New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria brought a buzz to the surrounds of Shed 10 and affirmed the importance of local industry. The impact was seen in the numbers, too.
The fashion industry stepped into the spotlight in August, as New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria returned to Tāmaki Makaurau after
a two-year hiatus.
The 2025 event had drummed up plenty of anticipation, with prior declarations of a “reimagined” format and announcements of surprising returns. So, did those early promises deliver?
Murray Bevan, NZFW: Kahuria board member and founder of fashion PR agency Showroom 22, says the team has been “inundated with positive feedback” and public ticket sales throughout the week “exceeded our expectations”.
Individual ticket sales were up 20% on the public-facing shows at 2023’s event, he says.
Consumer spending analysis company MarketView also reports businesses in central Auckland, near the base of NZFW: Kahuria 2025, experienced the impact of the event. On August 29, the last Friday of the event, apparel and hospitality spending in the downtown area increased 32.1% compared to the previous week. Wednesday, August 27, also had a bump of 19.6%.
Apparel and hospitality spend in the central waterfront area was up 7.4% compared to the previous week, while spend on Queen St increased 11.6%. Across the whole downtown precinct, spending was up 7.3%.
Comparatively, spending across the Auckland region was up 0.4%.
Event owner Feroz Ali brought together a governing board earlier in the year, comprised of director Liam Taylor, Murray Bevan, creative director Dan Ahwa and Natalie Xenita, the ex-vice president and managing director of IMG Fashion Events.
Bevan says: “we assembled a new team to bring fresh ideas and structure to the 2025 event”.
The 2025 schedule revealed the board’s drive for a refreshed format: one more elastic for designers and more accessible for the wider public.
Events sprawled beyond the runway across town, the schedule pivoted to emphasise public-facing events, and the organisation revealed a high-powered social media strategy.
Substantive spectacle was a staple through New Zealand Fashion Week: Kahuria. Photo / Alyse Wright
Securing the support of naming rights sponsor Giltrap Group for the next three years, Bevan says, “gave us immense security to bring the event back to an annual cadence”.
Backing also came from Auckland Council’s Tātaki Auckland Unlimited and a long list of other sponsors.
“We feel like we assembled a stellar lineup of core partners who could become the backbone of NZFW for years to come.”
During the Auckland event, Ali announced plans for NZFW: Kahuria in Ōtautahi Christchurch to be held in November.
Untouched World’s HQ is in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Photo / Radlab
The South Island event has already “attracted huge interest from designers and brands”, Bevan says.
He confirms the schedule will include a selection of group shows from NZFW: Kahuria 2025, panel talks and styling workshops under the Beyond the Runway series and “designer-owned events”.
“The 2025 Christchurch event will be a considered and condensed version of what NZFW can deliver, aimed at inspiring fashion fans down south to enjoy everything the fashion industry has to offer.”
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