16 of New Zealand’s leading designers will take to the runway on March 16 with the first public showing of their Autumn/Winter 2010 collections in a spectacular A-List event.

The full list of designers is impressive, including: Adrian Hailwood, Andrea Moore, Annah Stretton, Barkers, Cybele, Helen Cherry/Workshop, Huffer, Juliette Hogan, Kate Sylvester, Moochi, Paula Ryan, Stolen Girlfriends Club, Trelise Cooper and Zambesi. The Carpenters Daughter will show their sassy styles for the fuller figure and Ed Hardy will be the first international brand on show this season – and it is expected that this number will boom in future seasons.

Created by New Zealand Fashion Week founders Pieter and Myken Stewart, the New Zealand Fashion Festival will become an essential stop on the Auckland fashion calendar.

“We wanted to create a fashion festival that everyone could attend,” says Pieter. “Fashion Week is primarily a trade event and is closed to the public, so we have created a Fashion Festival that is open to all the fashion followers of New Zealand,” she said.“And what is more, the garments shown on the runway at the Auckland Fashion Festival are in-season and immediately available in store,” said Pieter.

This year there is only one show in the Fashion Festival lineup to launch the event, and as the festival grows, so will the schedule of events. “Next year we plan to have a long list of attractions; shows, parties, exhibitions and even an international business seminar - the sky is the limit,” she said. The event is a huge undertaking, with the massive industrial Shed 12 at 90 Wellesley Street being transformed into an edgy fashion theatre. Along with a supersized runway (20-metres longer than New Zealand Fashion Week’s Westpac Tent) will be an army of production crew, dressers, hair stylists and make-up artists.

The New Zealand Herald Designer Garage Sale is also shaping up to be an exciting festival event, now in its 5th year, taking place on March 20 and 21. Designer Garage Sale spokesman Paul Blomfield said that around 11,000 visitors came to the sale last year and anticipation is building to see another exciting selection of designer fashion on the racks. Top designers in the sale include Ruby, Ed Hardy, Lonely Hearts, Sabatini, Michael Pattison, State of Grace, Federation, Worldwear, Chaos & Harmony, Stitch Ministry, Deborah Sweeney, Michelle Yvette, WeSC, Kagi and more.

Tickets through www.iticket.co.nz
Cost: $45