Now in its 17th year, Federation started with Jenny Joblin who won an international award at 11-years-old. First taught by her late mother, Dundas started working at Karen Walker during her fashion degree. Soon after she worked for Helen and Chris Cherry as a design assistant and then started her own label – Federation. Today, Federation consists of a tight knit group of eight staff members. “We all have our roles, but help each other out and focus on our product and making the company the best it can be,” said Ben Dundas, co-designer and husband of Jenny. “We have two designers, Jenny and myself, we work so closely together to make sure the ranges, fabrics print stories flow cohesively between the ranges with our Graphic Designer.”
Federation is stocked in over 80 stores scattered around New Zealand and a handful overseas. The flagship store can be found in Takapuna, Auckland which is attached to the workroom.
The collection showing at New Zealand Fashion Week this year features a strong story of colours and textures through both the mens’ and the womens’ ranges. A highlight of the show is an exciting print story that will be available straight after the show as a new addition. This will be Federation’s second year back at NZFW after a long hiatus, the brand first showcased at NZFW in 2002. “We’ve had good reviews about our show last year so we are trying to push it to the next level. It’s a great tool to show to a diverse audience our collection and this year there are some great international buyers and media that will be here to check out some New Zealand collections,” added Ben Dundas. “Hopefully, they like what they see and encourage some more export for the New Zealand fashion industry.”
