Our guide to what’s new and notable in the retail world, from fresh deliveries from luxury brands to just-in capsules from local fashion designers, there’s a lot to love this week.
New in
Wynn Hamlyn has released its pre-fall collection
The first drop of the range is out now — including menswear — and is a timely dose of freshness, given other retailers are now in sale mode (Wynn Hamlyn generally follows a slightly different calendar, and Northern Hemisphere seasons). For a pre-season release, it’s very sizeable, with a weighting on two of the label’s signature categories, knitwear and dresses, which have 13 and 15 different designs respectively.
Viva fashion assistant Annabel Dickson viewed the collection this week, and notes some lovely colours, including ice blues and some vibrant red knitwear, and some handsome outerwear (pictured above). “A standout piece was the stunning checked coat. The only patterned piece in the collection, it has an exaggerated sleeve and is just the right length.” Apparently, there weren’t many of these made, so if you want one (it’s $1700) don’t dally. Commercial Bay, 7 Queen St, Auckland City, Auckland.
Pecchenino has partnered up with Black Box
Emerging label Pecchenino has been something of an “if you know” label, with its loose drawstring-waist trousers seen on cool-girls slouching around town (and on Instagram). Now, however, expanding its offering somewhat, albeit for a limited time, with a collaboration with Auckland boutique Black Box.
The result is a winter capsule range of pants, skirts and jackets (the latter two are silk-lined) and as with her previous pieces, Francesca is focused on natural fibres. “Emma [Cruikshank] and I are using wool and silk for this collaboration,” she tells Viva. “Pecchenino isn’t about using the most cost-effective fabrics or techniques of sewing, I am not chasing this cheap price. I just want to make the best thing in the best fabric.”
She and Emma (Black Box owner and buyer) are friends, which helped shape this collaboration. “Collaborating for us is having fun and being creative, and to some degree filling a gap in what might be missing.”
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Advertise with NZME.Connections and relationships can be so important for emerging designers. And on another note, sometimes in this social-media-fixated age, we forget that established retailers have a unique power to nurture and grow small labels, offering everything from an audience to precious floor-space and advice. “[It] has given me a wider audience and a chance for customers to actually try on and feel the clothing (being sold in a retail store). It’s definitely something we will continue to do,” says Francesca.
The Black Box collaboration provides a step forward for this small brand. “Pecchenino was a passion project and creative outlet that wasn’t intended to be a business,” Francesca explains. “I just wanted to learn how to sew, and accidentally it is selling, which is amazing and humbling. It’s just naturally growing day by day and I am just letting it continue to evolve.” The range is in store now. 216 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay, Auckland.
Hej-Hej has a new capsule
If you love a wholesome pattern, you’ll like this. Unreservedly titled, the ‘Ga Ga for Gingham’ range includes five of the brand’s classic styles — three dresses, a skirt and a top — which have all been re-cut in a joyful pink and indigo gingham, a linen textile custom-made for the brand. Priced between $200 and $385, they present an upbeat injection for winter dressing and, for now, we advise layering them with a turtleneck, coat and boots. The capsule follows a wider trend (or, perhaps, solution) for designers to re-cut and reissue designs; after all, if it isn’t broken why fix it, and if you have a customer base who loves a particular style or cut, its simply smart business to keep them in rotation. Available online, in store at The Bloc (20 Normanby Rd, Mount Eden, Auckland) and at Hej-Hej’s Te Whanganui-a-Tara boutique. 95 Victoria St, Te Aro, Wellington.
Some brand-new Burberry
And for even more checks, the sophomore collection from creative director Daniel Lee’s interpretation of the iconic British stalwart Burberry has recently landed and, as expected, we’re fawning over all the brand’s chic outerwear featuring a mix of traditional plaids, updated trenchcoat silhouettes and plenty of nods to the great British outdoors. The tailoring and fabrics are inspired by Savile Row — including this oversized coat with a warped Prince of Wales houndstooth check, worn by iconic British supermodel and actor Lily Cole. Shop 161, 277 Broadway, Newmarket, Auckland.
What’s happening
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Advertise with NZME.Huffer has opened up at Sylvia Park
The mega-mall continues to expand its retail roster, with Huffer the latest to join its offering. It’s a savvy move for the label to open another own-brand store in such a prominent precinct, providing access to its diverse customer base, and good too for Sylvia Park to have more local designers under its roof. 286 Mt Wellington Highway, Mt Wellington, Auckland.
Donate a well-made jumper to a child who needs one
We like a strong, simple idea with clear outcomes and Standard Issue’s Jumper for Jumper initiative has become a fixture of Aotearoa winters since launching in 2020. With the goal of making sure as many children as possible can be warm during winter, the brand makes and donates jumpers exclusively for this purpose, made alongside the regular zero-waste knitwear in its Tāmaki Makaurau factory. This year, it’s enlisted familiar faces for its mini-campaign, Knitting Aroha, to amplify the vision — including former Viva cover stars Roxie Mohebbi and Shaneel Lal, chef Al Brown, Flava host Mariner Fagaiava (pictured) and more. The idea of Jumper for Jumper is straightforward: purchase a piece of knitwear for yourself and the brand will donate a children’s jumper to the Middlemore Foundation, or if you’re in no need of extra knitwear, you can simply pay for a jumper ($30) for a child in need. To date, more than 2000 jumpers have been donated, with the goal of 3000 after 2023′s push. To help them get there, head here.
Poison Spike is popping up on Karangahape Rd
Retail news of a craftier flavour, small personality-filled local label Poison Spike has a pop-up at Celestial Corner in St Kevins Arcade, giving you a chance to discover its quirky fusion of art and fashion for yourself. Shop 8/183 Karangahape Rd, Auckland.
On sale
End-of-season discounts on offer at Kowtow
With up to 50 per cent off its thoughtful, environmentally minded designs, the Te Whanganui-a-Tara-headquartered brand’s sale gives fans and followers a chance to invest in its pieces at a more wallet-friendly price. Online and in-store.
Juliette Hogan has just launched its sale
Purveyor of a distinctly local kind of contemporary chic, Juliette Hogan’s just gone into sale, presenting a great chance to pick up some of the label’s versatile, fuss-free designs for up to 30 per cent off — including its signature prints, and some zesty knitwear like this cable-knit cotton jumper, in a colour appealingly named “Fanta”, down from $499 to $349. Discounts are available online and in Juliette Hogan’s stores around the country.
