New Zealand Fashion Week will return in 2023 after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced by the new owners and leadership. The “reimagined event” is scheduled to take place from late August to early September at the Viaduct Events Centre on Auckland’s waterfront. This year’s event will be the first Fashion Week post-pandemic and the first under the new leadership. The last event was held in 2019, and the attempt to make a comeback last year was forced to cancel due to the pandemic’s continued efforts to protect the country against COVID-19.
The new format will have a more consumer-friendly focus, allowing the general public to attend more shows than before and sit alongside industry moguls and designers. The event promises to be “bigger and better than ever before,” presenting a “redesigned and reimagined” showcase, general manager Yasmin Farry said in a statement to the media.
Sustainability, innovation, inclusivity, and digital technologies will also be key focus areas for this year’s event, including the cementation of a “sustainable and long-term partnership” with mana whenua, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, to amplify Māori voices and honor Te Tiriti, te ao Māori, and tikanga Māori.
Iconic local fashion designer Kate Sylvester has already committed to showcasing her latest designs on the revamped runway, celebrating the 30-year anniversary of Sylvester’s eponymous brand that has become rooted in Aotearoa’s fashion heritage.
Since its inception in 2001, Fashion Week’s goal has been to provide a launching pad for designers to grow their businesses both nationally and internationally, evolving from a trade and industry event to a multifaceted fashion, arts, and culture showcase with an active audience of more than 25,000 attendees. New Zealand Fashion Week 2023 will be held August 29 – September 2 at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland.
