The fashion doyenne, whose designs have helped shape a legion of New Zealand women dress with diplomacy and glamour, is taking a final bow.
Fashion designer Adrienne Winkelmann (ONZM) has announced her retirement from fashion after more than 40 years in business.
The 66-year-old cited personal health issues as one
The fashion label will officially close the doors to its store on Auckland’s Chancery Courthouse Lane on December 23. It’s Winkelmann’s only boutique and has served as a destination retail store since it opened in 2000.
Known for catering to an upmarket clientele who pay upwards of $2000-3000 for a made-to-measure blazer and top, and from $4000 for a custom-fit evening gown, Winkelmann’s designs haven’t veered too far from her signature of razor-sharp tailoring and glamour. Designs often referenced the golden era of couture during the 1950s and 1960s, including designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Coco Chanel, André Courrèges, Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent.
Her focus on creating wardrobe pieces that work around the clock is the reason so many high-powered women, socialites and politicians in particular have relied on her designs. Winkelmann’s collections were created not far from her boutique on O’Connell Street, where she also houses her extensive collection of European fabrics and an extensive pattern archive.
Some of her more high-profile clients include her sister Dame Helen Winkelmann (GNZM), who is the 13th and current chief justice of New Zealand – head of the New Zealand judiciary; Dame Alison Paterson; MP Tanya Unkovich; and former prime minister Helen Clark. Clark says Winkelmann’s designs have earned their position in the wardrobes of hundreds of New Zealand women who sought garments that looked and felt “appropriate for the occasion.”
“I went to Adrienne in essence because she designed for women who were in the public eye and in leadership,” says Clark.
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Advertise with NZME.“She has dressed so many professional women from CEOs to lawyers and accountants. I’ve personally resonated with her designs over the years as her clothes are easy to wear, long-lasting and timeless. They are appropriate for the task at hand.”
“When I became prime minister, there were so many wonderful Kiwi designers, but they weren’t exactly designed for the women that held the types of positions I had,” says Clark.
“Her clothes fitted the bill.”
Having left school aged 15 with no formal qualifications, Winkelmann went on to study design and business management at Polytech, while maintaining her creative spirit through her love of fashion. Soon after, she became the head designer for Australian company, Prue Acton, who was widely considered the golden girl of Australian fashion during the 1960s.
When she began her label in 1978, she had $5000 in capital, opening her first store in Mayfair Mall off Auckland’s Queen Street. She made the move to the Commercial Union Building Arcade at the top of Vulcan Lane in 1984, inching her way toward the brand’s current store in Courthouse Lane. It wasn’t uncommon for clients to be greeted personally by Winkelmann in her store.
“One of my favorite pieces was always a classic trouser suit, which I still wear to this day and get modified. Some pieces I’ve had to take the shoulder pads out,” says Clark, with a laugh.
“One very distinctive look I can remember is an outfit Adrienne designed when I attended the royal wedding in the Netherlands when Queen Beatrice stepped down.
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Advertise with NZME.“I was asked as the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and I had dealings with the crown princess because she was a special envoy for the secretary general. The crown prince was also a great supporter of the UN initiative.
“At the time I remember thinking ‘What on earth do you wear to a coronation?’ Thankfully, they had a guide. It had to be ankle length. I asked Adrienne to make it for me and it’s the most amazing jacket. I’ve never liked skirts much, but I wore a skirt with a matching jacket in a cream colour with black trim. I still love that jacket.”
Clark also recalls another unique moment in Winkelmann’s history when Winston Peters, who was foreign affairs minister during her tenure as PM, was charged with creating a host programme for then-former United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice during an official visit in 2008.
“He took her to Adrienne’s boutique and she ended up buying pieces from her, so it’s quite amazing for New Zealand fashion to also reach the wardrobes of some of the highest officials in the US.”
In June, Winkelmann was given an ONZM as part of the King’s Birthday Honours, for services to the fashion industry, also recognising the designer’s philanthropic work supporting charities including Dress for Success and raising money for Women’s Refuge and Starship Children’s Hospital.
As many established brands navigate the changing market by shifting their focus to downsizing or closing their businesses, others will also be thinking about their succession plan.
Winkelmann’s stylish legacy also played a part in the work of another leading New Zealand designer Jessica Grubiša who founded her label Harman Grubiša alongside friend and business partner Madeleine Harman in 2014. The pair closed the brand prior to the pandemic in 2020.
Following the brand’s closure, Grubiša was tapped in 2020 to take up the role of creative director for the Adrienne Winkelmann business. It came after she had previously worked in Winkelmann’s workroom as a fashion student at Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design in 2010.
While Grubiša left that appointment in 2022, she paid tribute to Winkelmann’s unwavering love of glamour.
“Coming on board for a season in my career was a moment I’ll always cherish” says Grubiša.
”Some of my most beloved childhood memories are exploring my aunt’s wardrobe and adorning a Winkelmann suit. For me, these were what glamorous woman wore - the ones I wanted to be just like - power suited, bedazzled, formidable leaders.
“There is and won’t ever be another New Zealand designer like her.”
In 2019, the brand came under scrutiny after the Commerce Commission received a complaint from a former staffer regarding the country of origin of some of its garments. Winkelmann explained at the time that it came down to dual labelling, as some parts of the garments were made both overseas and in New Zealand.
Last year, Winkelmann collaborated with another revered New Zealand fashion designer, Patrick Steel. The former 80s and 90s High Street fashion rivals joined forces, with Winkelmann inviting Steel to create bridalwear in her atelier.
Winkelmann’s focus on personal health and family sits in parallel to the reasons given by another fashion designer who earlier this year announced they were bowing out. In April, Kate Sylvester announced to Viva her decision to wind down her business after 31 years to focus on family, travel and her other creative pursuits, alongside partner Wayne Conway.
Thanking friends, family, and husband Steve for their support over the years, Winkelmann also thanked her customers and staff - some of whom have been with the business for more than three decades.
“Last but not least, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to all my wonderful clients who have loved what we do,” she writes.
“Seeing my clothes out in the world knowing they have a place in your life has fulfilled me beyond words. I have loved watching your careers go from strength to strength. It has been a privilege to stand back and see women I first met buying a jacket for their first job after university become leaders of their industries.
“You have been my inspiration, and you are an inspiration to the next generation of women. It has been an honour to dress you, and to know you, and I have enjoyed every moment.”
She dedicated her retirement letter to her late mother Kathleen, who was a pivotal figure in Winklemann’s desire to be a designer and who came from a large Croatian family. Kathleen also played a vital role in establishing Adrienne Winkelmann’s first retail store.
Founder of the New Zealand Fashion Museum Doris de Pont (ONZM) paid tribute to Winkelmann’s eye for precision.
“Adrienne and I were neighbours in O’Connell Street for a number of years in the mid 1980s” says de Pont.
“She had very sleek premises, with polished wooden floors and elegant ceiling to floor curtains, in the new Commercial Union Building opposite my shop. It was a really ‘fashionable’ precinct that included Patrick Steel, Zambesi, Trelise Cooper, ZouZou, Kevin Berkahn, Streetlife, and then there were the famous hairdressers of the 80s.”
“I am a great admirer of fashion that is well made and Adrienne’s work always epitomised that for me, style and substance. She was unique in that her garments were equally at home in Fashion Quarterly and in ChaCha magazine. Interestingly her label is not one you find in op shops - they were made to last and to be loved. She will be missed.”
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