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"Best ever" say the designers,
with Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2004 an export success
but “mind the black” says the English media.
The new venue at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour
has won the hearts of designers, buyers and sponsors alike
as a perfect showcase for the collections, now in their
fourth year. It’s believed more than 9,000 people visited
the trade shows as guests of the designers or as official
delegates. Around 600 delegates registered as official
buyers or media representing more than 11 countries.
Managing Director Pieter Stewart is delighted
with the response to this year’s event. “As our focus
is export, we know becoming better not bigger is the key
to growing the event for our designers. Creating an environment
where catwalk shows open onto an exhibition area has been
hugely successful and linked the shows with business efficiently
and clearly, effectively.”
There is no doubt the challenge of turning
the old America’s Cup boatsheds into an international
venue was a logistical challenge but Stewart believes
the venue has great potential. “We had very few operational
teething problems which is a credit to my team. I now
need to work with the council to firm up dates for 2005
and ensure we can make the venue viable for a long term
commitment.”
Feedback from international commentators
has been positive, if a little wry.
In the Times of London, Lisa Armstrong
wrote that while sombre colours prevailed the event impressed
with its friendliness, punctuality and non anorexic models.
She then went on to talk about New Zealand’s addiction
to black clothing as an attempt to differentiate itself
from Sydney Fashion Week. Or put another way..”Sydney
is Paris Hilton and Auckland is Jean-Paul Sartre, without
the life-long existential crisis.”
In the Telegraph, Emma Forrest bemoaned
our tall poppy syndrome but praised Zambesi’s “twisted
jersey of direct intellect” and Sabatini’s “deeply sexy
knitwear.”
Patty Huntington of the Sydney Morning
Herald singled out the possum fur bags and accessories
of Hawkes Bay company Pesst for special mention.
Japanese television screened highlights
of Takaaki Sakaguchi’s show prompting dozens of emails
for the Christchurch based designer from buyers and former
colleagues at the couture house Koshino in Tokyo.
Feedback from designers varies from positive
to unbridled excitement. Zambesi, Karen Walker, Workshop
and Kate Sylvester are all delighted with their results
but it’s not just the big names scoring the major orders.
Labels like Hailwood are reeling after
getting eight new accounts and Verge New Generation’s
underwear designers James&August are celebrating orders
from three New Zealand department stores and one in Australia,
a stunning result on debut. Insidious Fix, menswear label
Mandatory and Jane Rhodes all report excellent results
from Australia to Asia.
Even more gratifying are the in-roads
made by long established labels such as Obi and Catalyst
who have picked up business in Asia and extended their
long list of Australian accounts. While the actual sales
figures won’t be confirmed till the orders are completed,
Managing Director Pieter Stewart believes the early signs
are exceeding expectation. She is particularly happy with
feedback from the Asian buyers and media, particularly
the Japanese who were key targets this year.
“There is a sense now that we are an
established event on the fashion calendar. Australian
Fashion Week moved dates to be closer to us and that has
had good spin off for buyers and media from the northern
hemisphere.”
Stewart now begins a rigorous round of
debriefing with sponsors, designers, buyers and internally
to determine the strategy for Air New Zealand Fashion
Week 2005.
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