Fashion: The Fashion Outfit Rule New Zealand Fashion Week 2018
What happens when you take three fashion friends Vlad Tichen - a Russian born men's stylist with attitude Tori Hayley - a fashion photographer who you can fit in your pocket, and myself - ad man by day & fashion blogger by night and smash them together? Well we’re calling the result nothing short of genius, but also more officially The Fashion Outfit our creative collaboration we launched at New Zealand Fashion Week this year.
So let me explain a little further…
In the lead up to fashion week, us three started talking about how we could combine our talents to create something fresh and unexpected during the week that has a huge spotlight on all things fashion. We thought why go about doing it all on our own, when since we’re all going we could have a riot working together. So that’s what we did.
While of course it was fundamental that we looked painfully fashionable every day at fashion week, there was a more compelling reason behind our collective ambition. We wanted to rework the longstanding perception that NZFW is only for a particular circle of people - let's call them the fashion elite. There's a number of people who believe NZFW is pretentious, you know a bit stuffy and high brow. And this leaves people feeling like they can’t be a part of the fashion week action. We can totally appreciate this view from the outside looking in - but it's really not how it is. So we set out to show our followers the real deal, by democratising fashion week, and getting under the garment of what goes on.
So sit back, grab a cuppa and be prepared to be entertained as we bring you a taste of what we got up to at New Zealand Fashion Week 2018. Hopefully your face will hurt after seeing it all.
Historically Fashion Week has been designed to be a trade show where local designers can market their upcoming collections to potential global buyers. The interesting shift in the last few years has been the changing landscape and new audiences. No longer is it primarily about selling to retailers, it's about teasing upcoming lines to the people who buy of the retailers - that's you and me. I wonder with the increase in globalisation and online trade, does Fashion Week purely just need to talk those in the trade rag, or is it equally important to generate excitement and exposure through those who wear it and not sell it? I predict we will start to see NZFW as more of a festival atmosphere, where fashion takes on new dimensions, where it’s explored further by unique collaborations in different cultural spaces and it will be more than just models walking down the catwalk showing off collections.
For The Fashion Outfit the week was jam-packed full of shows, us talking our way to the front row, meeting our incredible local designers, multiple outfit changes, taking way too many photos, forgetting to eat, numerous late nights, and enough laughs to get us to Christmas. For anyone that has an interest in fashion and supporting our local creative fashion industry this should a week you get involved in - even if it’s purely being a spectator. This year was the first you could purchase tickets as a member of the public during the trade week (mon-fri) and I expect NZFW will continue to grow and improve this offering.
Stay stylish and hopefully see you at the shows next year.
jb