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On Saturday, the final day of New Zealand Fashion Week Kahuria, there were two queues in Ponsonby.

That morning, more than 850 people lined the footpaths outside Ponsonby Central for the opening of a new LSKD store, and to score one of 400 free pairs of leggings being given away from the Australian activewear brand. Just metres away was another new activewear store, Sweaty Betty, recently opened in the corner spot that fashion stalwarts Zambesi had called home for 20 years (they just announced a new Commercial Bay store).

Driving past, I thought about a story of mine that I’d re-read just before this year’s NZFW began: written in 2012, it is one of perennial ‘what is fashion week what is the future what are we all doing here’ existential crisis type stories that have been published over the years (I've written probably 50% of them...).

The part of the story that I thought about, a little uneasily, as I saw that swarm of shoppers was a comment from NZFW founder Dame Pieter Stewart. “There is a subtle erosion going on at a foundation level of fashion in this country, and unless we really halt the erosion, we're going to be in a situation within two years where people walking down their streets in their local neighbourhood go, 'Oh, I wonder what happened to that cute boutique, I wonder what happened to that lovely store?'.” she said to me 13 years ago. “And there's going to be an Australian chain store in its place.” 

That future is here, now, and it’s wearing free leggings.

Back then Pieter talked about an urgent need for the industry to present itself to the international market as a group of brands that are solid and connected. Despite the challenges that persist (local manufacturing collapse, tariffs, the economy, the economy, the economy), what NZFW did do last week was to present itself, globally and locally, as an industry united: confident, connected and alive.

The opening Monday night show, held outdoors on the forecourt of Shed 10 (the weather and fashion gods were smiling down on event organisers), felt like a moment to pause, gather and connect (I wrote more about it here). Like the Zambesi show on the Karanga Plaza steps at the last NZFW, I loved seeing the commuting public stop to watch the show. Fashion is for all!

There were a lot of smiles, and some tears – I think it was the music, chosen by creative director Dan Ahwa and musical director Geneva AM (who also walked in the show). There was a sense of pride in the hard work and creativity of our designers, the talented faces who walked in the show and for the city which felt vibrant. Geneva’s track Pikipiki, from the just released album of the same name, closed the show, with te reo playing loudly and proudly against the backdrop of the glittering early evening skyline.

Pikipiki means to climb or ascend, and the uplifting song is about perseverance, never giving up and overcoming obstacles. Relevant! It was also the perfect match for the show’s closing look worn by superstar Kiwi model Jordan Daniels: a Carlson slip gown from 2017 worn with an Anti top and hat from 2025. The past, the future, the here and now, each piece made with love by hand.

There were literal obstacles on the runway at Karen Walker (a chaotically whimsical show I wrote in more detail about here). Her music also moved me, in a very different way. LCD Soundsystem’s I’m Losing My Edge felt like a darkly sarcastic and self-aware take on aging in the fashion industry; wry rather than victimised: “I’m losing my edge to better-looking people with better ideas and talent. And they’re actually really, really nice.” OK!

Speaking of aging and using your mana and experience for good: it was really nice to see leaders use their cultural capital to spotlight others. Kiri Nathan's Kāhui Collective show looked fantastic (go out and buy the designer’s clothes if you really want to support them, she said before the show), as did Vicki Taylor’s designer breakfast at her store The Shelter (a showcase of her ongoing platforming of other brands) and Lela Jacobs’ group presentation alongside emerging designers from her Karangahape Road space The Keep (a true creative supporting other creatives).

Sharing your light without ego like this takes confidence. And there was plenty of that last week. It was thrilling to see so many designers present strong collections and unabashed visions of who they were, from traditional fashion shows to other interpretations (the NZFW organisers encouraged a more ‘elastic’ format this year, as a way to encourage people to take part in any way they could). 

Claudia Li’s show was a real highlight, her first in three years after showing in New York. It was special to have her international experience on the local runway, and her silhouettes, fabrics, embellishment and styling felt fresh, playful and sure of itself.

Similarly, Juliette Hogan once again showed a clear-eyed vision of her brand; I was happy to see some showpieces that helped elevate the commerciality of the collection. Her surprise reveal at the close of the show, of glasses of champagne lined up for guests, was another moment to pause and connect.

Harris Tapper’s gothic tinged intimate presentation at a very intimate and candle-lit Blue was so self-assured, and helped solidify the brand’s identity to me. Rebe’s apartment concept was smart and sexy, presenting her capsule collection in the context of a ‘real’ (luxurious) home where everything was for sale (I wish I had been able to spend more time there, or go back during the day). Fashion in the context of life.

Zambesi was another purely on-brand showcase, bringing some evening buzz and glam to the venue – and a moody, sentimental collection – as was Kathryn Wilson’s always fun shoe shows. Untouched World’s mid-afternoon show was slick, and surprised a lot of people with the styling (Rebecca worked with them on this show and Dan styled it, so it’s hard for me to be objective; but I’d wear a lot of the pieces).

Behind all of the talk of connection and community – all good and important things – money was a looming consideration. We all need more of it, whether we’re fashion customers, business owners or creatives or all of the above.

It’s a reflection of the state of the nation (and world), but it was acknowledged up front at the opening where Judith Collins officially opened the week. “Long may it be a driver of the economy,” she said about the local fashion and textile industry which last year was worth $7.55b. She also acknowledged her contribution as a shopper and supporter of the local industry (she was wearing Trelise). “We have to keep the economy going and make us all rich and stuff.”

I rolled my eyes at this, but cynically I know that money talks (not to keep going on about it but the market is tough). So it was good to see brands like DHL and Giltrap put cash on the table – not just vibes – to Sarah Street of the footwear brand Bronwyn who won the Future of Fashion showcase scholarship and Rebe Healy who won the Giltrap Group Helping Kiwis Fly – Fashion Edition Award (say that three times fast).

Luxury car brands were all over designers (Maserati and Zambesi, Range Rover and Yu Mei, Porsche and Harris Tapper), brands were all over the week itself, and Giltrap Group has signed up with NZFW for a three-year partnership. Which, after five years of stops and starts and uncertainty, does help bring some clarity and assurance to the event which is, for better or worse, a centrepoint for the local fashion industry (I’m intrigued by the Christchurch expansion; an obvious extension).

NZ Fashion Week is not a fashion council and it is also not a charity, unlike say London Fashion Week, an initiative from the British Fashion Council, or New York Fashion Week whose schedule is owned and organised by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Is it NZFW’s job to deal with or solve the (many and complex) issues and obstacles designers and the fashion industry faces? It is not. (We do have fantastic organisations, like Mindful Fashion NZ, putting in a lot of mahi and advocacy behind the scenes).

But NZFW does play a role as a cheerleader – to the industry itself, which sometimes, especially recently, needs reminding of its fabulousness, but mostly to the public who are clearly hungry to line up to enjoy and spend their hard earned money on fashion.

Those queues... Auckland has become a city of them – mostly for food pop-ups – but there were others last week that made me feel hopeful.

Intimidating hip young things lining up ahead of Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa’s ‘underground’ shows on Karangahape Road. On Friday afternoon, as the rain poured and Shed 10 leaked (teething issues for the new NZFW venue which is literally a shed on a wharf), dedicated shoppers lined up in a queue that snaked through the entrance for the Kowtow NZ Designer Clothes Swap. And on the same Saturday as the LSKD opening, a queue of a different kind directly across the road later in the afternoon: a diverse and stylish mix of supporters lining up outside Goblin bar to see The Keep’s moving parade of one-off, slow fashion.

‍None of these queues were about freebies or marketing; they were people wanting to be part of something. It’s up to us – as customers, as designers, as media, as an industry – to decide what we’re willing to line up behind.