Miss Crabb's off-schedule show at NZ Fashion Week 2016. Photo / Guy Coombes
New Zealand fashion has had a shake-up in recent years with well-known and home-grown brands shutting up shop.
But, while brands like Kate Sylvester end after 31 years of trade – and newer labels, Mina, Hej hej, and Nisa are all shutting their doors - there’s still hope for Kiwi fashion’s future.
Nisa was founded in 2017 to create employment opportunities for women from refugee and migrant backgrounds. It’s officially closed its doors this month - citing declining sales and rising costs.
“We feel that if we raise our prices any more to cover these, our products will become unattainable for our customers, which really starts to go against how we want to operate as a retailer,” their website said.
Viva’s departing fashion and creative director Dan Ahwa told The Front Page rising costs are one of the biggest hurdles for all fashion brands, whatever level you’re at.
“Whether you’re established or emerging ... To invest in good quality fabrics, and pay people a fair wage, to create these onshore does require a lot of sacrifice and I think there’s a disconnect between the consumer and designers, where designers are really trying to focus on good quality manufacturing.
“The manufacturers that we do have, we have to try and support because I think what people forget is they have the power to spend money not only on the brands, but they’re supporting a whole infrastructure behind the designers. It’s the patternmakers, it’s the suppliers, the logistics. There’s a whole industry of people that we need to get behind to really support the industry to see them survive,” he said.
Ultra-fast-fashion retailers like Shein and Temu have taken over the fashion industry here and abroad. China’s cheap manufacturing has kept prices low - and the ability to churn out trends, or now ‘micro-trends’, keeps customers sucked into an endless cycle of wanting the latest ‘in-thing’.
Research last year found that over three months, one in four New Zealanders surveyed purchased products from Temu. A further 14% of Kiwis were estimated to have bought from Shein.
However, with China facing a 145% tariff on imports into the US, these global fashion behemoths could change their focus and focus on other markets, including New Zealand.
But Ahwa said New Zealand is actually in a unique position of having a great reputation amongst the global fashion community, and a good attitude towards buying local.
“I think we really do punch above our weight in terms of what we can deliver. Good design and quality are paramount ...
“As New Zealanders, we’re also isolated by nature. We are op shop lovers and we love vintage. There’s an op shop in every small town in New Zealand and we’re pioneers in terms of sustainable fashion design. So I feel like as a nation we are inherently more connected to the environment,” he said.
The struggles are perhaps best epitomised by New Zealand Fashion Week, which cancelled its 2024 season after cancellations in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
But in August it’ll be back with a focus on empowering New Zealand fashion.
Awha’s been brought on as the NZFW board’s creative adviser and said they’ve already taken inspiration from other cities’ displays.
“Copenhagen Fashion Week is one that we’ve been looking at closely, just in terms of the way they organise their programming. There’s a diversity in programming that’s relevant to the consumer which is really important. Traditionally, NZFW has been a trade event, but increasingly it’s become most half-trade, half-consumer, which it has to be to survive.
“London Fashion Week is another good one. They really made a huge commitment to making it a sustainable fashion week across the board. So yeah, NZFW is a chance for us to really look at what fashion means to us as New Zealanders, and how we can support our designers.
“In a time where we’re questioning our identity as a country - I think how we get dressed in the morning is still something that we have power over,” he said.
Listen to the full episode to hear more about NZ fashion, where it’s been, and where it’s going.
The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016.
You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
The men appeared in the Auckland District Court today.