Federation’s Jenny and Nick Clegg, the most down-to-earth couple you are likely to meet are still putting the F-un in fashun 10 years in. Though their label has grown and grown up; sophisticated itself over a decade; it remains young at heart…
Federation 10th birthday at Shed 6, Rhubarb Lane.
“If you love what you do and you love who you work with, you have to be happy” (Nick Clegg.)
Jenny and Nick, the most down-to-earth couple you are likely to meet are still putting the F-un in fashun 10 years in. Though their label has grown and grown up; sophisticated itself over a decade; it remains young at heart and always, undeniably, exuberant. Overworked and boring Federation is not.
Likewise Federation is no class dummy but true blue rebel with a cause. They challenge the status quo, like true creatives should and their party decorations were very… well, Federation.
School chairs strung up with fairy lights hung alongside wooden pallets, leather bean-bags for chilling by the celebratory ice-sculpture.
Every report card I can ever remember said I am ‘constantly distracted and constant distraction to others.’ Probably why I like Federation so much. I have sneaking suspicion that, like me, Federation was the naughty kid in class.
Not in a lighting-the-maths-teacher-on-fire kind of way but the type who doesn’t respond well to rules. The type who coloured outside the lines. The type ready to redefine fashion. And cool. Federation is not your typical fashion label. This was no typical 10yr old’s birthday party.
On the back wall hung a monster mosaic of proportions that beggared belief. All the decorations were the Federation team’s own handy work. No extravagant PR budget or minions to do the dirty work; concept and construction entirely in-house. The type of grand design and commitment to detail I’ve come to love and respect about them. Nick told me ‘The photocopies…That’s a real signature of what we do. It only took a couple of hours to put up.’ Of course. Only.
The devil, they say is in the details and Federation were thoughtful enough to look after all their guests’ eclectic tastes.
They busted out spacies for the O.G. gamers.
A little sumtin’-sumtin’ for art enthusiasts.
A horse sculpture made form speaker boxes.
And metal lockers to write a birthday message on.
The double dose of old-school/new-school tunes for audiophiles; a la MayaVanya, proved irresistible. We just had to get down with the get-down.
There was even a photobooth for those that just wanted to make a memory. Or five.
Long gone were the days of our rocket-fuelled youth. Federation generously catered to every thirsty whim. Reds and whites, of any type you fancied, poured forth courtesy of Soho Wine Company.
Beer lovers spoilt rotten by Peroni and vodka drinkers were in their Absolut element with cocktail combinations of San Pellegrino.
There were hot-off-the-grill skewered snacks and fresh handmade Vietnamese springrolls. Eating’s not cheating when tasty and healthy.
As the crowd mused where the runway would start and finish in the remodelled shed, the show began without warning. On the giant projector screen that was the far wall.
Shot entirely in one day at various iconic Auckland locations including Queen St and One Tree Hill, their models playfully flirted with the camera and captivated the audience. The show held us spellbound in a pin drop silence that lasted the entirety of the movie.
Don’t know if you’ve ever tried to shut a birthday party up in full swing, especially one with an unlimited bar tab, but that’s no mean feat.
Testament to how impressive the show was; Federation was, is and shall continue to be. It’s been fun watching you grow up and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for you. Happy Birthday Federation, you’re pretty damn cool for a 10 yr old.
Story and photos by Katy Thomas, 4 December 2010.
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