It's been a hard night day's night

FIONA HAWTIN asks designers if the hard graft put into last year's Fashion Week was worth it

Angeline Harrington

Who was your biggest new client?

Page 74, Tauranga.

What did Fashion Week do for you?

The media coverage was incredible. Australian Harper's Bazaar's Jane Roarty was especially generous with her comments saying, "I think Angeline Harrington is a little champion."

Barbara Lee

* We released our first wholesale collection since 1992, so all the sales we achieved from Fashion Week were new business. The response was overwhelming and exceeded all our expectations. We have now broken into the Australian market.

* Fashion Week gave us exposure to a broad range of media and buyers that would be impossible to achieve on our own. With Nicky Watson (right) as our star model we got a huge amount of publicity and made front page of two national newspapers, which for a first-timer showing at Fashion Week was amazing.

Caroline Church (formerly State of Grace)

* The volume of orders from existing accounts increased. No new orders.

* Several key international buyers saw the collection, so it established valuable contacts. An agent for European buyers also saw the collection and now works for me in Europe.

Cybele

* I met designer Tanya Carlson, and she is now a major stockist, ordering my collection for all three of her stores.

* Showing as a New Generation designer was a fantastic experience in that it was great to catwalk my range in a slick, well-produced show with great support from my team. I felt that this show was the start of building a profile for my label here.

Hailwood

* No new clients.

* Fashion Week has been a great platform for my collections to develop and progress through clothing development, media and buyer awareness.

High Society OBI, Catalyst, Music, Chocolat

* David Jones, Australia.

* We decided to showcase all four labels for brand recognition. New accounts were opened in Australia.

Insidious Fix

* We didn't pick up one account that stood out more than others.

* We appointed a new agent for Australia, which was our main objective, and in turn, the agent picked up 10 new stores for us.

IPG

* Didn't pick up any huge new clients, but did pick up a Singapore retailer who has a fantastic concept store called Charlie.

* The publicity we got from the show was definitely reflected in retail sales among New Zealand stockists, especially Debut.

Karen Walker

* Australian department store Myer placed a huge jewellery order.

* Launched our fantastic new fine jewellery which is going tremendously well with excellent press and sales in the best media and stores through Australia, the US, Japan and New Zealand.

Kristen Walker

* I got a fantastic contact for an agent in Ireland and Australia who was very keen to push my label both there and in Europe.

* Not a lot, mainly because I was pregnant and had toddlers at home, so I didn't do any follow-up or proper marketing for my product following Fashion Week. I recently returned to work for Trelise Cooper. The timing was all wrong for me. I think you need your label to be in the right position to do all the marketing and sales follow-up.

Liz Mitchell

* No new orders but our main objective was to increase brand awareness.

* Gave us exposure and recognition in the US with celebrities such as Cindy Taylor, who was filmed on ETV wearing Liz Mitchell. And Louise Chunn's comment about the dresses being "real celebrity red-carpet numbers" gave the label the cachet to ensure the presence of one at this year's Oscars on Keisha Castle-Hughes.

Miranda Brown

* Husk, Melbourne.

* My business grew three times from the previous season. My label was picked up by several top-flight stores, namely Andrea Gold and Martha Dalle.

Nom*D

* Zoology, Melbourne.

* Our buyers and customers have visuals that appear in the media, to reference and look forward to what's coming into store. This increases our visibility in the public eye.

RJC

* Strelitzia, Australia.

* Last year was our first solo show, so it was about profiling the label. We had complete ownership of the show from hair, makeup and so forth, which meant we could show our guests the brand image. It also gave us an opportunity to reach a more international audience than what we're used to.

Roisin Dubh

* The label was introduced into the American market.

* It cements our existing relationships with buyers throughout Australia and New Zealand. It is an opportunity to convey a full experience of the theme of the current range.

Sabatini White

* David Jones second-floor designer collection, Sydney.

* Gave more recognition from overseas buyers and publicity.

Sidewalk

* Street Exchange, Victoria, Australia.

* We've definitely got more accounts, demand and consumer awareness than before.

Trelise Cooper

* Last week we got our biggest order ever from Saks 5th Avenue. They've put in us in their top eight doors. Although these buyers were not present at New Zealand Fashion Week it is as a result of New Zealand Fashion Week contacts.

* Helped grow the Trelise Cooper profile internationally and locally. Our US business has tripled from last season.

Zya

* The key focus for me was to invest some time into assessing what payment terms I could afford. With normal New Zealand retailers paying for stock between 30 and 150 days, I was not in a position to act as a bank at this time.

* My key focus was the marketing opportunities available and establishing buyer relationships.

Herald Feature: Fashion Week

Fashion Week photo gallery

NZ Fashion Week - official site