Adrienne Whitewood is very passionate about the emotional connection her customers have with her clothes. Her label is predominantly sold in her Rotorua boutique, Ahu Boutique, which also supports other indigenous designs and manufacturers. Adrienne believes her womenswear label connects with her customers so well because it allows them to associate with the pride of Aotearoa’s cultural heritage. What Adrienne loves about New Zealand, and Maori designs in particular, is that everything has a meaningful story behind it as well as a purpose. Her clothing in-store is ready-to-wear and utilises merino, basic cut out cottons and dresses however on the runway Adrienne likes to enhance her label with a slightly edgier aesthetic. This will be Adrienne Whitewood’s fourth time at NZ Fashion Week in the Miromoda show and this year the show will bring awareness to her website’s re-launch. Adrienne’s career highlight is opening her own boutique, which she hopes to do again in another New Zealand city. What Leslie loves about the New Zealand fashion industry is how established New Zealand designers are so supportive of new designers. She also sees New Zealand as a leader in indigenous products and she hopes she can apply what she has learnt with Ahu Boutique to overseas indigenous cultures.
