Taika Waititi, Thom Yorke and Goth flappers: NZ Fashion Week roars back to life

Precisely what defines Kiwi fashion might be a mystery to Australians, but one thing’s certain: the ability of local designers to adapt and evolve.

Following the show’s last-minute cancellation in 2024, New Zealand Fashion Week has returned with gusto, humming with energy, ideas and talent.

Just as in Australia, Lauren Tapper – one half of the creative duo behind Harris Tapper – thinks it’s New Zealand’s isolation from the rest of the world that breeds a particular hunger and drive among its talent.

“Because you’re not growing up in … one of those major fashion cities, there’s this almost inherent desire to prove yourself,” she says. “I think there’s a naivety, which is a really beautiful thing because it means you’re not constantly having a door kicked in your face, and you dream so big … what have you got to lose?”

Dream big Tapper and her business partner, Sarah Harris Gould, did.

On Tuesday evening in Auckland, smoky-eyed models sauntered through the cramped crowd at Blue, a cafe-wine bar hybrid in the upmarket suburb of Ponsonby, as music from Thom Yorke, Nine Inch Nails and Pink Floyd poured from the speakers.

While the label has gained a cult following for its refined silhouettes and impeccable tailoring, the collection’s 1930s-inspired styling (owing to Sydney-based fashion stylist Isabella Mamas) and grungy hair and make-up added an unexpected edge.

Tapper says they were inspired by the prewar period both for the show’s format and the collection’s ethos – featuring beaded caps, flapper-esque beaded necklaces and Chinese slippers.

“The show was an ode to those couture shows, like Chanel, Balenciaga and Dior, and how they were really intimate salon shows that were often in their own ateliers, with models walking so close you could see the clothes,” she says. “There’s no room for fault or flaw, everything has to be really well made.”

So close were viewers, the collection’s intricate beaded pieces (including a four kilogram jacket) – handmade by the same Indian craftsmen who produce work for Dries Van Noten – audibly crackled as they walked down the runway.

Natalie Xenita, former vice president and managing director of IMG events (Australian Fashion Week’s previous proprietor) and new addition to the NZFW board this year, says the event is an “important marker of the industry’s resilience and ongoing recovery”.

“Coming off the back of a cancelled event the year prior is never easy … the immediate priority for us was to build confidence amongst the industry and corporate community, with a new team, new venue and new elastic format offering designers the flexibility to show up at NZFW in a way that is feasible for their business.”

NZFW owner Feroz Ali says Kiwi fashion has a unique offering: “It’s the rich tapestry of talent in New Zealand, with consideration and care for the environment and our natural textile resources.”

On Wednesday, the board announced it would partner with the City of Christchurch to bring Fashion Week to the South Island for the first time this November. The eventual plan is to expand to other cities, says Ali, as the showcase returns to an annual format, thanks to private sponsors.

Ticket sales are up from 2023, with 4300 sold, Xenita says. Australian Fashion Week 2025 was largely an industry-only event, with only one show – Romance Was Born – open to the public.

The week began on a high, with filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi making a surprise appearance on opening night. Waititi was one of 63 models, including former Miss Universe Lorraine Downes, to feature in the “Into the Archives” event.

For Claudia Li, her Wednesday show was a homecoming of sorts, being her first presentation in Aotearoa after a decade of showing at New York Fashion Week and dressing such names as Michelle Obama, Simone Biles and Serena Williams.

Coming home, Li says, “gives me a really fresh perspective. Fashion here is still building its infrastructure compared to places like New York ... but that’s also what makes New Zealand exciting. It’s still defining itself, and there’s space to shape what Kiwi fashion can be on a global level”.

The show was a continuation of the visual lexicon Li has been developing for years, featuring nylon rendered in feminine silhouettes, exaggerated balloon sleeves and new takes on wardrobe staples, such as the trench coat. This was punctuated with bursts of red sequins, sailor-inspired hats (by local milliner Myra Lloyd) and sneakers festooned with bows.

Veterans of the local industry, including Zambesi, Untouched World and Karen Walker – her first show in more than a decade in partnership with adidas – returned to the runway. With her signature sense of humour, Walker sent models skipping, running and hopping down an obstacle course, in elevated athleisure emblazoned with “Runaway”.

Zambesi – founded by Elisabeth and Neville Findlay in 1979 – put on a magical show on Thursday night, sending models down a stark runway in immaculately cut silk gowns and separates.

Speaking backstage before the show, Elisabeth Findlay spoke of the importance of supporting the local manufacturing industry.

“Making in New Zealand, I think it’s something to feel very good about … it’s part of the creative process to see it go from idea through to the finished product and then seeing it worn.”

Fashion Week pro Juliette Hogan brought the sunshine to a chilly Tuesday, with gas heaters working overtime to warm the cavernous Shed 10 on Queen’s Wharf as models drifted down the runway in floral chiffon, burnt orange and gold resort wear, and tailored basics.

Fresh talent also dominated, with newcomer Rebe presenting a live campaign photo shoot in a penthouse apartment, and eight emerging designers showing at a DHL-sponsored presentation. Kahui – a collective of Māori, Pacific and Indigenous designers founded by Kiri Nathan, the first Maori designer to open NZFW in 2023 – also presented (more to come on that next week).

On Saturday, graduates from three of the country’s top design schools will also present.

Beyond the runway, organisers were keen to include artists and designers any way they could. Jewellery designer Jasmin Sparrow and artist Jade Towsend, longtime friends, came together to create an installation presented at Ne Geurra Gallery.

“We just rely on each other a lot,” Sparrow says. “Working alone can feel quite isolating, so I depend on her quite heavily … we’ve just been each other’s biggest support and cheerleaders.”

Townsend, whose work draws on her Māori, Pākehā and British heritage, has become known for her “veils”, often crafted from beach mats that she then paints.

Here, the pair reimagined the veil in opulent pearls, (titled “Siren”) hand strung over hundreds of hours. Sparrow also created her own pieces in response to the central veil.

Unlike Australian Fashion Week, its Kiwi counterpart is entirely privately funded – this year supported by sponsors Giltrap Group, Tataki Auckland Unlimited and THE ICONIC. But organisers hope to attract much-needed government support.

Hogan cited the recent NSW fashion sector strategy as one she and other industry stakeholders hope to model in shaping local policy.

“AFW has always had tremendous support from the NSW government, and NZFW can point to this when advocating for much-needed government funding, given the significant NZ$7.5 billion ($6.75 billion) contribution that fashion makes to the economy annually, as well as the event’s direct impact on tourism, hospitality, job creation and retail sales,” Xenita says.

The author was a guest of New Zealand Fashion Week

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