The showgirls and boys: Red Eleven Models - NZFW Autumn/Winter 2013

holly rose by amanda betts/red eleven models

New Zealand Fashion Week is rapidly approaching - September 3-7 – and as with any fashion week, eyes will of course not only be on the designers, but the models. With more focus on Australian and New Zealand modelling talent than ever before - not to mention the recent antipodian beachhead recently established in Sydney by the world's biggest modelling agency, IMG Models - we thought we would preview some of the models who will be walking Auckland's runways next month. Continuing on from the showcard series we previewed in the leadup to May's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia, here are the NZFW showcards from a few of the key New Zealand agencies. First up, Red Eleven Models.

Eye of the Tiger: Melise Williams rocks Nicola Finetti's lookbook

Melise Williams is definitely on frockwriter’s Ones 2 Watch list. We first spotted her in November 2008 in a student fashion show in Sydney when she was just 15. Clocked her February 2010 cover of NZ’s Metro magazine. And bumped into her at last month's Rosemount Australian Fashion Week – noting that she recently jumped ship from the Platform agency to Chic Management. Sadly Williams only did three RAFW shows - Gary Bigeni, Camilla and Therese Rawsthorne. Nicola Finetti was not one of them, however she did just score Finetti’s Spring/Summer 2010/2011 lookbook. Click here to see frockwriter’s preview of the lookbook on Posterous. Sixteen year-old Williams was also included in a series of promotional video interviews that were recently shot in Sydney to coincide with the launch of a new film called Tiger, a fictional story about models working in Tokyo.

Here's the trailer:



The film was produced by the Beaufort collective – which is fronted by the enigmatic, multitasking Sydney actor/producer/comedian and erstwhile model James McFay.

Also known as James Maclurcan, he is apparently best-known for playing Mackenzie 'Mack' Hartford, the Red Ranger, in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive and was once part of a comedy group called The Nice Guys.

What does Williams have to do with Tiger or McFay/Maclurcan?

Absolutely no idea. But here she is:

In the swim: Melise Williams

metro/platform models

Remember Melise Williams? Frockwriter spotted her back in November 2008 at the graduation show for Sydney Institute's Fashion Design Studio. Then just 15, the statuesque Olga Sherer lookalike was too young to participate in 2009's Rosemount Australian Fashion Week. However Williams is now 16, RAFW's Spring/Summer 2010/2011 showcase - the fifteen year anniversary of the event - is just three months away and it will be interesting to see how she fares. Platform Models is not a major Sydney agency, but here's a player alert: Josh Flinn has just joined the agency as a booker. Well-connected Flinn is ex-IMG FASHION Asia Pacific, a great mate of Sydney expat uber-stylist Ms Fitz (and a Banana in Pyjamas in his spare time) and could help raise the agency's profile.

Williams has just returned from a month-long stint in Auckland, where she shot a multi-girl swimwear editorial for Metro magazine (above/below), with one of the shots making the cover.

While in New Zealand, where she is repped by Nova Models, Williams appears to have done at least one other swimwear shoot. This could enhance her chances of booking RAFW shows this particular season. Not every model is, of course, cut out for swimwear.

With the cancellation of IMG's Swim Fashion Week which was due to take place later this month, IMG has announced it will amp up the swimwear focus of the SS1011 showcase.

In the interim, the Gold Coast Council is planning to stage a smaller replacement event called BusinessGC on March 2-3.

Absence of Melise - but perhaps not for much longer

Meet Melise Williams. No, you have never heard of her, that’s right. Nor had frockwriter - until we spotted her at last week’s graduation show for Sydney Institute’s Fashion Design Studio. In fact, the doe-eyed beauty really stood out from the pack. We tracked her down to her Australian mother agency which, as it turned out, was just about to launch Williams into orbit.




Williams is 15 and has been modelling for three years.

Initially signed to Platform Models' Cute Kids childrens division, she quickly moved into the modelling division after becoming too tall.

Work to date has consisted of some very low profile fashion shows, including those of UTS, Rosie Hogan, Antonia Paris and the Fashion Design Studio – including the latter’s Australian Fashion Week show in May this year. And evidently in spite of the under-16 ban that had been imposed on the event.



A kind of Ivanka Trump/Olga Sherer hybrid, Williams boasts, perhaps not surprisingly, a Turkish/Bosnian heritage.

Just out of braces - and turning 16 next month - Williams will remain at school but hopes to continue to model in her school holidays.

Frockwriter has a hunch that she is going to do well.



two shots above/platform models