By Tess Woolcock
Note: This article was first published on The Post.
Tess Woolcock
SUPPLIED
Tess Woolcock is a former journalist with years of celebrity fashion experience. She posts on Instagram with the handle @whattesswore.
OPINION: Remember the glory days of New Zealand fashion weeks gone by? I certainly do, although we’re rolling back the clock to the 2009 heyday where international ‘celebrities’ like Pamela Anderson sashayed the catwalk in… well, a sheer scarf.
There was Nicky Watson in a bejewelled bikini (remember her?), All Blacks stripped to their jocks, and signature shows like Zambesi and Kate Sylvester were packed events, with not a seat left in the house. There was buzz, glamour, celebrity, and warehouse after-parties. Hot gossip filled the air and, in true 2000s style, people who put a foot wrong were ruthlessly called out. New Zealand Fashion Week was the place to be and the place to be seen, with everyone looking to score an invite.
Now, 13 years later, have things changed? Well as someone who’s lived overseas for 10 of them, and with the event taking a three-year hiatus, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. Also thrown into the mix was the sale by event founder Dame Pieter Stewart, after 20 years at the helm, to businessman Feroz Ali in 2021.
Who could forget when Pamela Anderson took to the catwalk in a sheer scarf in 2009?
JOHN SELKIRK / STUFF
This year’s Fashion Week marked the first time in its history run under new management with a touted new focus on “sustainability, consumer and te ao Māori”. It’s also the first time the public could buy tickets to flagship shows, such as Kate Sylvester and Kathryn Wilson, as many of the international events have also started doing.
Having been a regular at Australian Fashion Week over the past 13 years, and having twice experienced New York Fashion Week, I’ve definitely seen the shifting face of these events with the rise of the influencer. What used to be strictly about what was on the catwalk has now become about who is watching it, or more bizarrely, who is photographed outside and is not even invited to watch it. I came in hot with preconceived ideas that every budding influencer and their dog would be positioned outside the Viaduct Centre all vying for the perfect nonchalant shot; a chance to be seen, get more likes and gain more followers.
I could not have been more wrong.
New Zealand Fashion Week Kahuria 2023 kicks off at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland Central. Fashion designer Kiri Nathan opened festival with a poignant show.
What I experienced was nothing short of a major anti-climax. There was no sea of influencers outside. There was no colourful energy. The te ao Māori influence was strong, and it worked beautifully when interweaved thoughtfully. But the main issue was the emptiness. There were just not enough bums on seats, and you could feel it in the air - there was no life, no vibrance, and it felt flat.
At many of the shows I attended there were barely enough guests to fill the front two rows. Something I’d never seen before. After so much hard work by these designers, where was the appreciation or the respect? Where were the people? The whole week felt like a let-down, ranging from sad to bewildering and, I hate to say it, even embarrassing.
Case in point Kharl WiRepa. After running half an hour late, its distinguished guests, including the governor-general and Rarotonga’s Queen Pa Ariki, were treated to a half-hour PowerPoint presentation of the show's sponsors including real estate agents and a cosmeceutical lab; it exuded “high fashion”. Then came an array of speeches, shout-outs and flowers, handed out one-by-one to sponsors like we were at a prize-giving ceremony. People wanted to leave, but didn’t know how. Side-eye, sideways glances and furious texting ensued: “What is this,” I saw one woman sitting near me type out. I really was not sure.
Designer Kharl WiRepa thanks the audience following his show during New Zealand Fashion Week 2023.
BRENDON THORNE / GETTY IMAGES
By the time we got to the gowns, we’d had enough… And then came the dresses. Badly hemmed, in need of an iron, and, according to a few sources I spoke to, alarmingly close to what’s already widely available.
Look, there were still some iconic moments that brought flashes of yesteryear, like the high-octane Jockey breathing some much-needed life into the catwalk with its cheeky fun, runway diversity and celebrity models. Kate Sylvester gave a polished performance as she marked 30 years, true to form with her signature tailoring paired with rock’n’roll beats; and Zambesi was as always a class act bringing the edginess and vision so many of the other shows lacked.
But overall, the whispers from the front row were in unison. Things have changed. I spoke to designers, stylists, seasoned fashion journalists and international delegates, some of whom have been attending the event for 20 years. Sadly, all of them bemoaned the overall experience.
So are the glory days of New Zealand Fashion Week over?
I’ll leave you with the words of one front-row regular who said: “Darl, that ship has sailed.”
