Fashion Week combines high fashion, Kiwi ingenuity
01 Sep 2008
New Zealand designers are excited about new state of the art wool fabrics set to be showcased at Air New Zealand Fashion Week.
Kiwis are well known for their rural ingenuity, and recently AgResearch, New Zealand’s largest Crown Research Institute, has teamed with Canesis Network Ltd - formerly Wool Research Organisation - to develop a range of high quality wool-based fabrics that are flame resistant, stab resistant and environmentally friendly.
In order to promote these innovative new textiles, several designers will contribute garments made from AgResearch’s special fabrics to feature in the group collection show.
Many designers
Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2008 runs from 16-21 September.
Many of New Zealand’s cutting-edge designers including Annah Stretton, twentysevennames, Stitch Ministry, Hailwood, Jaeha, Cybèle, Sera Lilly, and Salasai will be working with AgResearch’s wool fabrics for Fashion Week, and they are extremely enthusiastic about the marketing potential of the new product.
Prominent New Zealand designer Annah Stretton commented: "If you can bring agriculture and fashion together through innovative textile development then you’re successfully opening up a whole new side of fashion in New Zealand … Fashion Week is driving New Zealand fashion development in the right direction and it’s exciting to see so many designers on board already" she said.
Innovative fabrics
Designers have been especially impressed by AgResearch’s Natural Easy Care 100% wool suit and shirt fabric. It requires no chemical anti-shrinking treatments, can be machine-washed and tumble-dried.
Designer Kirsha Witcher of Salasai chose this particular fabric for her addition to the group collection.
"It has got such beautiful drape - it’s really hard to find a lightweight fabric that is woven and 100% wool," she says.
AgResearch’s other high quality, durable fabrics on show will include ‘vintage merino’ fabric that has an aged and washed look, a next-to-skin merino wool yarn that combines the benefits of wool with the softness of cotton, a flame and puncture resistant fabric, and a possum and wool blend that can be knitted directly from the fibre, without needing to be spun into a yarn first.
Catwalk shows
For the eighth year running, Auckland will be buzzing with numerous catwalk shows and trade exhibitions that cater for world-class guests.
Fashion enthusiasts from around the globe will have the opportunity to experience New Zealand’s distinct style which is steadily making a name for itself on the world market.
The AgResearch Group Collection show will be held on 19 September at Shed Two in Auckland’s Viaduct Basin.
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