New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) is set to return to the Aotea Square and Auckland Town Hall to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
After being cancelled due to COVID in 2020, theis year's event will both celebrate its history and place a focus on the future of fashion, showcasing pieces that can be reused, re-purposed and recycled.
And it will also break new ground this year, with the event open to consumers for the first time in its two-decade history.
To extend the consumer experience further, a fan zone will be set up in Aotea Square where the public can view selected shows on a big screen and participate in a number of activities.
NZFW founder and managing director Dame Pieter Stewart welcomed the return of the show.
"There is no other event in New Zealand that brings our industry together in the way New Zealand Fashion Week does, nor is there an event which provides a platform for designers, make-up artists, stylists, photographers and models to showcase their unique skills and talents to the world.
"We should not under-estimate the power that New Zealand Fashion Week has to influence, promote and celebrate New Zealanders," she said.
As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, opening night will feature a special Retrospective Show with a selection of designers who have previously shown at New Zealand Fashion Week and been a part of its history, along with footage from years past.
A commemorative logo has also been designed to pay tribute to the significant milestone.
When reflecting on the milestone anniversary, Stewart added that she is proud the event has made a long-lasting impact on the NZ fashion industry.
"There have been so many defining moments over the past twenty years and I am proud that we have managed to drive real change in the industry.
"When New Zealand Fashion Week started all those years ago, nobody thought that we’d make it to year two, never mind build an event which transformed the industry, especially with regards to diversity, inclusion and sustainability," she said.
New Zealand Fashion Week will run from Monday August 23 until the close of Fashion Weekend on Sunday August 29.
Designers featured in the line up include Kate Sylvester, Kathryn Wilson, Hailwood and Zambesi.