All things Fashion Week 07.09.23

Kai, Art Director

I was incredibly nervous leading up to the panel. I'm talking crippling anxiety, I couldn’t shake it! The best advice someone gave me was that “sometimes when people believe you can do something even when you don’t think you can, you just have to trust them.”

It was such an honour to be up there with such a powerful group of wāhine who like me, are extremely passionate about the fashion industry and what they do. I felt so proud to be up there talking about some of the incredible things we’ve achieved over the last few years. There was such a strong sense of community in the room that night and it was a good reminder of how much influence we hold as a brand.

Sarah, Product Development & Sustainability Manager

I thought an interesting concept that Em spoke about when asked about legislation and what could have the biggest impact, was the idea of adding levy’s in dollar values to clothing in order to slow down fast fashion. This money would be invested back into the fashion industries circularity projects. Em did acknowledge however that there are challenges with adding these levy’s as we are obviously in a cost of living crisis and not everybody is able to purchase higher priced essential goods. It did open my mind up to what other possibilities there could be though.

The panellists also spoke about the lack of infrastructure in New Zealand to turn end of life goods/textile waste into new products (ie being circular). This waste should be seen as a commodity and resource to be utilised rather than further adding to our climate issues. We need councils and government to urgently get behind investment in this infrastructure.

Something that Vanessa from Go Well Consulting said stuck with me which I think is really important for consumers to think about when purchasing something “Can I wear this AT LEAST 30 times?”. When thinking about the quality and durability of that piece, and also the lifespan of the style - is it versatile with other pieces in my wardrobe, will I wear it for years to come, and can it be on-sold or given to someone else to enjoy after this, rather than going to landfill?

Abi, Senior Site & Project Co-Ordinator

What a privilage it was to see Kai in her element talking all things RUBY, fashion and styling at the Gen Z's New Fashion Rulebook talk! One takeaway that I feel is going to stick with me for a while is that Gen Z as a generation is a consumer that is really clued up, and isn't afraid to ask the hard questions of brands and can see through the 'traditional' influencer trying to sell them a product. They want something authentic and real, not another paid ad.

Nisha, Marketing Co-Ordinator

We were lucky to be treated to such a stellar week, the sun was shining and the people of NZFW came out in full force in their best fits. There's something special about being swept up in the pace and excitement of NZFW. Being involved in the lunch show from styling, pulling the pieces, to the actual runway is an orchestrated effort which feels like it’s all over in the blink of an eye.