What does it take for a fashion designer to present their designs on the runway in 2023?
The journey to presenting your clothes on the catwalk is often paved with a range of emotions, boiled down to weeks, even months, of preparation, from research and design to pattern-making, fabric selection,
Designers, particularly ones with a small team and budget, will often find themselves having to do everything.
They need to deal with fabric merchants, photographers, stylists, and model agencies. Maybe a PR person. Sometimes they’ll need to sing for their supper with potential sponsors. Often they’ll have to deal with the press — some reluctantly, while others take to it with a natural affinity for the spotlight.
It’s not unlike producing a small wedding, only with the added pressure of creating a collection of garments requiring additional follow-up that goes beyond a thank you note. In fact, as you’ll witness in the accompanying video, a bridal look closed this show.
Ahead of the return of New Zealand Fashion Week in August, several younger brands have made the decision to try and speak directly to their community with the return of independent runway presentations, sometimes tapping the generosity of friends and family to help them achieve this.
For Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design graduate Benjamin Alexander, it’s something of a cathartic release after having shelved his plans to show as part of New Zealand Fashion Week in 2021, after the event was cancelled due to Covid.
The winner of New Zealand’s one and only season of Project Runway in 2018 has used that platform to create his own eponymous brand of womenswear that has been a welcome addition to the local contemporary womenswear market. Sophisticated tailoring, chic dresses and elegant details harness the designer’s penchant for beauty, combining some of the elements that have helped shape his eye as a designer: costume design, art and styling.
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Advertise with NZME.“The brand itself and what I enjoy the most is very much relationship-based,” says Benjamin. “It’s been such a pleasure to do it with people that I love and has a hand in what Benjamin Alexander is because realistically I am nothing without the people I work with.”
Teaming up with Webb’s Auction House to present his Collections 07 and 08 in May, we took a closer look at the work it takes to present a collection of clothes from the designer’s purest point of view, a runway show supported by the ethereal sounds of sister act Clementine Valentine.
As general manager of Webb’s Christine Kearny explains, the surprising partnership is not far removed from the organisation’s ethos of supporting creatives from all disciplines.
“Webb’s has a long and rich history of supporting New Zealand culture with founder Peter Webb having been deeply involved in the development of key aspects of the New Zealand contemporary art market,” she says. Webb’s is committed to supporting the wider creative community and nurturing growing talent.”
As for the collection itself, a harmonious assortment of colours included a soft sage green rendered on a boxy utilitarian jacket with matching shorts and a vibrant jewel-tone satin strapless dress. Benjamin’s signature oversized outerwear is another highlight, including a houndstooth check blazer and coat; while a finale wedding gown worn by one of Benjamin’s friends and muses, Crystal Lim, made a statement on its own with fluttering ostrich feathers and a trailing veil that set a new agenda for a look that could be worn beyond a wedding day.
