New Zealand Fashion Brands Making Mark Overseas

A group of emerging designers from Australia and New Zealand are plotting global expansion, according to Vogue’s Madeleine Schulz. For some, Afterpay Australian Fashion Week (AAFW), which ran from 15 to 19 May, is the platform to be seen by international buyers and land in retailers in markets like the US and Europe. Others who are more seasoned, such as New Zealand label Paris Georgia and Australian designer Christopher Esber, are heading to Paris Fashion Week to carve out a space during one of the industry’s most high-profile events, Schulz reports.

Paris Mitchell Temple and Georgia Cherrie launched their contemporary womenswear brand Paris Georgia in Auckland, in 2015, and quickly drew support from Australian stockists. To date they have chosen not to show at AAFW, though they don’t rule it out for the future. For now, parties and dinners are their events of choice, and they meet buyers in Paris through showroom appointments.

London-based Cherrie says it’s the central hub for global buyers. “It’s the place where you’ll capture the most buyers as everyone travels there.”

Original article by Madeleine Schulz, Vogue, May 17, 2023.