Feroz Ali: New Zealand Fashion Week owner on the event getting underway this week

Another New Zealand Fashion Week is set to get under way, and it aims to be one of the biggest events of the year.

The event will return to Shed 10 from August 17 to 22, and Caitlin Crisp, Twenty Seven Names and the Kāhui Collective are among the names set to appear.

New Zealand Fashion Week owner Feroz Ali says the industry needs to adapt to a changing market - and they're aiming to boost international co-operation. 

"The decisions we took post-Covid...have led us to be where we are today. And we're extremely grateful for both the local Government, Tātaki Auckland, etc - for giving us continued support." 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News Talks EDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
New Zealand Fashion Week kicks off in Auckland tomorrow this event.
This year's event marks twenty five years since Dane Pierre
Stewart founded the event in two thousand and one. New
Zealand Fashion Week owner for Oz Ali is with me
now for Oz good morning, Thank you for your time.

Speaker 3 (00:28):
Oh, good morning, Francesca.

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Tell me about this year's event. What is the vision
for Fashion Week twenty twenty six.

Speaker 4 (00:35):
Oh, I think celebrating the twenty five year anniversary since
when first Dampeters started at it's probably one of the
largest events we are holding, with both New Zealand Pacific
international designers also participating for the first time in a
very exponential scale.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Tell me a little bit more about that. Because you've
owned fashion Week for five years now, how has it
changed and developed in that time?

Speaker 4 (01:04):
Well, I think we've been responsive to both the current
economic climbers that's affecting the designers in New Zealand as
well as the sort of the retail struggles, but also
realizing that the market for New Zealand designers is beyond
New Zealand like in Australia and abroad. So I recently

(01:25):
visited India with the Prime Minister and signed an MoU
with the Fashion Design Council of India.

Speaker 3 (01:32):
What that allows us to do is take.

Speaker 4 (01:33):
Four New Zealand designers to Indian next year for Luckmay
Fashion Week and giving them access to one point five
billion population. Even if we took one percent of that,
that is a massive market compared.

Speaker 3 (01:45):
To New Zealand.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
And in exchange, we are hosting this year four Indian
designers that is going to showcase in New Zealand, but
use the New New Zealand backdrop and images to drive
tourism and hospitality as well as collaboration with New Zealand designers.
So that's happening on Tuesday night and so we're very
very lighted elated that that is happening.

Speaker 3 (02:09):
And this is just the beginning. So we're excited.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Oh it sounds amazing because it's been quite a hard
five years, hasn't it. I mean two years ago you
were forced to cancel the event, you came back last
year with a sponsor. Is the event now in a
strong position?

Speaker 3 (02:25):
I think? So?

Speaker 4 (02:26):
I think you know the decisions we took post COVID
for suspending the first one and obviously canceling, and I
think twenty twenty four has led us to be where
we are today and extremely grateful for both the you know,
the local government with you know, Tatucky Auckland, et cetera,
giving us continued support over decades. But this year was

(02:47):
a little bit special that we managed to attract some
major events boost funding from the federal government, which has
allowed us to sort of, you know, be a little
bit more strategic and sort of making the event fire
more financially stable from a cost perspective wise, but also
for years to come.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
In terms of the structure of the event.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
So yeah, it's not easy, but from what we've seen
from ticket sales this year, you know, we've surpassed the
last two years.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
Oh fantastic. What more would you like to do with it?
If you're looking forward? Is there more development to come?

Speaker 4 (03:25):
I think so there is going to be a special
announcement tomorrow with a formation of Fashion Design Council of
New Zealand. You know, I've often said since acquiring Fashion
Week that I'm the current custodian of it and what
I'd love to see is a vision for Fashion Week
to be owned by the New Zealand industry, and so
we're initiating some of the steps and hopefully it depends

(03:48):
on the structure we set up.

Speaker 3 (03:50):
It allows a bit of.

Speaker 4 (03:52):
Fashion philanthropy and people that can act as patrons and
you know, very generous benefactors. They they can support the
event in the industry going forward. But in the meantime
it's to my home and I have a formidable team
that's working very, very tirelessly to making sure this events
is successful.

Speaker 2 (04:13):
This here, as you said, it's really all about celebrating
the twenty five years this festival, and you've also explained
some of the ways that the Fashion Week is able
to help designers beyond just the week.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
But I wonder if we could.

Speaker 2 (04:32):
Talk a little bit more broadly about that. Is it
still an important platform for our designers.

Speaker 3 (04:37):
One hundred percent?

Speaker 4 (04:39):
You know it has media sorry, it's got recognition around
the world, meaning it's the official New Zealand Fashion Week.

Speaker 3 (04:46):
Secondly, I think.

Speaker 4 (04:49):
You know it's once a week and obviously we've initiated
this amazing partnership with Christish New Zealand, so we're doing
a second much smaller event in Christshich later in the
year to catch those designers that cannot participate in the
main week and particularly south on it with christ which booming.

Speaker 3 (05:04):
The idea is to.

Speaker 4 (05:05):
Provide the platform to you know, enhance, promote and advocate.

Speaker 3 (05:11):
For our industry that you know has a lot.

Speaker 4 (05:13):
Of perseverance, right like you know they're resilient. But despite
being resilient and pushing things, unfortunately sometimes they make critical
decisions that they end up closing their stores and we've
seen a.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
Bunch of closures now.

Speaker 4 (05:28):
So all we can do is help them be a
voice reach whether they are buyers, whether we live in
the world of social media and influencers, how can they
get the brand across various islands, you know, across the
good Australia. It's easy, it's only three hours. But we
think the whole world is there waiting for New Zealand designers.
Then we've seen that our New Zealand designers have gone

(05:50):
abroad and being extremely successful. So all this is doing
is saying, yes, while we acknowledge how good the industry
is in New Zealand, but in which struggles, let's not quit.
Let's let's work together as a team. And keep pushing
the limits because that's what New Zealanders do. Like you know,
we never quit and a lot of rugby matches are

(06:11):
won in the last five minutes of the rugby game.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
So is that my mentality?

Speaker 2 (06:15):
Is it particularly beneficial as a platform for emerging designers
as well?

Speaker 4 (06:20):
Yeah, I mean we've got Dan Awa, per former VII,
the creator, creative director. You know, he is all about
emerging designers. He's all about people giving them the platform,
the voice, and the opportunity. And I'd love for you
to come and see it this year because you will
see a huge amount of emerging designers. So and we've
also removed the barrier. We're not charging designers any application

(06:43):
fee to come in. But for the designers that are
not quite ready to go out in the large scale,
we're combining them with the other more mature designers and
doing collaborative shows. So yes, we're nurturing them. And as
obviously as the owner of a White Cliff, I'd love
to see not just White Cliff students, but all the
other university students having access to an opportunity like the

(07:04):
Fashion Fashion Week platform, the graduate show, the walk the
Line for aspiring young kids who wants to get into fashion.

Speaker 3 (07:11):
All of those themes are there.

Speaker 2 (07:13):
Oh look, I wish you all the best for the week.
Have a fantastic week, and thank you so much for
being with us this morning.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
Thank you, Francesca.

Speaker 2 (07:20):
That was New Zealand Fashion Week owner ferroz Ali with
me there.

Speaker 1 (07:25):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.