Fashion's young guns

Keri Wanoa from clothing label Whiri. Photo / Babiche Martens

Established labels may get the majority of attention this week, but the future of the local fashion industry is in the hands of its emerging designers. It's particularly exciting to see the crop of new generation labels this year, after so much talk of doom and gloom in the industry and beyond. So which labels will you be wearing in the future? We talk to the eight fledgling designers who are showing as part of the ghd New Generation show at NZ Fashion Week next Thursday, and find out more about the future of fashion.

Emmaford

Emmaford is a swimwear/stretch label "with a dash of kitsch and sex appeal", started by Emma Stuart and fiance Mark Burton. The Auckland-based pair started Emmaford five collections ago, and have since seen their pieces appear in top local fashion publications as well as on New Zealand's Next Top Model. "The idea [to launch Emmaford] became reality when we first started researching the concept and quickly realised there was a gap in the New Zealand market for a high fashion swimwear brand," says Stuart, who graduated from the Design & Arts College in Christchurch before moving to Auckland in 2000. The collection they'll put on the runway next week will be their first winter collection.

"I can't say much as it's a surprise - but I can say that it is an extension of our swimwear concept with an emphasis on wearable, flattering pieces and quirky prints."

Whiri

"Ultimately we want to be worldly recognised for indigenous fashion and design. We want to inspire a pride in being Aotearoa/NZ and showcase those unique intricacies that define our place in such a highly competitive scene," says Keri Wanoa of Waitara-based label Whiri. The label - founded by Wanoa and her partner, Hemi Sundgren, in 2005 - will be on show twice at ANZFW next week, as part of the Miromoda and ghd New Generation shows. Wanoa and Sundgren's backgrounds have helped inform the brand's growth, with Wanoa previously working as a financial manager and Sundgren working as an artist and regional facilitator for the Ministry of Maori Development. "The brand's core ideas are founded on Maori principles integrated with all the funk and edge of high street fashion," says Wanoa. "Given this is our debut collection, we wanted there to be a strong connection to our brand's core beliefs and design principles. You will see a lot of traditional concepts mixed in a contemporary context; the intention was to bring the art of traditional Maori practices - like raranga [weaving] and wakairo [carving] and integrate them into an edgy, High St kind of vibe."

Trix & Dandy

Michael Pattison is no stranger to NZ Fashion Week, with three fashion week experiences already under his 28-year-old belt. This year he will present his brand new label, Trix and Dandy. "To be honest it's only now - after five years in the business and with three Fashion Weeks under my belt - that I feel I've learned the ropes and how the beast operates, and can really focus on maximising the potential of the event," says Pattison, who also designs for his namesake label and a label called Resort. His latest label, Trix & Dandy, has been launched in response to the economy and is aimed at a younger audience, with more affordable price points. "Trix & Dandy is irreverent, easy, fun and sassy, whereas Michael Pattison is sophisticated, classic and occasional, in a nutshell," says Pattison, who plans to open a pop-up type store on Auckland's Ponsonby Rd until Christmas to give Auckland customers a taste of his new label.

Serena Fagence

Serena Fagence has made a name for herself with her costume work for music acts like Charlie Ash and Bionic Pixie, but it's her ready-to-wear namesake collection that will be on display at ANZFW. Fagence launched her label after graduating from AUT, creating onstage outfits for best friend Zoe Fleury, aka Bionic Pixie. "She wanted something with an X-factor, something that would relate to her music. She was like, 'I want something really crazy but I can't find it anywhere'. We just put our imaginations together and create things; it's really fun," says Fagence, who concentrated on menswear in her final year of study.

This background (as well as having parents who work as full-time artists) adds something extra to her aesthetic, which incorporates womenswear, menswear and unisex pieces.

"I use quite interesting pattern-making skills, it's very innovative. I like to create new shapes. On the fabric and texture side, I'm quite crazy on the synthetic mixes with quite natural things, and getting interesting textures. I like mixing the feminine and the masculine, and getting the androgynous look," says Fagence.

Expect Fagence's signature theatrics to be part of her show - Bionic Pixie is set to perform during Fagence's show.

"I get a little bit bored of catwalk, so I really want to push that boundary. I'd like to push it as far as I can."

ISBIM

An acronym for I Still Believe In Miracles, ISBIM is a label launched 3 years ago by 29-year-old Joshua Jang.

Beginning life humbly as a T-shirt collection in 2006, ISBIM has grown to entire collections; with the help of local artists Jwe Shin, Yuka O'Shannessy, Katarina Tua and Barbara Tee.

"T-shirts themselves are very commercial items and are wearable all year long. I saw a void in the market for a product that not only looked good but represented something deeper, which was my idea of expressing contemporary art on a well-fitted T-shirt. A portable gallery if you like."

Jang's background is eclectic. He spent nine years hosting a radio show, working in property development and had a stint as a hip-hop musician. This is his first time taking part in NZ Fashion Week, with a collection themed around ideas of an urban safari, "with exotic fabrics and vivid digital printing that brings a sophisticated yet natural feel to the rack".

Tara Cunniffe

The link between fashion and architecture is what informs the work of young designer Tara Cunniffe. The Whitecliffe College of Art and Design graduate, who was runner-up in the FQ Young Designer of the Year award in 2008, launched her eponymous label early this year. "It is influenced by architecture and its relation to the art of construction. My designing process is associated by my perception of fashion and structural design," says the ambitious 23-year-old. Her sophisticated garments are sculptural and detailed, largely from a palette of bright colours. Her goal is to be "one of the best designers in the world". "I am very excited about New Zealand Fashion Week and the exposure it will give to my label; however, my main goal is to become a top international designer.

"I am ready to conquer the fashion world, and put New Zealand on the map!"

Chapel

Launched in 2007, Chapel clothing aims to "keep women happy", offering a variety of wearable pieces that work from day to night. The label is the baby of Auckland-based pair Sophie Johnston and Janelle Simonsen, both of whom have had years of experience in the local industry. High-end streetwear pieces, knitwear, coats and evening wear are all proudly made and designed in New Zealand, and the collection Johnston and Simonsen will present next Thursday will feature "fine draping fabrics and a delicious warm, winter palette". Johnston says the range "caters for a vast market, keeping many women happy, not only at work but going out for drinks with friends.

"We want to get more New Zealand stockists, but our main aim is to get into Australia and to get bigger and better!"

House of Ezis

House of Ezis is the solo Australian showing in the ghd New Generation show, with a label that founder Andrzej Pytel describes as "provocative, high-street fashion".

"Heavily influenced by a cross of European and Asian styles, Ezis defines itself with a unique architectural edge, aggressively mixing fluid volumes with sharp elements."

Pytel's background is in architecture, having worked as a full-time architect until 2004 when he first launched a printed T-shirt and jean label called Size. The House of Ezis brand is an evolution since those early days, with more than printed tees on display.

"I taught myself how to pattern-make and sew; the three-dimensional intuition that emerged from my architectural training was the key to the design process.

"I started to explore draping volumes and deforming familiar silhouettes using fine fibres. The label completely transformed." ANZFW will act as the official launch for the Australian-made brand, with a collection that explores oversized geometries and draping with sharp masculine lines contrasted against feminine volume.