The New Zealand Fashion Festival Set to Impress

Media Release: Monday 8th March 2010

The New Zealand Fashion Festival Set to Impress

Auckland’s fashion industry is buzzing as preparations begin for the inaugural The New Zealand Fashion Festival show on March 16 and the Designer Garage Sale the following weekend.

This launch spectacular will feature 17 of New Zealand’s leading designer brands who will each get their chance to feature on the long 50-metre runway in front of 1,000 fashion fans, VIPs and media. Live-mixing by New Zealand’s top DJs will add to the excitement, with an after-party till late.

Festival co-owner Myken Stewart says that inaugural show will be something special and a promise of things to come. “We wanted to give people a taste of what an international festival show is like,” she said. “This will be amazing.”

This year there is only one show in the Fashion Festival lineup to launch the event, and as the festival grows, so will the schedule of events. “Next year we plan to have a long list of attractions; shows, parties, exhibitions and even an international business seminar - the sky is the limit,” she said.

The event is a huge undertaking, with the massive industrial Shed 12 at 90 Wellesley Street being transformed into an edgy fashion theatre. Along with a supersized runway (20-metres longer than New Zealand Fashion Week’s Westpac Tent) will be an army of production crew, dressers, hair stylists and make-up artists.

Marissa Findlay, Producer for the show and in charge of the Festival’s backstage running, says, “this show has a massive crew! With 40 models including 30 female and 10 male, plus 25 dressers and hair and make up teams, the backstage crew will number close to 70,” she said.

Makeup artists from M.A.C will be creating the looks for the show and communications manager Tatum Savage said that many of the team have international experience at Fashion Weeks and Festival shows around the world.  “M.A.C.s heritage is backstage at the world’s great fashion shows,” she said, “and we’re delighted to be able to support the new Fashion Festival format for New Zealand.”

International haircare brand TRESsemé; sponsor of the international TV show Project Runway is also proud to sponsor for this year’s show, featuring their TRESemmé 24 Hour Body Collection. Melinda Jones, Corporate PR manager said “TRESsemé is proud to be sponsor of the inaugural fashion festival show and we hope we can continue that relationship in future years.”

The top flight DJs supporting the show and after-party are no less impressive with Nick D, Clarke Gayford and Shannon Ryan taking turns to keep the energy high throughout the evening.

And Pelorus by Cloudy Bay will be making sure all the guests get off to a sparkling start.

With only 700 tickets available to the public, the inaugural New Zealand Fashion Festival show will sell out! Tickets from iticket.

The full list of designers showing includes: Adrian Hailwood, Andrea Moore, Annah Stretton, Barkers, Cybele, Helen Cherry, Workshop, Huffer, Juliette Hogan, Kate Sylvester, Moochi, Paula Ryan, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Trelise Cooper, Zambesi, The Carpenters Daughter and Ed Hardy.

The New Zealand Herald Designer Garage Sale is also shaping up to be an exciting festival event, now in its 5th year, taking place on March 20 and 21.

Fashion conscious bargain hunters will flock to the Viaduct Harbour Marine Village as 30 designers and department stores clear final summer stock at dramatically reduced prices.

Designer Garage Sale spokesman Paul Blomfield said that around 11,000 visitors came to the sale last year and anticipation is building to see another exciting selection of designer fashion on the racks.

Top designers in the sale include Ruby, Ed Hardy, Lonely Hearts, Sabatini, Michael Pattison, State of Grace, Federation, Worldwear, Chaos & Harmony, Stitch Ministry, Deborah Sweeney, Michelle Yvette, WeSC, Kagi and more.

Tickets to The New Zealand Herald Designer Garage Sale are available through www.iticket.co.nz at $10 per day or $15 for the weekend.

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