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Blood sweat and tears for nothing?

- 31 August 2021 - 

#fashion

The New Zealand fashion industry has been left devastated following the announcement this week of a mandatory level 4 lockdown meaning NZFW, for the second year in a row, will be postponed.


2021 was set to mark the 20th anniversary of New Zealand Fashion Week and with just four days until the opening night, the already struggling industry has been left scrambling.


One designer that has been left feeling “frustrated beyond belief” is Jakob Carter, who was looking forward to releasing his second collection to NZ Fashion royalty on Wednesday 25th August.


“It’s been a long couple of nights making calls, trying to rearrange contractors and reshuffling everything. We’ve only been told that it has been postponed and obviously they don’t have a new date in mind, so it’s a bit of a wait and see game at the moment”, comments Carter.


NZFW is an enormous undertaking for any fashion designer, coordinating a team of stylists, makeup artists, models and photographers, all of whom are working across shows and are left with nothing to do but wait. Admin jobs aside, the financial implications of the week being postponed, and possibly cancelled, are enormous, with Carter citing that the news has already cost him a few thousand dollars.


But Carter notes that the disappointment is far greater than financial, “presenting at the iconic NZFW is such a big thing for designers, I’ve been looking forward to showcasing my latest collection, and it’s been a long road to get here, especially after last year’s cancellation. But at the end of the day everyone’s health and safety must come first so we will just have to see how the next few days play out.”


jakobcarter.com