Christchurch came to life as its best-dressed crowd flocked to shows, panels and presentations of the Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival, in partnership with New Zealand Fashion Week.
A busy morning consisted of a fragrance launch from taylor and collection viewings with Zambesi. Lela Jacobs and Natural Hand drew a crowd to a historic Lyttleton Port venue for the show I Made My Coat a Mountain.
Two talks in partnership with FashioNZ and Frame HR were hosted at the stunning CoCA Gallery, with two talks highlighting industry stalwarts (Juliette Hogan, Dan Ahwa, Mary Outram ++) discussing how they started, and an insightful conversation between a curated selection of creators (Sammy Salsa, Bella Wright, Kaarina Parker & Jessie Kirk).
Our Beyond The Runway panel series made its Christchurch debut first on Saturday with Christchurch Giltrap for Style that Lasts / Investing in Fashion for Impact featuring Peri Drysdale, Lou Heller and Gayle Burchell (Chief Commercial Officer & Sustainability Lead - THE ICONIC).
Saturday afternoon saw the foyer of the James Hay light up with florals, linen and frills before the Caitlin Crisp x BONNIE show.
The theatre was upbeat with a soundtrack to match, and glowing models, thanks to BONNIE, dressed in bright colours, were met with much delight from the audience.
A debut children's line was revealed, with the cutest Mother & Mini duos in matching looks.
The Spring Edit on Saturday evening showcased a strong lineup of New Zealand designers, from Elle + Riley, Kathryn Wilson and Zambesi, to Knuefferman, Nom*d and Sylvester.
Ladi6 returned with her signature soul, keeping the vibes high whilst backstage, models dressed into curated looks by Margi Robertson's Plume, featuring international heavyweights Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garçons, Ann Demeulemeester and more.
On Sunday, Dan Ahwa, NZFW Creative Director, presented a live styling masterclass at Ballantynes, part of the Beyond the Runway series. Ballantyne's stylist, Leigh-Anne Rheeder, joined Dan for an intimate conversation that shared styling tips from the insiders.
