New Zealand Fashion Week
- Words by Kelley Sheenan
Guest post by Tullia Jack
New Zealand Fashion Week is always exciting. There’s something about the way our antipodean cousins approach fashion that is so unique and surprising we can’t help but admire. The same is true for the way they are tackling sustainable fashion. While I was at NZFW last week I had the chance to catch up with three designers whose approach I admire most.
Starfish has been on the radar since 2007 when they won the New Zealand Sustainable Business award. Designer Laurie Foon has a very holistic and inclusive approach to sustainable design. She has a strong focus on environmentally friendly textiles, sourcing the latest research to guide her choice in greige fabric. Laurie the uses the best available techniques to colour, print and finish the fabric. She is also one of the only designers I am aware of who considers clothing past the point of purchase. She recently set up a clothing take back scheme, refurbishing post consumer garments from past seasons and selling them in her retail stores. Their AW12 collection features long loose silhouettes, warm colours and super soft draping. Elegant tucking and tailoring gave a ladylike charm to the construction. We loved the felt booties too – tres chic!
Untouched World are the first clothing company to be recognised by the United Nations for sustainability. Designer Peri Drysdale founded the company in 1981 with some suitably conscious values. With a focus on quality and craftsmanship, Untouched World garments have a reputation for lasting across decades and continents. Untouched World is also heavily into research and development so every season advancements in wool technology are incorporated, which has lead to the inclusion of ecopossum, mountainsilk, organic cotton and bamboo.
Perfect for the woman with a packed schedule, Untouched World AW12 featured loose knit, low care garments. Inspired by a global nomad aesthetic, the collection was strong on separates, giving endless possibilities for outfit compositions. A comforting palette of neutrals resonated with the pared back eco-fashionista inside and set the scene for some eye-popping phoenix red highlights.
Finally, I really loved the MisteR show. While designers Mickey Lin and Ra Thomson are still at the outset of their journey in sustainable fashion, they do have a honest and multifaceted approach to their business. They also get brownie points for the goodies bags, provided by Liminal Apparel. Liminal make some great fairtrade organic cotton Tshirts and bags that they invite other designers to apply their ideas to. They are really involved with helping producers and growers in their supply chain work towards alleviating poverty.
MisteR’s AW12 collection provided a cheeky school yard vibe, with bold plaids, office blue stripes and rugby red. The styling was almost painfully cute with soft toy gingerbread brooches and felt love hearts. For the fellas the bow-ties and neck-ties added a playful element – it’s a trend I really want to see on the street!
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“My piece of advice for makers and designers? Run your own race… make sure your key decisions stay anchored in your brand’s core beliefs.”
- Bec Bligh
Quick show of hands: who’s opened a water bottle expecting a refreshing sip… and instead been greeted by the unmistakable whiff of uh-oh?
Because for something that follows us everywhere (desk, car, hikes, yoga…), the humble drink bottle is strangely prone to becoming a science experiment. Hard-to-clean corners and gaskets. Mystery smells. Bec Bligh and her husband Tim know it well. A six-month sailing trip along the Queensland coast left them with a lifetime of memories and one stubborn annoyance: mouldy water bottles they couldn’t properly clean.
So they did something about it.
Enter @EverVessel. Thoughtfully designed borosilicate glass and stainless steel bottles that keep things beautifully simple: durable materials, wide openings, easy-to-clean parts and none of the techy gimmicks that tend to age badly. Turns out simplicity, done well, is pretty powerful stuff. (Their many design awards agree!)
And lately they’ve added a little extra delight: the Artist Series, where creatives like Paola Castro, Ben Miners and Martin Thompson transform these everyday companions into tiny travelling artworks. There are more colabs in the works, too: hydration, but make it joyful! 🎨💧
We chatted with Bec about the sailing trip that started it all, the philosophy behind Ever Vessel, and why the most sustainable product is often just the one you keep using.
Tap the link in our bio to read the full conversation. 🚰
#EverVessel #ReusableWaterBottle
Pull up a chair… there’s room at this table!
For the first time, Feast for Freedom is bringing people together for a spectacular long-table dinner as part of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.
A Longer Table is exactly what it sounds like: one beautiful shared table inside the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1), piled with generous dishes inspired by this year’s hero cooks, Noha and Nige.
From 6 to 9pm on Wednesday, 25 March, this is what you can expect:
🍽 A three-course shared feast
🍷 Matched drinks
🎶 Live entertainment
✨ A room full of good humans
Your ticket doesn’t just buy you a delicious dinner. It supports the ASRC’s vital work and helps create a fairer future for people seeking asylum.
Seats are limited, and long tables have a way of filling up quickly – head to @MelbFoodAndWine’s website to book now: feastforfreedom.org.au/mfwf
#FeastForFreedom #MelbourneFoodAndWineFestival #LongTableDinner #FoodForChange
Sew versatile! 🪡
Another great make from Lisa from @SunnySewsEveryday:
My #PeppermintWaratahWrapDress is finished and I’m so proud of it. It has been designed not to flap open and flash your pants in the wind, so I feel confident it will be a great wheelchair or standing dress in English weather.
#PeppermintPatterns #WrapDress #WrapDressPattern
Frame your face with the Peppermint Bucket Hat!
Stay safe and stylish in the sun with your very own self-sewn and self-drafted wide-brimmed bucket hat. This beginner-friendly sew is perfect for a sunny day. Get out your pencils – this pattern is created using equations and maths!
This DIY project was featured in Issue 53 and now you can access it for the lovely low price of only $5.
Sun-safe chic is always in style. ☀️
Find it via the link in our bio!
Photos: @KelleySheenan
#PeppermintPatterns #PeppermintBucketHat #BucketHat #BucketHatPattern #DIY
✨ INSTANT CLASSIC ✨
The Peppermint Myrtle Shift Dress is a beginner-friendly make with a few special details based on the ever-stylish shift shape – the perfect dress you need in your wardrobe right now!
Myrtle cuts above the knee with options to customise the length. Don’t think she’s reserved for hot weather either: try a heavier-weight fabric to turn your Myrtle into a pinafore-style garment for layering.
For our fabrics we chose two from our lovely sewing partner @Karmme_Apparel – the bold Rottnest Stripes in a lightweight, soft-drape cotton, and the quality linen in the handpainted Mexico Collection.
Get making the Myrtle – the only question is, can you stop at just one?
Link in bio 🪡
Fabric: @Karmme_Apparel
Sewist: @Laura_The_Maker
Photos: @KelleySheenan
Models: @SerahSews and @Pins_And_Tonic
Location: @ShareTheDignityAustralia
#PeppermintMyrtleShiftDress #PeppermintPatterns
It’s time to Feast!
Some recipes travel a long way before they land on your table to delight your taste buds. This year’s Feast for Freedom invites us to gather our friends, cook something delectable and raise funds for the incredible work of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (@Asrc1) while we’re at it.
The 2026 Feast features recipes shared by two remarkable cooks: Noha, who brought the flavours of Palestine with her when she arrived in Australia, and Nige, a Sri-Lankan Tamil cook whose journey with food began in the most unexpected of places.
You can host your own Feast up until 30 April – simply register online and get planning! Host a dinner, organise a workplace lunch, or gather your community… However you do it, the idea is simple: cook, connect and celebrate the cultures and stories that shape Australia.
Want to find out more? Head to the link in bio to meet Noha and Nige, learn more about their stories, and discover a delicious recipe to try.
#FeastForFreedom #PeppermintMagazine #FoodForGood #ASRC
