New Zealand Fashion Week Gets A New Look For 2011

Media Statement For immediate release May 2011

New Home, New Dates New Zealand Fashion Week Gets A New Look For 2011

New Zealand's premiere fashion event, New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW), has confirmed its dates, with models ready to walk from Monday 29 August 2011 and closing with Fashion Weekend, on Saturday 3 September.

The 2011 showcase moves to a new residence, in the soon to be finished Viaduct Events Centre, positioned in a prime waterfront location on the Halsey Street wharf extension, at the Auckland Viaduct Harbour.

With sweeping views from the Harbour Bridge to the City and beyond, the venue, which will be used for the first time by NZFW, is the perfect location for showcasing New Zealand's most impressive fashion talents.

NZFW Managing Director Pieter Stewart says the preparation for the 2011 event has been punctuated by changes, but is excited by the many new opportunities these changes are offering.

"2011 is a year of transformations for Auckland and New Zealand. A new City Council, the continuing revamp of the look and infrastructure of the central city area, the Rugby World Cup just around the corner and the challenges of what remains a tough economic climate.

As a small organization, NZFW has been challenged by landscape of change, including a move to the new venue. But our talented team is looking forward to opening night and another fantastic fashion week, when the fashion world looks down-under for inspiration," said Stewart.

NZFW is also excited by the new support of Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED), the newly formed, council controlled organisation, charged with lifting the Auckland region's economic wellbeing.

ATEED has identified NZFW as one of four key, existing Auckland events that deliver significant returns to the city and offer potential for growth in the future.

As an event showcasing an industry that contributes $230m in exports annually to the economy, NZFW has successfully generated huge financial benefits to the Auckland region and the country, across 10 years.

This partnership will see NZFW and ATEED working together, to ensure the successful event continues to grow. Specifically in 2011, the relationship will see NZFW deliver more value for potential sponsors, through the added support the agency can provide in securing international media and VIP's ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

A further strategic partnership with the REAL NZ Festival Office will ensure New Zealand designers have the opportunity to maximize the potential benefits of the 2011 Rugby World Cup (RWC).

During the six-week tournament, NZFW will take New Zealand fashion on tour around the country, with a series of fashion shows scheduled for Dunedin, Christchurch Wellington and Auckland. It will also bring fashion to the doorstep of visiting rugby fans, with boutique showrooms located in hotels, ensuring potential buyers can engage with the best New Zealand's designers from the comfort of their hotel rooms.

In the coming months, Stewart will continue to piece together the NZFW schedule and with the list of confirmed designers growing by the day, the schedule is filling fast.

An announcement about the final line up will be made in the weeks prior to the event, but in the mean time, the extended NZFW team and New Zealand's talented fashion industry will be working tirelessly, to ensure NZFW 2011 is the best Fashion Week yet.

ENDS

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