Main image: Finale by Hailwood at NZ Fashion Week 2019, Hailwood will be returning for NZFW 2021. Image by Lyle Adams.
New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) is returning to celebrate its 20th anniversary from 23-29 August at Aotea Square and Auckland Town Hall.
The opening night will feature a special 20-year Retrospective Show showcasing the event’s incredible history with a selection of designers who have previously shown at NZFW. There will also be a selection of incredible runway and event footage from years past.
Lauded to be bigger and better than ever, a new interactive fan zone will be set up in Aotea Square, and in a change to previous years some of their mid-week designer shows will be opening to the public for the very first time, including Kate Sylvester, Kathryn Wilson, Hailwood and Zambesi.
“There is no other event in New Zealand that brings our industry together in the way New Zealand Fashion Week does, nor is there an event which provides a platform for designers, make-up artists, stylists, photographers and models to showcase their unique skills and talents to the world,” says Dame Pieter Stewart, NZFW founder and managing director. “We should not under-estimate the power that New Zealand Fashion Week has to influence, promote and celebrate New Zealanders.”
In 2019, New Zealand Fashion Week focused on the pertinent issues of diversity, inclusion and sustainability which will be furthered again this year. NZFW is also excited to celebrate the diverse and creative careers that have been ignited through the event.
“There have been so many defining moments over the past twenty years and I am proud that we have managed to drive real change in the industry. When New Zealand Fashion Week started all those years ago, nobody thought that we’d make it to year two, never mind build an event which transformed the industry, especially with regards to diversity, inclusion and sustainability,” adds Dame Pieter.
