An infusion of Kiwiana

For a country with a population of a mere four million, New Zealand fashion gets more than its fair share of attention on the global stage. But what makes Kiwi designers so popular both home and abroad and how does the Kiwi consumer's approach to fashion differ from an Australian's? Tracey McEldowney investigates.

We may not agree on a common currency and we have different stances on nuclear weapons, the war in Iraq and of course the sports field. Yet, when it comes to fashion, the divergence dissolves - New Zealand can't do without the Australian market and equally Australia can't do without New Zealand fashion.
Statistics from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) show Australia is the major export market for New Zealand designers, taking 71 per cent ($NZ225.4) million of New Zealand's global apparel exports. Significantly ahead of the country's other key apparel markets: the US (9.2 per cent), the UK (6.9 per cent), Hong Kong (2 per cent) and Japan (1.9 per cent).
It comes as no surprise then that New Zealand labels are among the highest selling garments in David Jones and Myer this side of the Tasman and that New Zealand fashion is now a staple house at Mercedes Australian Fashion Week (MAFW).
World, Zambesi, Sabatini and Trelise Cooper all have signature stores in Australia and believe participating in fashion week here is critical to demonstrating they are part of the Australian fashion landscape. New kids on the block Holic, Jimmy D and Sample Only made their Australian debut at the New Generation Show at MAFW in May but also now have stockists in Australia.
Other New Zealand apparel labels to make it big in Australia include childrenswear label Pumpkin Patch, activewear label Kathmandu and lifestyle label Rodd & Gunn.
So what is it about New Zealand fashion that invites such success?
Fashion Industry New Zealand chief executive Mapihi Opai believes it's simply a case of practicality.
Opai says New Zealand's designer fashions successfully differentiates themselves from the inexpensive offerings of fast moving fashion chains and the like - delivering design content and quality at relatively good prices.
However, she argues, this isn't entirely unique in itself.
"What really makes it stand out is the fact that these elements are coupled with wearability and accessibility in terms of styling. It's great clothing that doesn't demand supermodel proportions or a chauffeur driven lifestyle."
Opai says that, in general terms, the difference between the two countries' approach to fashion is climate driven.
Due to its changeable weather and cooler temperatures, New Zealand sees a lot more layering and structured tailoring in its fashion. Consequently, its design aesthetic is more in line with European and Asian countries with similar considerations. Australia, on the other hand, takes a more warm weathered body-conscious approach to fashion.
The two countries also differ in their approach to manufacturing while consumers both sides of the Tasman also have different requirements, she says.
"With the vast majority of large-scale manufacturing relocated offshore, New Zealand's domestic infrastructure is now geared towards short-run production. And, with more and more firms focusing on high-end niche markets, New Zealand's short-run production capacity was singled out as the industry's greatest strength in [a recent study]. New Zealand's fashion industry has been more exposed to the effects of deregulation. While this has torn the industry apart, what does remain is very lean and competitive."
Sabatini designer Margie Milich agrees. However, she argues New Zealand's geographic isolation also has an impact.
"In a difficult fashion environment it isolates us from ultimately satisfying the needs of the international marketplace and tends to make us insular, therefore only focusing on New Zealand market needs. We think it makes a designer strive harder in design, in order to achieve international recognition. However, the New Zealand market has to go up against the international market and this in turn creates a competition fierce and reproaching. Striving for excellency in a very competitive environment increases the quality of design and manufacturing."
Opai says that from a consumer perspective, New Zealanders are more conservative in terms of their reluctance to bare all or invest significantly in current fashion trends. When it comes to designer fashion, they still tend to gravitate towards garments that fit their concept of investment pieces.
However, they can be quite creative in how they put individual pieces together and are less likely to dress from head-to-toe in one brand, she says.
Julie Roulston, the editor of New Zealand online fashion publication fashionz has a slightly different take on it.
"I've heard New Zealanders described as peacock dressers - [that is] we embellish what's there - whereas Australians are far more body conscious. Women at a bar or restaurant in Australia are more daring than the bravest of Kiwi women at a really glamorous cocktail function."
It may also have something to do with ancestry, she argues.
"There seems to be far more Australian women with European genes that give them slim hips and long legs - good coat hangers. Whereas New Zealand women are likely to be hippier . . . that affects what looks good and [therefore] what can be retailed."
World designer Denise L'Estrange-Corbet, whose debut into the international arena was at Australian Fashion Week in 1997, also agrees New Zealand fashion is very different from Australian.
"I do not know if this is because of the climate, but I also find the style of Sydneysiders very different from Aucklanders. It is not a good or a bad thing, it is just different and clothing is about expression."
For her part, NZTE commissioner Sara Lochore says much of New Zealand fashion labels' success is personality driven. She says there is usually a strong infusion of the designers' personalities in their creations influenced by the designers themselves, their backgrounds, their upbringing and their cultural experiences all of which help drive the individual label's looks and philosophy.
Creative freedom also plays its part, Lochore argues.
"I certainly don't think New Zealand has the monopoly on creative freedom but we do recognise that it is one of the key ways we can mark our mark on the world - our film industry being a prime example."
Opai thinks differently.
"I would describe it as more an innovation born of necessity. New Zealand's fashion industry predominantly consists of small to medium enterprises and with their limited resources, they have to find innovative solutions in order to remain competitive and grow their business."


PQ: "It's great clothing that doesn't demand supermodel proportions or a chauffeur driven lifestyle."