Young Designers Given Optimum Opportunity
Optimum clothing, one of New Zealand's premier knitwear manufacturing companies has initiated a start up program for
selected young knitwear designers to enable them to launch their own collection in New Zealand and Australia.
The project, known as Young Designers @ Optimum, will nurture the talents of several new knitwear designers each season.
The designers selected by Optimum are some of the hottest young talent emerging from our tertiary design courses. Their
designs are up to the quality and standard of New Zealand and international designers.
Each designer has their ideas critiqued and refined by Optimum’s experienced staff. Yarn is sourced from Europe and
purchased by Optimum who then take care of sample manufacture, selling, production and distribution throughout
Australasia.
Each collection carries with it a thorough design concept, realised in each garment. The designers are committed to the
New Zealand fashion industry and they are determined to do well and grow within their chosen field. Optimum sees
knitwear as a viable, affordable and directional medium for fashion designers to make their mark.
The range of 30 styles has recently been sold to retailers throughout Australasia, receiving sound first season orders
for all collections, and will reach those retailers for the Winter 2004 season.
From his experience in the New Zealand fashion industry, Optimum managing director Tim Fawcett says with certainty that
these designers are producing high-quality garments that can compete on a national and international level. Young
Designers @ Optimum also exhibited at the recent L’Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week.
Auckland’s University of Technology currently graduates between 20 and 30 knitwear specialists every year, yet the
industry does not have the resources to accommodate such a yearly influx. Optimum is one of only a few fashion
businesses in New Zealand to recognise this, opening it’s doors to young designers to relieve them of the constraints of
sampling costs and of time endured working up a body of contacts in the industry.
The management at Optimum have been making knitwear in New Zealand for New Zealanders since the mid 1970's. They
continue to manufacture their own collections, along with knitwear for some of the country’s top fashion design houses.
The Young Designers @ Optimum collections are available on loan for editorial through Showroom 22 immediately.