As the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards hits the runway in Gore for the 32nd 12 months this weekend in Gore, reporter Rachael Kelly appears to be like at how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted New Zealand’s trend industry.
The New Zealand trend industry has modified – we’re buying extra on-line, in a extra moral state of mind.
New Zealand Fashion Week founder Dame Pieta Stewart says the nation’s trend industry fared fairly nicely in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the long run is wanting vivid for designers.
“For some designers it has been extraordinarily form, and for others it has been patchy. Lots of people shopped on-line throughout lock down and designers did extraordinarily nicely then, and others did nicely after lock down after we had been capable of return to shops.’’
“There have been provide chain points to take care of as nicely, so those who had inventory of cloth have performed nicely,’’ she mentioned.
READ MORE:
* Auckland designers to guage at Hokonui Fashion Design Awards
* Fashion slowdown: Are sweatpants actually our future?
* Let’s export New Zealand trend to Asia
Stewart was the creator and managing director behind NZ Fashion Week for practically 20 years, till she bought the enterprise earlier this 12 months. She obtained the New Zealand Order of Merit for providers to trend and the group in 2012.
She’s beforehand been a choose on the Hokonuis, and says the annual competitors in Gore performs an vital half within the industry.
“It sparks an curiosity in younger designers and provides them an opportunity to be actually inventive and that’s not at all times attainable whenever you additionally need to be business,’’ she mentioned.
“It provides them an perception into working to deadlines, having to make one thing to a product measurement and the way to consider the way it will look on a catwalk – all elementary issues that designers have to know easy methods to do.’’
The Hokonuis, as they’re affectionately referred to in Gore, took break final 12 months due to the pandemic and since then many elements of the New Zealand trend industry have modified –together with how and the place we purchase our garments.
Main avenue retailers have closed shops as we’ve moved to buying on-line, though delivery delays from abroad have result in us ready longer for our purchases to reach.
Robyn Edie/Stuff
Hokonui Fashion and Design Awards judges from left, Kathryn Wilson, designer and founding father of Kathryn Wilson Footwear, James Dobson, designer and founding father of Jimmy D, and Sara-Jane Duff, designer and proprietor of Lost and Led Astray, judging clothes within the Schools part, in Gore on Thursday.
This 12 months Kathryn Wilson, designer and founding father of Kathryn Wilson Footwear, James Dobson, designer and founding father of Jimmy D, and Sara-Jane Duff, designer and proprietor of Lost and Led Astray, will make up the judging panel at this 12 months’s Hokonuis, which showcase designs from aspiring trend designers from excessive faculties, trend faculties and designers who have gotten their stitching machines out at house.
Wilson mentioned some designers initially thought lock down could be “terrifying’’ for his or her labels, however New Zealanders had been actually supportive in the course of the pandemic.
Many had purchased vouchers on-line that they may use when lock down ended, which had stored companies afloat.
“People actually thought of how they may assist you, so you may survive. Since then there’s been a rise in retail and on-line which meant many companies have been capable of develop to the subsequent stage.
“And I feel now persons are actually enthusiastic about the place they’re spending their cash and who they’re supporting.’’
Sara-Jane Duff, designer and proprietor of Lost and Led Astray, thanked New Zealanders for his or her assist in the course of the pandemic.
John Hawkins
The Hokonui Fasion Awards is a crucial occasion within the New Zealand trend industry, Dame Pieta Stewart says. The total winner of the 2019 awards was by Donna Dinsdale, of Tauranga.
”They have been so supportive, and so they have stored quite a lot of us going. I can’t thank them sufficient,’’ she mentioned.
As the nation labored from house, individuals had been spending extra time on the web, and so they had been researching earlier than they spent, James Dobson, designer and founding father of Jimmy D mentioned.
”People have gotten used to being on-line and buying on-line, and I feel older prospects have change into extra assured and extra savvy when it has come to on-line buying as nicely. They won’t have been earlier than, however lock down made them realise it was a necessity,’’ he mentioned.
Online shops had been now simply as vital to designers as having their clothes in retail areas, and social media performed an enormous half in advertising, he mentioned.
Working from house and never needing to decorate up aside from Zoom conferences with colleagues had led to an increase in lounge put on, or sports activities-luxe, and most designers had integrated a component of that into their model.
Wilson had integrated ‘’slippers you may put on previous the letterbox’’ into her label Duff had designed some luxurious sleepwear objects, and now we have seen has been the rise of the nice outdated kiwi monitor pant.
But Dobson wasn’t having a bar of that.
“During lock down I used to be going loopy, so I bought dressed up in my workroom and wore the hell out of my greatest stuff,’’ he mentioned.
And dressing up was nonetheless vital, even when we did spend eight hours a day in our house places of work, Wilson mentioned.
John Hawkins
The Hokonui Fashion Design Awards lets designers be extra inventive than business. This design was made by Debbie Smith, of Gore, for the 2019 awards, the place it received the recycled part.
”Fashion is one thing that, whenever you put one thing on that feels good and you already know it appears to be like good, could make you’re feeling wonderful. A pair of heals, some make-up…’’ she mentioned.
”Sales of lipstick are going to undergo the roof after we all need to cease sporting masks,’’ Dobson mentioned.
With the borders closed, being unable to journey abroad meant shoppers had more cash to spend, and so they had been shopping for extra high quality, timeless clothes, Stewart mentioned.
“They are making investments and shopping for items that can final and see them via many seasons as a substitute of only one. We have moved to a extra moral focus in lots of respects, and our designers are very conscious if that.
They had been extra conscious of the place materials had been sourced, and whether or not clothes was sewn in “form” factories which seemed after and paid workers appropriately.
John Hawkins
Before the pandemic the Hokonui Fashion Desgn Awards attracted abroad entries comparable to this one by My City Collaboration, China, which received the open assortment award in 2019.
“Consumers are extra considerate, and extra aware, and they’re pondering extra about what they’re spending and whether or not it’s actually vital.
“Long gone are the times after we produce all of our clothes right here, and that can most likely by no means change, however designers are way more conscious of the place they’re having their clothes produced now.’’
The moral transfer meant some designers had been now solely working to order, some had been producing smaller collections, or fewer collections in a 12 months, and a few have moved in direction of having much less distinction between summer season and winter ranges so that they may very well be worn collectively, so their items are extra timeless, she mentioned.
“That means there might be much less waste, and since they’re producing much less, we’ll additionally see much less gross sales,’’ she mentioned.
Buying second-hand had additionally change into way more mainstream. Retail and on-line shops are doing a roaring commerce in promoting pre-cherished, excessive-finish labels.
“It’s at all times been occurring, and I feel designers could be very glad about that. Anything that provides their designs a second life must be factor, and it might deliver another person pleasure and make them really feel fabulous a second time round.’’
The Hokonui Fashion Design Awards Gala Night is on Saturday, ranging from 7.30pm, on the Gore Town & Country Stadium.
