Mercedes Benz presents designer Zambesi chat Fashion Week 2017 and what goes into getting their runway show ready
Fashion Week is one of the biggest events on the New Zealand social calendar and a lot of work goes in behind the scenes to make sure it is a stand out event time and time again.
The next few days will see more heels, lipstick and avant garde outfits storming Auckland's waterfront pavements than any other week in the year. And while it may be the most glamorous date on New Zealand's social calendar, for the designers putting on the shows, it's anything but.
For Kiwi fashion stalwarts Zambesi, there's extra pressure on their shoulders as they open the week's events tonight carrying the accolade of Mercedes-Benz Presents Designer for Fashion Week 2017.
Designer Dayne Johnston says: "It's extra pressure because there is kind of like expectation on us because were partnering with Mercedes and we are opening the event and I think it's exciting and scary at the same time."
One of New Zealand's longest standing fashion houses, Zambesi's journey started in 1979 for co-owners Liz and Neville Findlay.
Now, 38 years later, Liz describes the award as "pretty exciting".
"It's a wonderful accolade because of Mercedes-Benz's commitment to the fashion industry internationally and I think it's wonderful to be aligned with such a great brand."
So where do they begin when preparing for the biggest show of the year? Liz says it all comes back to the basics.
"It always begins with fabric choices. For me fabric is such an integral part of any collection, I'm sort of drawn to using particular fabrics, so that's always a starting point for me."
This year the focus for their runway show will be on two bespoke outfits that Mercedes-Benz commissioned the designers to make.
The Zambesi show is set to open Fashion Week 2017, tonight at 8.30pm. Photo / Supplied
A men's and women's outfit will preview for the first time in their opening runway show, looks that Dayne believes will create the energy for the rest of their collection.
"We started with two bespoke outfits and I think that's what kind of simultaneously created the inspiration and the feeling and the kind of energy through the collection."
With so many stunning pieces being created in their workroom, you couldn't blame the designers for struggling to decide what makes it down the runway.
Liz shared: "Three days out from the show we start styling, so we'll have a male model and female model and we just start dressing them and putting it together then.
"So it's not pre-done, if you like. It's not complete looks that we start designing. We start designing lots of individual pieces and then a few days out we start putting them together and that's actually the exciting part."
So what can we expect to see on the Zambesi runway tonight? Dayne reveals the focus will be on a strong winter collection with a mix of bold tailoring and knitwear.
Liz and Dayne, the designers behind Zambesi. Photo / Supplied
"I think winter is one of our favourite seasons where we can kind of go quite hard out with knitwear, with coats, with kind of tailoring.
"We favour kind of natural fibres, so we always work with wool," says Dayne.
"The momentum of that [Fashion Week] has given us a sense of creating things that are going to look powerful on the runway."
Zambesi is well known as a brand defined by cutting its own path rather than conforming to trends.
"We are not a label that is developing something that's going to be the next big thing. I think we stay on our own path and we use our individuality to create more of a vibe to the collection rather than it being trend based."
Co-founder Neville believes that the brand's 38-year legacy of sticking true to that design aesthetic has lead to a "pretty exciting life" for himself and wife Liz.
Zambesi's legacy will be showcased tonight on the runway at Fashion Week 2017.
