On Trend – Fashion Updates For May

International Outlook

While living in little old, bottom-of-the-world-New Zealand can be great at times, our isolation often means we miss out on fashion brands that don’t venture down this end of the world. Luckily for Kiwi fashionistas, designer fashion store Superette has just opened a new location, stocking hard-to-find luxe labels from across the globe. Appropriately named Superette International, the Newmarket store will stock up and coming designers as well as already established brands, to offer customers a unique shopping experience. With international labels such as London-based jewellery designer, Maria Black and Amsterdam’s Rough Studios, customers can also book personalised styling sessions with Superette experts, putting together outfits tailored to their needs. With many designers at Superette International coming to NZ shores for the first time, styley locals need not venture far to get their hands on global brands.

Fair Fashion

While fashion can be fun for consumers, a sad fact of the industry is the exploitation of garment workers around the world. It’s up to consumers to show their support for brands that are proven to have ethical supply chain practices. To aid consumers in their decisions, Tearfund NZ and Baptist World Aid Australia have put together their Ethical Fashion Guide for 2019, giving us a list of brands that are ensuring the workers in their supply chain are fairly treated. Brands are graded on their policies, traceability and transparency, auditing and supplier relationships, worker empowerment and environmental management and looks at the ethical practices in their raw materials, inputs production and final stage production. This year has seen seven New Zealand brands receive an A- grade or higher, giving Kiwis more choice to buy both local and ethical.

NZ brands who scored highly include:

AS Colour – A-
Freeset – A+
Icebreaker – A+
Kathmandu – A
Kowtow – A+
Liminal – A+
Nature Baby – A-