Including, yes, people still wear sunglasses inside, shorts and ruffles are having a moment, and much more. Emma Gleason reports from Shed 10 in Auckland.<\/p>\n
1. New Zealand fashion appears to be alive and well.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re doing a pulse check on the local industry you could start with the gobsmacking number of designers involved in this year\u2019s fashion week. By my estimates more than 180, most of them local, showed their wares in one form or another.<\/p>\n
2. New Zealand Order of Merit medals make good accessories.<\/p>\n
Both Doris de Pont and Rosanna Raymond wore theirs (slay) during the opening night show, The Art of Fashion. Directed by Dan Ahwa, it melded vintage and contemporary fashion with art objects, millinery and pieces from the archives of the New Zealand Opera and Royal New Zealand Ballet for a moving reflection on the state of dress in Aotearoa.<\/p>\n
Raymond wore her member of the New Zealand Order of Merit medal with a dress made from stencilled barkcloth. De Pont wore her own designs and officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit medal alongside a tutu from The Nutcracker. Chic. (Photo: Radical)<\/p>\n
3. Designers (and organisers) have been looking abroad.<\/p>\n
Although fashion week was reliably patriotic there was an international flavour to this year\u2019s event that suggests the industry is looking overseas for inspiration, markets and skills. Yes, we\u2019re an island at the bottom of the world with constrained manufacturing and customers, but we\u2019re part of this global industry too, dammit. Pitching New Zealand labels abroad was a popular strategy from the early 2000s, but in 2026 global thinking looks more like an exchange of ideas than chasing wholesale accounts in Europe.<\/p>\n
K\u0101hui Collective, the group show helmed by Kiri Nathan, featured designers from Taiwan, Alaska and Fiji. Nathan also connected makers from around the world at the first New Zealand Indigenous Fashion Symposium on Tuesday. Panel discussions unpacked everything from trade and growth to intellectual property. It\u2019s a landmark event on the schedule, one that captures the shifting purpose of NZFW, which is no longer a closed-off trade show. As with many of the week\u2019s shows, tickets were available and there was a retail element to the collective\u2019s programming, with garments for sale at The Cloud and Te P\u0101, Nathan\u2019s Glen Innes fashion hub.<\/p>\n
International thinking, two ways: Karen Walker\u2019s The Grand Tour and Taiwanese designer Yuma Taru\u2019s work at K\u0101hui Collective. (Photo: Radical)<\/p>\n
Guests at China Now experienced work from Chinese brands Gu Axin J by HO, while Khadi Beyond Borders showcased work from Indian designers Rajesh Pratap Singh, Shruti Sancheti, Samant Chauhan and Pawan Sachdeva. To put that show in context, NZFW signed a \u201cmemorandum of understanding\u201d with the Fashion Design Council of India in 2025. Christopher Luxon was there and has described New Zealand\u2019s \u201cglobal reputation across fashion and the creative arts\u201d as \u201cgrowing\u201d. (And he knows growth<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Our design talent often heads abroad seeking just that. Some come back. Claudia Li presented a tribute to New York, where the New Zealand designer founded her eponymous brand. The show was held in a part of Auckland commonly used as a stand in for \u201ccities abroad\u201d. Under the crown moulding of the Northern Club, guests (me) contemplated the practicality of pistachio silk taffeta and feathered footwear for navigating the CRL (worth it).<\/p>\n Karen Walker had her eyes elsewhere too. Her show The Grand Tour was inspired by the tradition of rich aristocrats traipsing around Europe in the 1600s-1800s to absorb \u201cculture\u201d. For us that meant 80 models dashing through Auckland Art Gallery \u2013 past works by Fatu Feu\u2019u and Rita Angus \u2013 dressed in combinations of Walker\u2019s eponymous brand, Levi\u2019s and Adidas. It had all the chaos of a photogenic piazza during peak tourist season, which was the whole point.<\/p>\n 4. Fashion people love coats. And hats.<\/p>\n And jackets trimmed with something that came off an animal. There was more of that than I expected.<\/p>\n 5. The milestones felt significant.<\/p>\n Nora Swann\u2019s group show Pacific Fusion is marking its 10th year. NOM*d is 40. Wellington brand Twenty-seven Names was back on the schedule too, celebrating turning 20 with its first fashion week show in eight years. Models dressed in bubble-hem skirts and crisp satin carried books and, for the finale, diplomas. Some wore robes and mortarboards as Sean Paul blasted out the speakers. Rachel Easting said that after two decades in business, she and co-founder Anjali Stewart felt like they were finally graduating into adult life. \u201cMaybe we\u2019ve made it.\u201d They gave guests a prospectus that outlined a syllabus of classics (\u201cgo hard or go Homer\u201d) and ethics (\u201cI shop therefore I am\u201d). Full marks.<\/p>\n 6. Audiences are getting louder.<\/p>\n People cheer now! Goodbye po-faced expressions, hello celebration. There were whistles, cheers, chahoos and even one \u201cyes bitch\u201d, uttered by comedian Johanna Cosgrove.<\/p>\n 7. There\u2019s more media coverage than you can follow.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s doing it. Brands make their own content now and so do model agencies. NZFW even has its own robust self-owned media strategy, no longer relying solely on third-party outlets like newspapers and websites. But they were there, of course. Fashion Quarterly, which has been covering the event since its launch in 2001, had eight people on the ground this year, but other titles sent fewer staffers.<\/p>\n Delegate registrations of all varieties increased in 2026. This year counts seven internationals, 28 media, 19 KOLs (\u201ckey opinion leaders\u201d, which is the latest evolution of content creators), 87 industry and 24 photographers. Media delegates still outnumber KOLs, but those are as valued as traditional media and, some might argue, more influential. Joining local creators like Jess Molina and Zeenat Wilkinson this year was Australian influencer Sophia Begg (AKA Sopha Dopha), who boasts 791,000 followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n Molina describes the job as a \u201cprivilege\u201d. She feels a sense of responsibility to share her experience and perspective for her highly engaged followers, who love the coverage. \u201cEvery time fashion week rolls around, I really reflect on the small part I play in this ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n 8. Street style is still a whole thing.<\/p>\n Good weather nourished a bumper crop of activity outside Shed 10 this week. Guests mingled, photographers circled and tiny mics were myriad. It\u2019s all \u201cmildly chaotic\u201d, according to Felix Jackson, who has been shooting street style at fashion week for three years. He can tell when someone wants their picture taken; they\u2019ll dawdle or look out into the distance. \u201cOr they kind of hold themselves in a way that\u2019s very pose-ready.\u201d He\u2019s more than happy to oblige. \u201cYou\u2019re here to stunt,\u201d Jackson explains, between shots. \u201cSo I will gladly take your photo.\u201d<\/p>\n Street style content performs better than runway reviews for Fashion Quarterly because it gets way more engagement, explains editor Sarah Murray. \u201cPeople often like and share the street style imagery, and are interested in what everyone is wearing,\u201d she adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n Street style is a huge part of NZFW, says stylist Sammy Salsa (who is popular with the photographers), but it can overshadow the shows. Critical of relying on borrowed clothes, he prefers to dress himself. \u201cI\u2019m not a scab.\u201d Salsa says he makes a point of financially supporting local brands and bought a Zambesi outfit to wear to their show today. \u201cI come from nothing so I know what it\u2019s like to not have anything.\u201d<\/p>\n 9. Fashion week is part of Auckland.<\/p>\n Located primarily at Shed 10 downtown means the event rubs up against commuters, high school students playing basketball and men wearing high vis. Michael Allen is one of them. He\u2019s working on the electrified ferry upgrade of Queens Wharf and this is the second fashion week his team\u2019s witnessed first hand. \u201cWe love it,\u201d Allen said. \u201cIt\u2019s nice to see some events. I actually had a tour this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n Zambesi\u2019s magnificent harbourside show on Friday morning drew a large crowd, predictably dressed in mostly black, including Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. He wasn\u2019t just there for the fashion (though did look good in a turtleneck and suit). Brown has known the Findlay family for years. \u201cI\u2019m here as much as a friend as a fashionista,\u201d he told The Spinoff, adding that he and Zambesi co-founder Neville Findlay go back 50 years. Brown is into the fashion too though. \u201cIt\u2019s part of our economy and it\u2019s wonderful.\u201d<\/p>\n 10. People still wear sunglasses inside.<\/p>\n The bigger the better, even in the dark. I guess it\u2019s good because no one knows where you\u2019re looking. Maybe you\u2019re just dissociating. Instead, you could talk to your seat neighbour about your busy schedule (but not as busy as Paul Goldsmith<\/a>) and whether you\u2019ll catch the flu<\/a>. Is there a valid excuse for dark eyewear? Does it even matter? Apparel editor Caitlin Mitchell, seated front row, was quick to point out her sunglasses were prescription.<\/p>\n 11. Our runway diversity is better than most.<\/p>\n Much has been made of the shrinking runways<\/a> overseas and Ozempification of fashion<\/a>, but the same can\u2019t be said for NZFW. We saw bodies of all sizes on the runway, pension-aged models and racial diversity. Did it feel tokenistic or performative? Actually, no.<\/p>\n 12. Guests use their phones, a lot.<\/p>\n For photos of the show, photos outside the show, photos of anything and everything. For vox pops and selfies and reels and vignettes. For capturing Claudia Li\u2019s embellished corduroy coat or actor Thomasin McKenzie at Karen Walker. For pretending to be busy if you have no one to talk to. To write notes about \u201chot pants\u201d and \u201cpirates\u201d and \u201ccapris\u201d. For Google-mapping the distance between Hotel Britomart and Durham Lane (it was 10 minutes\u2019 walking but we made it in six). For finding your e-ticket, which I\u2019m sure is here somewhere.<\/p>\n 13. It\u2019s time to dress up.<\/p>\n Rather than compete with athleisure and streetwear brands, it seems designers have realised they need to establish a point of difference. Clothes were markedly more formal this year. Think suiting, silks, lace, embellishment and other things you\u2019ll probably-definitely need to hand wash.<\/p>\n 14. Public shows work. So do ticket sales.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s finally accepted it. Long gone are the days of industry-only shows and public-facing \u201c\u2018fashion weekends\u201d\u2019. Instead, customers and fans mingle with media and buyers. This year most shows were ticketed, including Juliette Hogan. Her customers \u201cgot on board almost immediately\u201d and the event sold out early. \u201cWhich we don\u2019t take for granted,\u201d she says. Although this doesn\u2019t change the brand\u2019s ability to do a show, she explains, tickets have made it more accessible for its audience.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ticketing also dismantles a barrier to entry for brands. \u201cNZFW removed the participation fee designers used to pay to take part,\u201d Hogan explained. Instead, a set number of seats in each show are allocated to them to sell. \u201cIt\u2019s a shift that puts more of the risk on fashion week, and it makes a real difference to designers.\u201d<\/p>\n Fashion weeks are \u201cincredibly expensive and difficult to pull off\u201d according to Australian journalist Patty Huntington, someone who\u2019s well versed in the format. Ticket sales generally account for a small revenue stream, but what they do accomplish is interest and support. \u201cIt\u2019s a way of getting the public on board.\u201d<\/p>\n We saw that this week, as a diverse range of ticketholders came down to Shed 10. There were high school students in the audience at The Graduate Show on Wednesday, where they saw work from Whitecliffe, Massey and Otago Polytechnic. Many of them wore striped school blazers and so did I (embarrassing).<\/p>\n People show up. The Keep\u2019s exhibition The Collar drew well-dressed throngs of ticket buyers (and a different crowd to Shed 10) to Karangahape Road.<\/p>\n 15. Shorts are a garment of national significance (but all the blokes who wear them in the dead of winter already knew that).<\/p>\n They appeared in Almost. Every. Show.\u00a0<\/p>\n 16. So did ruffles, bows and knee-length skirts.<\/p>\n Fashion week is heavily womenswear focused. Sorry lads.<\/p>\n 17. Emerging designers commanded a lot of attention.<\/p>\n The event functions as an incubator, and an important one at that. The Graduate Show showcased design students and their ambitious ideas. It\u2019s reliably one of the most boundary pushing of the week\u2019s events; where else are you going to see leather chain mail, a \u201cresist Putin\u201d T-shirt or a corset referencing the bombing of Hanoi?<\/p>\n Small brands benefit from group shows like Pacific Fusion, The Future of Fashion, K\u0101hui Collective and The Studio. That show focuses on \u201cearly-career designers who have established a reputation in the market\u201d but might not have the resources or capacity to produce a solo show, explains creative director Dan Ahwa. \u201cSome are relatively new, while others have been steadily building their businesses for a decade.\u201d The hope is that they gain runway experience and create content to support their marketing throughout the year. \u201cAnd connect directly with customers, industry and potential stockists.\u201d (Because at the end of the day, fashion is a business.)<\/p>\n 18. So did the establishment.<\/p>\n Zambesi and NOM*d have been showing at fashion week for decades and both were on the schedule this week. NOM*d\u2019s range, its 81st, was full of fresh ideas \u2013 and colour \u2013 including a stylish riff on the classic striped polyprop (someone alert Shanti Mathias<\/a>). Zambesi broke with its after-dark tradition and held a morning show for the first time. It\u2019s reliably the highlight each year. \u201cDesigners of that generation are still doing the coolest shows of the week,\u201d said Patty Huntington. \u201cIt\u2019s really quite unique.\u201d<\/p>\n Both brands and many others in the schedule, including Penny Sage and Twenty-seven Names, still manufacture locally, even as costs rise and resources shrink<\/a>. So do many small labels.<\/p>\n 19. Everyone\u2019s been wondering what clothes are for.<\/p>\n Are they for Instagram? The algorithm? Has that distracted us from their purpose (clothing our bodies) and pleasure (moving through the city as living, breathing human being). Does it even matter? And who\u2019s going to buy them?<\/p>\n 20. And whether fashion is art.<\/p>\nImagine the possibilities! (Photo: The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Model Ngahuia Williams led the Twenty-seven names finale in Easting\u2019s father\u2019s graduation robes. (Photo: Radical)<\/p>\n
Friends and fashion people Jess Molina and Sammy Salsa. (Photo: The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Jackson amid the chaos. (Photo: Emma Gleason\/The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Zambesi\u2019s seaside show (Photo: The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Behold, people wearing great clothes: Holly Rose Emery in Emma Jing, Amanda Bransgrove in Juliette Hogan and Kaarina Parker in Twenty-seven Names. (Photos: Radical)<\/p>\n
Phones! (Photo: The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Backstage at Juliette Hogan (where tickets won\u2019t get you).<\/p>\n
Fashion legend Marilyn Sainty was among the 60 designers, artists and makers who contributed to The Collar, helmed by Lela Jacobs. (Photo: The Spinoff)<\/p>\n
Designs by Whitecliffe\u2019s Jumaanah Vahora and Otago Polytechnic\u2019s Silva McDowell. (Photos: The Spinoff,\u00a0Radical)<\/p>\n
Group shows are great: Heather Brennan Evans at Future of Fashion, Lavinia Ilolahia\u2019s label D\u0101ina Hugh at K\u0101hui Collective, Finn Mora-Hill\u2019s brand Fringes at The Studio. (Photos: Radical)<\/p>\n
Dress down, dress up. Both options (NOM*d and Penny Sage) are locally made.\u00a0<\/p>\n