Industry News: Fashion News for March 2018 featuring Karen Walker at The Design Show, ZARA goes online in NZ, Fitbit launches its first kids device, Tuesday Label hits Milford, the Ethical Fashion Initiative is back for 2018, and I check out NZ retail loyalty schemes…
KAREN WALKER AT THE DESIGN SHOW
Karen Walker is a design queen not only in the world of fashion, but in homewares too with her involvement with Resene paint for the past 17 years. She is aptly then the key ambassador at The Design Show, an upmarket interior/exterior and furniture expo held 27-29 July 2018 at the ANZ Viaduct Event Centre in Auckland.Walker explains “you need to be open to lots of ideas when you are in the process of improving your look or your home.”
She says The Design Show is “really good for people who are curious, interested in ideas in design and how that can improve their lives.” Check out The Design Show video here Tickets are $99 and include champagne and a $200 goodie bag.
ZARA NZ GOES ONLINE
I know this is long-awaited news for fashion lovers across the country, especially who can’t make it to the one store in New Zealand situated in Sylvia Park Auckland; the complete collections for ZARA women, men and kids are now available across the country.
ZARA fans can now shop online and choose between home delivery and picking up orders at the Auckland store or an accessible drop point across the country. If you need to make a return, returns are free. This will see a massive increase in their sales across the country no doubt, as shoppers get online to go shopping.
FITBIT FOR KIDS
Are you worried about screentime for children keeping them from being active? Do you think you were more active as a child than kids are today? “The challenge of inactivity with our children is not going away and is only estimated to get worse as they get older, dropping almost 40 minutes per year from ages 9 to 15,” said Chris Watts, executive director of the National Fitness Foundation. If so, this might be perfect for your family. Fitbit has unveiled Fitbit Ace, their first wearable for kids, to encourage children 8 and older to increase their daily activity, as well as sleep tracking, motivating challenges with prizes and buttons for reaching activity goals, and the vital parental controls to safeguard kids’ privacy. Available for presale today at Fitbit.com for $149.95, Ace will be available in stores worldwide from April 2018, including major retailers Noel Leeming, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi.
TUESDAY LABEL AT MILFORD
Tuesday Label has opened for Autumn at Milford The opening hours are Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm; Sun 10am-5pm at Milford Shopping Centre in Auckland’s North Shore. Also, if you shop online at their website you get 10% off your first order when you sign up. Owner and designer Biddy says “Tuesday is centred around dresses. Different shapes for different bodies, but each style is consistently feminine. From the fabrics to the colour, grace is at the heart of every design. These are dresses to be worn all year round. Layer them with fine knits and cardigans, add a fur coat on top.”
ETHICAL FASHION GUIDE
Concern is rightly growing for those making our clothes in developing nations and last year’s Ethical Fashion Guide had a huge reception among consumers wanting to check out ratings for retailers and how they perform regarding treatment conditions of workers. TheEthical Fashion Guide for 2018 is coming out next month in mid-April. Tearfund says, “We want to stop exploitation. The garment industry can be a force for good. It can provide a stable source of income for millions of vulnerable people. This is why we’re encouraging brands to evaluate their supply chains and to ensure safe and fair working conditions. When you choose ethical clothing you are voting against exploitation and for safe, fair working conditions.”
This year there are 20 New Zealand brands featured as well as over 80 international brands. The Full Report and Guide from last year are here if you need to refresh your memory https://www.tearfund.org.nz/Get-Involved/Ethical-Fashion-Guide.aspx and stay tuned as I shall be featuring the 2018 guide on Threadnz.com.
CALL ME LOYAL
Loyalty Schemes. They are big business with retailers, to encourage shoppers to stay and spend, and to spend more, with the urgency of points expiring if they don’t. But are they worth it, or are they a waste of time? I wrote an article on a few of the major fashion retail loyalty schemes in New Zealand. Check it out on Threadnz.com here.
15th March 2018
Megan Robinson