Covid 19 coronavirus Delta outbreak: NZ Fashion Week again postponed, Rotorua designer 'gutted'

Rotorua fashion designer Kharl WiRepa says he's "gutted" the Covid-19 Delta outbreak has forced the postponement of New Zealand Fashion Week.

The iconic event was due to be held in Auckland this week.

This year would have seen the event celebrate its 20th anniversary, however, for the second year in a row, Covid-19 restrictions have hampered plans.

WiRepa, of Te Whānau a Apanui, Te Arawa, and Tainui descent, said he was "absolutely gutted" after working on his collection for at least four months.

The 29-year-old has been involved in New Zealand Fashion Week for seven years.

"A huge amount of time, effort and tens of thousands of dollars have gone into creating my latest evening wear collection and preparing for this event," he said.

"But it is not just me who has been affected. There are also 21 local businesses supporting my fashion label and wanting to partner with the NZ Fashion Week brand.

"It's also gutting for all our models. I was taking a contingent of 16, mostly younger models, some of whom I specially trained up, to showcase the 45 looks in the collection."

There are 11 models from Rotorua and another five from Tauranga and New Zealand Fashion Week was the ideal chance to expose them to major talent agencies, he said.

Some of the evening wear in Rotorua fashion designer Kharl WiRepa's collection for NZ Fashion Week. Photo / Supplied

WiRepa said attending NZ Fashion Week was a vital part of his business strategy as it exposed his fashion label to a wider audience, and also helped with future planning.

The risk this iconic event cannot be held this year at all, would be a "major blow" to him and all those working in the higher end of the fashion industry.
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This postponement had already put millions of dollars of investment at risk for the NZ Fashion Week organisers, he said.

Bay of Plenty designer Jakob Carter said the lockdown had cost him a few thousand dollars but the disappointment was far greater than financial.

"Presenting at the iconic NZFW is such a big thing for designers, I've been looking forward to showcasing my latest collection, and it's been a long road to get here, especially after last year's cancellation," Carter said.

"It's been a long couple of nights making calls, trying to rearrange contractors and reshuffling everything.

"We've only been told that it has been postponed and obviously, they don't have a new date in mind, so it's a bit of a wait-and-see game, at the moment."

New Zealand Fashion Week managing director and founder Dame Pieter Stewart said they respected the decision by the Government to go into lockdown.

"It's disappointing for our designers who have put so much work into the shows ... buyers, production teams, models, partners and all New Zealanders that we've had to postpone NZFW," Stewart said.

"Of course, health and safety must come first and we respect the decision made by our Government.

"The reality is, we were always alert to the likelihood of another lockdown and are now actively working through the options of hosting this iconic event as soon as possible."

People who purchased tickets who would like to request a refund have been told to contact iTicket directly.