Backstage at Zambesi - NZFW AW13

As anyone who is following my Twitter, Posterous and Facebook feeds already knows, I am currently in Auckland covering New Zealand Fashion Week – along with numerous other Australian and international media reps, as a guest of the organisers. I am attempting to see every show and file in real-time as I go. I am also shooting backstage with a DSLR, but this obviously requires a/backstage access and b/time to produce galleries. As I have pointed out on numerous previous occasions during fashion weeks, when you are a one-man band it's impossible to do everything. Just on real-time access to the event, it's worth noting that some NZ designers seem to be a little twitchy regarding pre-show Twitter coverage this year. Hard to say why as it's most certainly not the first time Twitter has been at the event. Perhaps there's just a greater volume of it. If they want to limit backstage access pre-show then that is entirely their choice. Brands such as Burberry, which now Tweets its entire collection from backstage before the models hit the runway, take a very different approach. Here is the first gallery: taken at Monday night's Zambesi show. 

Zambesi's World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is just a week from kickoff in New Zealand, so it’s hardly surprising that some of its athletic chic appears to have rubbed off on the locals. The focal point of Zambesi’s Autumn/Winter 2012 collection was an oh-so-sportif fluorescent yellow, that Zambesi patriarch Neville Findlay quipped to frockwriter backstage has seen his wife, business partner and the brand’s womenswear director, Elisabeth Findlay, move into “high vis Liz” gear for the season. He may not not be wrong on the collection's visibility factor. This was a strong collection from Zambesi, arguably one of its best ever. Deconstructed sportswear is the fulcrum of this brand’s DNA, on this occasion given a shot of adrenalin with a unisex vibe and the eye-popping palette, that also included an electric kingfisher blue. Opening with a slick, Mod-like black knitwear series slashed with fluoro yellow banding, then followed a fluoro yellow mens anorak – courtesy menswear designer Dayne Johnston – that will no doubt be equally coveted by women and a loose fluoro yellow and black womens’ sweater dress that looked like an oversized footy jumper filched from the bf. 

Krystal Glynn for Zambesi Spring/Summer 2011/2012, designers line up for NZFW

We mentioned that new Australian face Krystal Glynn had recently shot the Spring/Summer 2011/2012 advertising campaign for New Zealand brand Zambesi. Above and below is a first look at the campaign, which stars Glynn alongside Kiwis Josh Skelton and David Kemp and was lensed by Marissa Findlay (makeup by Amber D for MAC, hair by Jason Chong Li for Stephen Marr). Expect to see Glynn front and centre at Zambesi's runway show at the upcoming New Zealand Fashion Week, which runs from August 29th to September 2nd at brand new digs, the Viaduct Events Centre. Zambesi is one of nearly 60 brands that NZFW organisers announced earlier this week would be joining their Autumn/Winter 2012 showcase. Other headliners: World (which frockwriter hears is closing the event), Trelise Cooper, Helen Cherry and Workshop Denim, Jimmy D, Stolen Girlfriends Club and Miranda Brown. Solo debuts include newcomers Celine Rita, Ingrid Starnes and Whiri. Hats off to the resilience of two Christchurch-based labels that are joining this year's lineup: the very well-established luxury eco label Untouched World and newbie MisterR, whose Christchurch store was destroyed during February 22nd's devastating earthquake which claimed 182 lives.  

Krystal method

No surprise that Krystal Glynn has found herself much in demand over the past three months. The 16 year-old from Sydney's Penrith - who frockwriter first profiled in April, a week after she was scouted on Bondi Beach - popped up in 10 shows at Australian Fashion Week in May (including Friend of Mine). In the interim Glynn has been shooting back-to-back for Australasian fashion brands: Spring/Summer 2011/2012 campaigns for Saba, Country Road, Zambesi, General Pants, Valley Girl and One Teaspoon and lookbooks for Akira Isogawa and Michael Lo Sordo. Above and below: a first look at the Michael Lo Sordo SS1112 images (once again, an alert to RSS subscribers: you will need to head to the blog to view the photogallery). That's in addition to editorial shoots for Australian mags Madison, Grazia, Cleo, Russh (two editorials) and Oyster (four editorials). Busy, busy girl. 

Catching up with Alice Burdeu backstage at Zambesi

Here is a quick backstage interview (below) I managed to grab with Alice Burdeu after last night’s Zambesi show, which she opened – one of 19 shows that Burdeu told me she is doing this week. It was noisy, so it’s a little hard to hear (and better with headphones). Great to see Burdeu back in action. She is looking really good. As she mentions, she has been taking a break to study psychology at Melbourne’s RMIT. Looking forward to seeing more of her later in the week.

A tribe called vest - Zambesi Autumn/Winter 2011

 

Zambesi has a kind of wild, vagabond aesthetic that perfectly sums up the dark intellectualism of New Zealand fashion. Yet while the brand has a very loyal fan base, often the runway collections, which rarely appear to be edited, tend to drift off into a blur of deconstructed layering. Hands down, however, this was their best runway show to date. The impressive, ascetic set design, which saw models emerge from an inverted ‘V’ fashioned from white cotton-swathed scaffolding, set the stage for a sophisticated collection that not only hit commercial high notes, but also had light and shade. The trademark layered dresses and tunics in variations of black segued into a series of fluid trousers and techno taffeta parkas in crisp arctic whites, while brocades and lace were deployed in more opulent eveningwear pieces, from chemises to quilted knickerbockers and cigarette pants. Anchored by a series of fabulous, glam rock faux shag furs in gunmetal grey and off-white, the coats were particularly strong. Here is the show finale, below. See frockwriter’s Posterous for more images.

Zambesi's speed racer

angie tinker


Frockwriter mentioned that Zambesi’s Neville Findlay is a rev head. Here’s a shot of the co-founder of the iconic Kiwi fashion label – which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year – that was just snapped at the Taupo Motorsport Park for today's second and final round of the 2009 North Island Endurance Series, a four-hour race. Findlay qualified fifth. As you can see, Findlay has upgraded from his brother’s Datsun 260Z, that he raced in March, to what we understand is a very rare BMW ZM coupe. We also have it on good authority that Findlay and his wife/business partner and the head Zambesi designer, Liz Findlay, are making a real weekend of it – having booked the honeymoon suite at Lake Taupo’s luxury motor lodge Chantilly’s. Can a Zambesi-customised car be far away?

Zambesi invites Sydney to its 30th birthday party

zambesi AW09/zambesi

Two thousand and nine marks the 30th anniversary of one of New Zealand's best-known fashion labels - Zambesi - and to kick off celebrations, founders Elisabeth and Neville Findlay will return to Rosemount Australian Fashion Week after a one year hiatus. The show is locked in, Neville Findlay told frockwriter, for the Tuesday 28th April 12.30pm time slot and will be the first of a series of birthday events that are planned for the year.

The business originally started out as retail-only in 1976, with two Auckland multibrand boutiques called Cachet and Tart, whose offer included Kiwi Marilyn Sainty and Oz brands Adele Palmer and JAG Jeans.

The Zambesi label and store (31 Lorne Street, Auckland) launched three years later:



Thirty years down the track, Zambesi's trademark sauvage chic sells through 50 doors internationally, including Moscow's Cara & Co and the Tokyo luxury mecca Restir.

With, moreover, their industrial chic vibe and avant garde multibrand mix - that also includes NOM*d, Martin Margiela, Rick Owens, Raf Simons menswear and AF Vandevorst, NDC and Costume National accessories - Zambesi's six standalone stores in New Zealand and Australia count amongst the best Australasian fashion retail.

Considering that Elisabeth Findlay's sister Margi Robertson helms the iconic Dunedin fashion brand NOM*d, the Findlay-Robertsons have got to be the First Family of New Zealand fashion.

What has Neville Findlay, who is a qualified industrial design engineer, learned about the ragtrade in the last 30 years?

He told frockwriter:

"I've learned that my lovely wife is a machine, she’s a natural and she’s just brimming with creativity. As an engineer, I've learned that it doesn't really matter what you do in your life, you apply it. I've also learned that you’ve got to roll with the punches and enjoy yourself. And don’t listen to the press too much, especially the business press. I stopped reading the paper [specifically, he later added, The New Zealand Herald] about six months ago".

neville findlay racing his bro's datsun 260Z two weekends ago

And it seems that fashion isn't Findlay's last career tangent.

According to Findlay, his latest passion is fanging around a circuit race track - the next instalment of which is slated to be in the Open Class section of New Zealand's BMW Race Series.

Quipped Findlay, "I'm calling it adventure before dementia".



Click here to see the updated RAFW schedule (details confirmed independently by the designers or their reps, prior to IMG's official April 15 release).

all pics: zambesi