Built for niche: Rethinking the role of manufacturing in developing designer fashion in New Zealand

The fashion system in New Zealand has strong ties to its northern hemispheric roots, largely due to its colonial past. As a result, local understandings of fashion and design have been derived from predominant British influences in terms of garment design, aesthetics, construction and manufacturing systems. This article examines the appropriateness of continuing these traditional systems as opposed to exploring more dynamic methods suited to the local environment and culture. A global fashion economy and the disconnection of design from geography in the virtual marketplace is discussed through an examination of practice-based enquiry and historical fashion contexts. The authors propose that there is a significant refocus which needs to happen for New Zealand fashion to reinvent itself as a dynamic and international industry. The rethinking of traditional methods of manufacturing and the way we use existing technology offer the best opportunity to drive innovative design both in terms of process and aesthetics. New Zealand does not need to manufacture more clothing but instead should focus on producing high end, distinctive products for an international niche market, a strategy that has proven successful for other New Zealand industries, particularly the premium wine and tourism industries.