Our guide to what’s new and notable in the fashion world, Viva’s Retail Therapy column offers a handy guide for navigating the fashion market. This week we look at the latest designer collaboration from the Swedish chain store that started them all, find out which local footwear brand is expanding its size and fit (and why that’s significant), plus we see which local brands are teaming up for a special retail pop-up.
New in
Wallace Cotton’s new season is out now
Here’s something on the home front to start with. If you’re feeling the urge to nest right now (we are) then refreshing your household textiles is one way to up the cosy factor at home. Launching today, Wallace Cotton’s winter collection is a soothing medley of indigo and forest green, and this cable knit cotton throw (with matching cushion cover) is just the thing, like snuggling up to a giant sweater. Also comforting news, the cotton remnants from the production of the throws have been used to create a reusable waste-free textile range, including a cloth, potholder and hand towel — a smart, sustainable development from the local brand.
Some major Mugler news
Launched with a star-studded NYC show on Park Ave, we can reveal the heady Mugler and H&M collaboration is coming to Aotearoa, with the full collection available exclusively at H&M Commercial Bay from Thursday, May 11 (we’re telling you about this a week early).
Stars abound in the campaign too, including none other than supermodel and Mugler-muse Jerry Hall (pictured) whose lengthy history with the brand includes being the face of its fragrance Angel in 1995, iconic runway appearances, and a close relationship with the late, great Thierry Mugler, who passed away in 2022. Hall embodies the Mugler siren, an energy that’s been harnessed to great effect by creative director Casey Cadwallader, who has been reinterpreting and reintroducing the brand’s codes of sex, power and futurism for a new generation since taking the helm in 2018.
The Mugler brand’s legacy of straddling the avant-garde and subcultural zeitgeist with pop culture positioning and mass appeal makes its latest collaboration an apt one. Though not the first high-fashion brand to partner with the Swedish retailer — its first collaboration was with Karl Lagerfeld, topical this month, in 2004 — it is one to hew most closely to the luxury brand’s house codes.
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Advertise with NZME.There’s minimal dilution here, with Mugler’s signature architectural tailoring, sculptural draping and spacey bodysuits (beloved by pop stars Dua Lipa, Beyonce and Lizzo), all featuring prominently in the collection, alongside a fluid approach to gender that aligns with Thierry Mugler’s work, and Cadwallader’s vision.
And with main-line Mugler famously hard to get your hands on — and sought after secondhand — this collection with H&M presents a way to add a sliver (or swathe) of French fashion history to your own wardrobe, for an accessible price. In-store May 11 at H&M Commercial Bay. 7 Queen St, Auckland Central (0800 406 700).
A bigger boot offering from Billini
We love to see an expansive offering and inclusive assortment, and Billini is offering quite literally that, with the release of its Curve range of boots. While we often think of footwear sizing within the realm of the foot, when it comes to boots, the size and shape of the leg are just as important, and a tight-fitting calf is a common complaint. “I’ve done castings for shoe brands where not one single pair of long boots fit me, and I’ve ended up with blisters on my fingers from trying to zip them up. It’s demoralising, and a little dehumanising, to feel like a basic thing like winter boots are not made to fit you,” says model Kaarina Rangi Parker.
With this in mind, and the popularity of practical boots with the New Zealand audience, Billini has expanded its size range (it now runs from five to 12) and the Curve 2.0 collection features a wider calf and foot — grading that’s been applied to everything from of-the-moment cowboy boots to classic knee-highs, and a step in the right direction indeed.
Kaarina tells Viva it’s meaningful to see brands expand their sizing. “It’s important because no one should get to decide that a certain group of people doesn’t ‘deserve’ to have clothes (or shoes!) that fit them. It’s inspiring to see changes happening, but we have so far to go.”
A new collection of Kokomo kidswear
For the pint-sized scion of our readers, there’s some lovely new local fashion that will stand the test of time thanks to the folks at Kokomo. The sustainably minded family business has released its new range of clothes for children, all made from 100 per cent organic cotton (GOTS certified). Nostalgic and inspired by summers past, the brand has expanded its assortment, adding knitwear, pants and shirts to its offering, and there’s an assortment of nice colours — not beige, but not bright either, just right — and timeless stripes and checks, all clearly (and refreshingly) designed for an active childhood.
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Benjamin Alexander releases a new range
There are lots of big things afoot for New Zealand designer Benjamin Alexander right now, just one of which includes the release of a new range. The brand operates in numbered collections, rather than seasons, and this is its seventh. Available now, stand-out pieces include a handsome tartan coat and jacket and some easygoing boxer-style shorts that would do you well for the weekend, or with boots and a shirt. All are made locally and available from the brand’s own site, and stockists like Sully’s in the capital. And, in exciting news — since real-life fashion presentations are back in action — the collection will be shown on the runway at Webb’s, which is hosting a showcase of Benjamin Alexander’s two newest collections (seven and eight) to invitees and lucky ticketholders tonight, presented alongside dreamy live sounds from sister act Clementine Valentine (formerly Purple Pilgrims). Stay tuned!
What’s happening
Standard Issue’s Jumper for Jumper is back
A strong, simple initiative with clear outcomes, Standard Issue’s Jumper for Jumper campaign returns for another year. With the goal of making sure as many New Zealand children can be warm during winter, the brand makes and donates special jumpers exclusively for this purpose — all made alongside its regular zero-waste knitwear in its Tāmaki Makaurau factory. The mechanism is straightforward: purchase a piece from this collection and the brand will donate a children’s jumper to Middlemore Foundation, or if you’re in no need of extra knitwear, you can pay for a jumper ($30) for a child in need. A good idea to get behind (to date the brand has donated 2000 jumpers) and why not show your support right now, because this weather is no fun for anyone, especially if you don’t have something warm to wear.
Women are running the show at this shop
We’re big fans of a pop-up. First popularised during the great recession to fill empty spaces and give fledgling brands a chance, temporary stores are enjoying something of a return; welcome indeed given the barriers to retailing and property, and the community connection they offer to online-only businesses. The latest to bubble up in Tāmaki Makaurau comes from a crop of local labels (all helmed by women) who have come together to run a collaborative retail space in Grey Lynn for a limited time. Bronwyn footwear, Hej-Hej clothing, Videris lingerie, Raaie skincare — alongside tasty morsels from Fankery Bakery — will be available under one roof from May 4 to 20. It’s a bright, bold idea indeed, and always heartening to see independent operators working together. 568 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
On sale
Apartmento is having a huge relocation sale
If you’re wanting to freshen up your home for autumn, here is the perfect opportunity to add some style and flair at a bargain price. Homeware purveyors Apartmento are bidding adieu to their central city store, where they’ve retailed for 25 years, and consolidating their operations by relocating their Ponsonby showroom to the same Henderson location as their factory. To make that move easier, they’re clearing floor stock before they go, with discounts of 15 to 40 per cent off. View the range and make enquiries here, or head into the store. 8 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland.
Hurry to the Huffer sample sale
There’s little explanation needed for this one; we all know and love Huffer, with its outwear in particular something of a national icon. Taking place May 5 to 7 in Ponsonby, this sale will no doubt see the hordes come out to secure samples, seconds and special one-off designs from the brand, so get there early. 230 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby, Auckland.
