MEDIA RELEASE
Monday 25th August
NEW ZEALAND FASHION WEEK 2014
OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR ITS FOURTEENTH YEAR
This evening, Dame Pieter Stewart was joined by His Worship the Mayor Len Brown, MP Nikki Kaye and Designer Kate
Sylvester to officially open the fourteenth New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW).
Over 500 guests, including designers, sponsors, key industry players and international delegates attended the event at
the home of NZFW, Auckland’s ANZ Viaduct Events Centre.
Celebrating her brands 21st birthday this year, Kate Sylvester was given the honor of opening the event. The official
opening was then followed by a spectacular performance from global entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil.
As a company that champions innovative design and craftsmanship, Cirque du Soleil was honoured to showcase their passion
for creativity, skill and innovation at the opening of NZFW.
In a stunning highlight from their new show TOTEM, five incredible Cirque du Soleil female unicyclists captured the
style and excitement of NZFW performing in extraordinary custom designed costumes,tossing metal bowls to each other
using only their feet, while catching and balancing the bowls on their heads.
New Faces from some of Auckland’s top model agencies - Red 11, Clyne, 62 Models and Vanity Walk - offered a taster of
some of the fabulous fashion to come perched atop podiums in Spring Summer 2015 designs from Leila Jacobs, Salasai, Kate
Sylvester, Trelise Cooper, Juliette Hogan and Andrea Moore.
Pieter Stewart took the opportunity to recognize the enormous breadth of talent across New Zealand’s fashion industry
with five established designers celebrating significant milestones in 2014.
“ When I started NZFW nearly 15 years ago, the intention was to create a platform of growth for the NZ fashion industry.
To have so many designers celebrating key milestones at the event is a testament to the both the incredible talent of
these designers and the important role of NZFW in driving sales and brand exposure for the New Zealand fashion
industry.”
Five fabulous cakes designed by Karla Goodwin of Bluebells Cakery, honored the landmark birthdays of designers Juliette
Hogan, Taylor, Celine Rita, Kate Sylvester and Zambesi, with each cake inspired by the current creative direction of
each brand.
Each year a team of top professionals pulls together this weeklong event, which allows the best of New Zealand’s amazing
fashion industry to showcase their abundant talents to buyers, media and the fashion loving public.
With more than 70 labels showing and exhibiting at the event, across New Zealand Fashion Week and New Zealand Fashion
Weekend, and the strongest line up of designers to date, NZFW 2014 is set to be the best yet and the NZFW team wish all
the designers a very successful week!
Notes to the editor:
In 2014, New Zealand Fashion Week celebrates its 14th year as New Zealand’s only trade focussed and international
Fashion Week.
New Zealand Fashion Week is a trade focussed event where designers will show their 2015 Autumn / Winter collections to
media, buyers, industry spectators and their own top customers, with the objective of generating sales and editorial
coverage.
New Zealand Fashion Weekend is a public event that allows fashion lovers to see some of New Zealand’s top fashion
designers showing their in-season collections on the NZFW catwalk, amongst a relaxed and fun filled environment.
DATES FOR NZFW:
Monday 25 August – Sunday 31 August
ENDS