Fashion is all about the new, so who are the latest designers to be showcasing their collections at NZ Fashion Week? We find out more about the new generation of designers, set to show next Tuesday.
MAAIKE
Abby van Schreven and Emilie Pullar are Maaike, a new Auckland based label they launched in March. Pullar (25) and van Schreven (24) studied fashion design in Christchurch and Dunedin respectively, met while working in the industry and then left their jobs at the same time. Their first collection, which will make its debut at NZFW on Tuesday, is called Moumiya and is based, they say, on the wrapping of Ancient Egyptian mummies.
What to expect from these young designers? "[The collection] is primarily womenswear but peppered with a few unisex pieces. It is fairly black and grey with a gorgeous terracotta colour working as a highlight. It is heavy and layered - very wintry, obviously, with a big focus on knitwear." The pair describes the label as "moody, dark, surprising, layered, androgynous, textured", and point out their focus is on developing their own knitwear with their own patterns and textures. Pullar and van Schreven are also staunchly 100 per cent New Zealand made. "We will never go offshore - it's something that is really important to us." Like many young designers, they launched their label for the simplest of reasons: they couldn't find new and different things that they wanted to wear themselves. "We thought it was a good time - we feel like the NZ fashion scene is due for some new and fresh labels."
CELINE RITA
Designer Celine Chapman is "unapologetic about letting girls dress like girls", with pieces that are feminine and fun, with a sense of nostalgia. "I design for the girl next door, who has a bit of a quirk - she's a little bit prim and a little bit cheeky, a little kooky and a little sensible. She's not about being too serious and is still hooked on the whimsy and excitement of life," explains the 23-year-old designer. "I'm really into using beautiful fabrics and sweet little details that often only the wearers will notice - small points of difference that make Celine Rita pieces more than the mass-produced stuff out there." Chapman launched her label at the end of 2008, after graduating from AUT's fashion school - it was during her time there that she worked backstage at NZFW, as a dresser, an usher and intern. Now taking part as a designer, Chapman's collection will be her take on ubiquitous style icon Edie Sedgwick; imagining that she had lived on after the 1970s. "The range is inspired by this story I have concocted in my head about what she would have been like in this year: where she would have been in the world, her interests, views, cultural experiences and, of course, what she would have worn."
RIDDLE ME THIS
Liz Turner is Riddle Me This, a Mt Maunganui-based label that she describes as "adventurous, creative, nostalgic, quirky and inspirational". The 21-year-old designer, who studied fashion at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, launched her label in 2008. The collection she will show at NZ Fashion Week next week will be her fourth, and is Russian-inspired - "nostalgic, warm and cozy, but still flattering and trans-seasonal". Turner, who says she discovered her fascination for clothes when she was doing technology studies at the age of 12, describes Riddle Me This as being for the "aesthetically adventurous lady who enjoys looking and feeling quirky - for the mid-high end fashion market". And like many young designers, she is also passionate about her designs being manufactured in New Zealand. "Riddle Me This tries to always have a balanced blend of casual and dressy items that cross over between the older and younger market."
KATHRYN LEAH PAYNE
"I'm not interested in fast fashion or heavily following trends; my focus is to produce pieces of heirloom quality that endure the test of time." So says designer Kathryn Leah Payne about her namesake label. The designer relaunched the label last year, after initially launching it in 2002 and designing jewellery and accessories, before heading to London and gaining experience in the fashion industry there. The reincarnation of her label, now two seasons in, has a focus on leatherwork, with lots of hand-crafted details. "I often blend vintage pattern principles with contemporary cuts and fabrics," explains the 31-year-old designer.
Her work is inspired by many things, including vintage and historical costume, architecture, art and nature; design principles form the basis of a collection rather than themes.
"I am often inspired by a technique I've developed, like cutting and manipulating fabric or leather, and the possibilities that technique lends itself to can spark a whole series of designs which in turn take on a theme of their own." Payne's NZFW collection will feature a dark palette with metallic highlights, diverse textures and hand-crafted detailing. "I'm blending influences from the past such as corsetry and Victorian Gothic with contemporary materials and techniques in a look I call Baroque Futurism." The Christchurch-based designer, whose samples were fortunately undamaged in the earthquake - although her studio is a mess - is excited by the prospect of her pieces going on to become vintage gems.
"Being able to create special pieces that people will treasure and keep for a long time is very rewarding."
