Sakaguchi wows international buyers and agents
Christchurch designer, Takaaki Sakaguchi, is literally overwhelmed by the interest from international fashion buyers
and agents, following his first catwalk show at L’Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week.
His exquisitely tailored collection, which included everything from highly directional pieces through to special
occasion wear, was a definite hit with the 500-strong audience at the Auckland Town Hall this afternoon. During the
show, three outfits even drew spontaneous applause.
The penultimate piece was a red satin coat with a six-metre train, which was modelled at the very end of his collection.
Just hours after the show, Takaaki had been approached by one European retailer and two US agents. A number of New
Zealand and Australian retailers also made immediate contact in order to view the collection further and discuss
carrying the Sakaguchi label.
Given that Takaaki was showing at L’Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week in order to launch his label to the wholesale market,
he describes this is a fantastic result.
“We’ve been really surprised in the level of interest – it’s our first show so it’s great to get such an international
response,” said Takaaki Sakaguchi.
“But there’s still a lot of hard work to do during the week – we’re holding off on the celebrations until we get back to
Christchurch!”
Sakaguchi was one of three Canterbury labels showing at L’Oreal New Zealand Fashion Week in the Group 1 Show. Together
with Barbara Lee and tango, Sakaguchi is sponsored by ClothesLink Canterbury, the apparel cluster of the Canterbury
Development Corporation.