NZ fashion industry pioneer dies

Gus Fisher: 1920 -2010. Photo / Babiche Martens

Gus Fisher, one of the founders of the New Zealand fashion industry and a well-known philanthropist, died on Tuesday night and was farewelled at a funeral this afternoon.

His extraordinary fashion company, El Jay, had only recently been celebrated in an exhibition at the gallery he endowed to Auckland University, the inaugural exhibition of the New Zealand Fashion Museum which closed Saturday.

Looking Terrific: the Story of El Jay attracted over 7000 visitors in its six week opening, demonstrating the depth of affection from customers, the fashion media and his own staff.

"The young came to 'shop', designers, both male and female, came for inspiration and mothers and daughters came to remember and honour the role these garments played in their lives and memories," said exhibition curator and former fashion designer Doris de Pont.

"It is wonderful to have been able to realise this tribute to his fashion legacy while he was alive and able to reflect on it - and be able to enjoy it.

"It was great to be able to revive the knowledge of his fashion heritage, as that was where his passion lay. It was great that he lived to see that, and to see his passion come alive."

In a time when post-war New Zealand was cut off from the world, Fisher's El Jay brought the glamour of fashion from Paris, New York and London to women here.

His reputation for perfection won his company the licence to manufacture Christian Dior clothing in the 1950s until his retirement in 1988.

He also worked with Marc Bohan and a young Yves Saint Laurent of Christian Dior, as well as New York's Arnold Scaasi and Oscar de la Renta; Digby Morton, Hardie Amies and Norman Hartnell in London.

In an interview last June, and a video created for the exhibition in April he explained: "I don't think you can be taught to be stylish, but you can be taught to put things together and it looks stylish. I was so fortunate and appreciative to learn from the best...

"I was too lucky, I was so fortunate. I'd love to still be doing it."

Fisher was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2009 for services to philanthropy.

He and his wife Irene were generous benefactors to the arts and science, and received the Arts Foundation Award for Patronage this year.

Fisher was 89-years-old. He is survived by his wife Irene, son Michael and grandsons.