages to selected designer shows including NZFW favourites Kate Sylvester, Kathryn Wilson, Hailwood and Zambesi. There will also be tickets available to a very special 20-year Retrospective Show that will showcase NZFW’s incredible history. An interactive fan zone will be set up in Aotea Square where the public can view selected shows on a big screen and participate in a number of activities to increase the city’s excitement around this year’s event.
“There is no other event in New Zealand that brings our industry together in the way New Zealand Fashion Week does, nor is there an event which provides a platform for designers, make-up artists, stylists, photographers and models to showcase their unique skills and talents to the world,” says Dame Pieter Stewart, NZFW founder and managing director. “We should not under-estimate the power that New Zealand Fashion Week has to influence, promote and celebrate New Zealanders.”
New Zealand Fashion Week’s postponement in 2020 left a large hole in the fashion industry’s calendar and was greatly missed, making for a resurgence of the appreciation of what New Zealand Fashion Week does for the local industry, and how much it means to so many people.
In 2019, New Zealand Fashion Week focused on the pertinent issues of diversity, inclusion and sustainability which will be furthered again this year. NZFW is also excited to celebrate the diverse and creative careers that have been ignited through the event.
“There have been so many defining moments over the past twenty years and I am proud that we have managed to drive real change in the industry. When New Zealand Fashion Week started all those years ago, nobody thought that we’d make it to year two, never mind build an event which transformed the industry, especially with regards to diversity, inclusion and sustainability,” adds Dame Pieter.
Fittingly, NZFW’s opening night will feature a special Retrospective Show with a selection of designers who have previously shown at New Zealand Fashion Week. There will also be a selection of incredible runway and event footage from years past. To further celebrate the event’s special anniversary a unique and commemorative logo has also been designed to pay tribute to the significant milestone.
NZFW 2021 has attracted a number of exciting key sponsors and this year will also see Auckland Unlimited and Heart of the City play a key role in bringing the event to life. Twenty years is an incredible achievement and New Zealand Fashion Week 2021 will be a spectacular celebration of everything that has made the event special to so many fashion fans.
Last month, New Zealand Fashion Week took on Canadian entrepreneur Feroz Ali (who bought Whitecliffe in 2018), and he is now the event’s major shareholder which will secure the future of NZFW.
FashioNZ is delighted to be New Zealand Fashion Week’s online media partner for a third year in 2021 and we will be bringing you all the news and stories in the lead-in and of course all the action from the runway in August. Bring on NZFW 2021!