You didn’t have to be there after all
You’ve heard us banging on about Campbell Luke’s superlative NZFW: Kahuria show for about three weeks now. First in an emotional, pre-fashion week interview where designer Dr Bobby Luke shared the harrowing inspiration behind his collection, and how bringing it into being was a healing journey for himself and his whānau.
Then, our post-show recap where we attempted to do justice to what we’d just seen on the runway. No easy feat for an experience that took a traditional runway format and infused it with filmed footage, live waiata, and maybe the most breathtaking finale we’ve ever seen at NZFW.
All of this was underscored in our post-fashion week team debrief, by which point frustration might have been kicking in.
But prepare to be unfrustrated. The following is all 20 minutes of Campbell Luke at NZFW: Kahuria, 2023, shot from the media pit at the end of the runway. A word of warning: this vantage point was not the best for capturing the short film which began the show, the screen being obstructed by the blankets which hung from the ceiling (and whose significance Bobby Luke explains here). If you wish to fast-forward through the first five minutes, we won’t tell. There is another short film shown part way through. Do with that what you may.
Just stay for the finale at minute 18. And have a box of tissues handy.