Make yourself a cup of tea because we have a lengthy dispatch for you this week. New stores! New collections! Great clothes! And some unexpected collaborations from iconic brands. It’s all very invigorating, and as always, this column aims to inspire and guide you through the local retail market to make some good choices that bring joy.
New In
Canterbury kicks off a new collaboration
We love when local brands come together, and we’ve been reflecting on local fashion history a lot this week, so it’s timely to see sporting stalwarts Canterbury team up with local streetwear brand Arcade on a capsule range.
Rugby and skating are two enduring national pastimes, so these two businesses have a lot of common ground. “Canterbury approached us with the idea of collaborating a while ago. The connection was facilitated by our friend AJ Moriarty, who had previously worked with Adidas during the early days of Arcade when it was a small skate shop,” founder Mike Hall explains. “Canterbury is the iconic New Zealand brand, so it was an honour for us.”
Hall has a deep appreciation for vintage fashion of all kinds, so diving into Canterbury’s design canon must have been a dream come true. “The archives are incredible! The company is 119 years old and I would put those archives against any brand in the same category on earth,” he says.
He also worked closely with Japan-based friend Josh Davies, who owns special archival pieces like a 1994 snapback hat made for the Japanese market; it influenced the six-panel cap in Arcade’s capsule, with the aim of creating “the Canterbury hat you’d want to find second-hand somewhere that will last forever.” The project was collaborative — Hall shouts out “AJ, Elijah, Esti, Josh, Brad, Tiori, Finn, Manu, Shion” who helped bring it to life — and saw Hall go into Arcade’s own archives too.
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Advertise with NZME.The jacket in the range is a re-issue of a design from the brand’s early days; originally an embroidered blank from Canterbury, this time it’s official. And in another full-circle moment, the campaign sees it worn by Manu Walters aka Dirty (from Eno x Dirty). “[He] wore the first version a lot so we had to shoot him in the new one.”
The campaign is imbued with a 1990s Tāmaki Makaurau feeling, and Arcade is rooted in the city. “Aotea Square is just as alive for skateboarding today as it was in the 90s, so everything from there looks like it could be yesterday, 10 or even 30 years ago,” says Hall. “The other photos were at Finn’s apartment, that was actually the location for the Home Brew ‘Yellow Snot Funk’ music video, where the band lived at the time and I was a bit part of. Just places rich with personal history and stories.”
It’s timeless, in its own way, and fitting for a partnership like this. “Canterbury to me also feels both old and contemporary, just suspended in time. We were never going to go and take it to a grassroots rugby club and pretend to be in a community when we have our own organic creative family around the brand. These are the places we’re in and draw inspiration from.”
The jacket is exclusive to Arcade’s online store and Knowear in Ponsonby. The rest of the range — the aforementioned hats, heavyweight T-shirts both short and long-sleeved “based off the old ugly” — are available online too, and locally at Lo-Fi and Fast Times in Auckland.
Fresh spring designs from Mina
With the weather still delivering a chill, we look for a breath of fresh air in our clothes. Mina’s new spring range offers exactly that, with breezy separates well suited to transeasonal dressing and warming times ahead. Designer Natalie Procter delivers a timely raindrop print, rendered in a well-cut skirt that would have excellent outfit mileage, seen here with a crisp blouse that would do nicely too. There’s also a great pair of shorts, and a couple of iterations of trousers, worth your attention. 600 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
Here’s a hot collaboration
Calling all K-fry fans, this one’s for you. Another surprising collab launched this week; KFC is working with Auckland jewellery designer Nick Von K, who has custom-made a limited-edition range of 11 necklaces in partnership with the company. There are 11 sterling-silver pieces — that number is significant, with “one for each of the secret herbs and spices,” says Nick — some with pearls and cubic zirconia, and the skeletal designs are a nod to the “hot and crispy boneless” offering, the inspiration behind the range. Unveiled in a campaign photographed by the talented Matt Hurley, featuring former Viva cover stars Vinnie Bennett and JessB, and NZME radio host Cam Mansel. Selected pieces from the collection are available to purchase, and all proceeds go to KFC’s charity partner Surf Life Saving New Zealand.
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A considered new collection from Olivia Cashmore
Fashion chatter has lately fixated on the industry’s evolution towards one of entertainment and content creation. “What about the clothes?” many ask. What about them, implies the new collection ‘Quality Over Deadlines’ from designer Olivia Cashmore, which considers the “modern women’s rationale” and seeks to create calm amongst the “relentless pursuit of competing priorities”. So says the press release.
And the clothes? They’re really rather beautiful. Tailored and restrained, with sensual flourishes like a gauzy attachment on a tailored jacket, a sculpted bodice on a sophisticated black dress, crisp striped shirts (pictured above). There’s also clever irony in Cashmore drawing inspiration from parachutes; a sense of escape, if you will.
As a harried woman myself, the title resonates with the urge to push back against the culture of busy work, pressure, corporate jargon and values encroaching other spheres of life — things we discussed with the designer last night. (The irony is that as I write this, I’m on deadline myself to file this column.)
Launching the brand in 2021, Cashmore unveiled her new collection with a launch at Gow Langsford Gallery on the corner of Lorne St, backdropped by its current exhibition Dynamic Women. The interplay was more complementary than even Cashmore expected, with hues of teal and azure running through the artworks and the garments, the latter of which were displayed on antique valet stands. Cashmore even drove to Paeroa for one of them.
Paintings by Jacqueline Fahey, Frances Hodgkins, Rita Angus and other pioneering modernist artists helped support the tone. So too did the crowd; stylish compatriots, designers Thom Morison and Rory William Docherty were there in support, alongside media and Cashmore’s parents — both of whom looked sensational wearing their daughter’s designs. Available now, stocked at Simon James, and Cashmore’s own flagship store in Tāmaki Makaurau. 15 Kent St, Newmarket, Auckland.
What’s Happening
A spring flea for the Garden City
Fancy attending a flea market this weekend? If you’re in Otautahi, Nifty Markets’ spring edition is taking place on Sunday, October 1, with hot coffee, cool vintage, “makers and bakers” and more — even flash tattoos! 306 Cashel St, Christchurch Central, Christchurch.
A glorious new space for Kristine Crabb
We keep saying “Auckland’s back”, with new retail openings and in-person events providing momentum to the feeling that things are happening and the vibes are hopefully. This city may have adolescent angst, but it also has style and passion. It certainly felt like that last night, with designer Kristine Crabb opening a new retail space for her brand Gloria, and a decidedly cool crowd of friends, fans and collaborators spilling out onto Ponsonby Rd — a feast of eclectic personal style, all imbued with the cocktail of glamour, creativity and punk ethos that makes her work so distinctive.
Inside was just as inspiring, and it’s an optimistic chapter for the label. “For the past three years, Kristine Crabb has been quietly finding a new evolution as a designer with her label Gloria after closing her popular Miss Crabb label in 2018, before setting up shop for Chateau Gloria in August last year at 195 Ponsonby Road. Now, with this newly opened Chez Gloria ‘multi-sensory’ space at number 8 Ponsonby Rd, “you get a sense of where Kristine is at this point in her life and career,” says Viva fashion director Dan Ahwa. “It’s a beautiful space with tall ceilings and a gallery feel that allows her dreamy vision of fashion to seamlessly connect with her other passions of art, music and creating a community. A creative space that makes buying clothes feel a little bit more pleasurable.” 8 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby, Auckland.
Converse puts a foot forward
Auckland institution and footwear specialists Pat Menzies have long been a go-to destination for iconic companies like Dr Martens and Birkenstock. Now they’re taking a step up, hosting a new concept store from Converse, a brand the retailer has stocked since the 1990s. (I myself bought low-top chucks there as a fresh-faced teen in the early 2000s.) It opens Saturday, September 30. To celebrate, and in the spirit of subculture and personalisation — long part of the social fabric around the sneakers — full-price purchases of Converse can be customised in-store with a range of custom patches to choose from. Shop 2, Canterbury Arcade, 174 Queen St, Auckland.
High fashion comes to Havelock North
Here’s some fruitful news from the regions: Muse is adding a Havelock North boutique to its small constellation of stores. It’s a savvy move from owner and director Olivia Vincent Healy. “There’s something really special about Hawke’s Bay,” she says. “I’ve visited Havelock North to facilitate six pop-ups, which have helped us greatly to grow and nurture our customer base there. My dream store came up for lease a few weeks ago and I decided to take a big leap — it felt like it was meant to be!” The new boutique is located in the heart of Havelock. “With its gorgeous high ceilings, striking arched windows and light, airy interior, this space will act as an oasis for our Hawke’s Bay shoppers.” The space will house an array of pieces from the retailer’s impressive brand roster, and she reveals there will be new brands joining the racks at all Muse stores soon. “Watch this space.” 12 Te Mata Rd, Havelock North.
Public Record has relocated
In another new update from Ponsonby Rd, serene art and design space Public Record has new digs. The store can now be found at number 82 on the famous retail strip, and it’s worth a visit this weekend — with enticingly stocked shelves of books available in-store only, on-off garments from Emma Wallbanks and more. 82 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby, Auckland.
On Sale
Discounts to enjoy at Lost and Led Astray
On a wander down Karangahape Rd there’s always something to catch the eye. Recently, it was “sale” painted on the window of beloved boutique Lost and Led Astray. Befitting season changes and wardrobe updates, some brilliant designs by Sarah-Jane Duff can be had for an appealing discount — like this romantically ruched dress in a crisp cotton poplin (a good one for spring). 482, Karangahape Rd, Auckland City, Auckland.
