For most women, fashion is simply about having fun, but New Zealand Fashion Week is all business for two Tauranga designers who are preparing for one of their busiest weeks of the year.
Teresa Hodges from BLAK will this year show a collection based around "dark fairy tales and dreams entwined
with secrets".
The BLAK BASICS brand, which was launched at Fashion Week in 2007, is now stocked at Thanks in Mount Maunganui as well as other stores around the country.
Ms Hodges said New Zealand Fashion Week had given her brand a huge boost in the industry.
Last year, she introduced BLAK LUXE, which allowed her to give BASICS a more creative edge. This season's pieces feature "soft ivory and nudes, mixed with black and charcoal".
BLAK BASICS specialises in producing wearable, feminine clothes, while BLAK LUXE carves a slightly more creative edge on women's staple items.
Ms Hodges is juggling preparations for the event, which runs from August 29 to September 3, with being a mum to her newborn baby and 5-year-old daughter.
"It's a challenge to fit everything into my day, but it's all worth it when you see the collection on the catwalk."
It was hard work bringing the show to life but seeing the final result was "such a buzz".
Also attending New Zealand Fashion Week is Mount Maunganui-based brand Chaos & Harmony, which will supply designers with shoes for the catwalk.
The fashion footwear label has been featured in magazines including Fashion Quarterly and Cleo since its launch in September 2008.
It has also been worn in photo shoots by New Zealand's Next Top Model contestants.
Lead designer and managing director Rebecca Anderson said she and business partner Renee Ryland were hard at work preparing for Fashion Week.
"We are currently working on the new range, [then] we will need to photograph all the product, plus keep in contact with our customers," she said.
Ms Anderson described the Spring/Summer 2011/12 collection as light, fun and adventurous.
"The range has a bold and outgoing atmosphere of the 1950s and 1970s, with chunky heels, thick platforms and floral wedges."
For Chaos & Harmony, the biggest worry in Fashion Week was samples turning up late or shoes not fitting models.
"There are always things that happen at the last minute," Ms Anderson said, "but we always come up with a solution."
See the official NZ Fashion Week website here
For most women, fashion is simply about having fun, but New Zealand Fashion Week is all business for two Tauranga designers who are preparing for one of their busiest weeks of the year.
Teresa Hodges from BLAK will this year show a collection based around "dark fairy tales and dreams entwined
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