Like Dorian Gray who got younger as his portrait hidden away upstairs got more and more grotesque, so is the inverse relationship between the spectacle of Huffer’s shows and their actual collections…
Like Dorian Gray who got younger as his portrait hidden away upstairs got more and more grotesque, so is the inverse relationship between the spectacle of Huffer’s shows and their actual collections.
The shows themselves; gold.
Thread has been at their 2006 fashion week show ‘Zig Zag’ walking down the cutting tables in their workroom with The Electric Confectionaires playing above the photographers pit; their Super Symmetry show in 2007 in a mechanic bay under Giltrap Prestige; their 2008 Free The Fish show dockside at the Hilton with Ali Williams as a fisherman and a suspended Porsche hanging from a crane overhead, their Fly colab with Miss Crabb in 2009 at Continental Car Services Audi showroom, and 2010’s mega show at Auckland Uni.
All amazing shows and spectacle, and punching above the weight of the streetwear clothes themselves, in drama. The Huffer boys and girls love a circus and are one of NZ fashion’s greatest Ringmasters.
And let’s not forget the fashion week legend- the throwing of the red wine on Bridget Saunders by Aja Rock for calling Aja fat.
Well, Aja has the last laugh now.
A matter of mere months after having her baby boy, she is a size zero again and got gasps from the crowd in a star-spangled bikini as she jumped out of a cake at 2011’s Fashion Week show.
It reminded me of Nicky Watson walking in the diamante bikini at IPG’s fashion week show a few years ago.
For NZFW 2011, we gathered in a far more intimate venue in Shed 2 at the new Viaduct Events Centre. Small bottles of Kim Crawford wine and KMS products kept our seats warm as fake snow billowed out from a snow machine and settled in my wine like plastic dandruff.
My favourite Huffer womenswear collection would be the Fly colab with Miss Crabb as I liked the interesting shapes the union produced. Things are looking slightly more commercial again now, and ready to hit the slopes, in AW12 The Colden Days inspired by the glory days of communist Russia.
Jade Hurst of Huffer says it’s a military styled, heritage-inspired range with an earthy colour palette of army greens, greys and maroon, with plenty of warm coats, cabled knitwear and leather trims scattered throughout.
The menswear consists of contrast panels, pocket details with a stripped back yet fine-tuned feel.
Ready to board: Huffer presented lots of winter looks that reflected their sporting heritage on the decks and slopes.
Womenswear has a uniform aesthetic and features box pleating, snowflake patterns and contrast seam details. The styling by show stylist Zara Mirkin was great with Russian and American flags wrapped around models and the Huffer print worn as turbans. Models wore the fantastic, ex-military, Palladium Shoes.
This was the girliest piece: a white lace dress with full skirt.
And the same silhouette but in more casual fabrics, here in grey.
Snowflake designs on a beanie and cardi, and a dress that Torvill and Dean could ice skate in, perhaps?
This was their best look for women: a lace-weave sweater dress over a signature print in a buttoned up shirt and in the complementary colourway in a turban.
It’s snow good: model Ella flecked with white from the snow machine. I liked the tan leather triangles on the hip pockets of this skirt.
Hair was by KMS California created by Greg Murrell of Ryder salon. They commented that the hairstyle had to accommodate extensive use of head wraps, so a wrapped bun was created at the crown, with hair at the sides clipped back. Hair remaining at the back was left to float freely creating a modern up/down hairstyle.
Below: The M.A.C Face Chart for the runway makeup for Huffer created by key make-up artist Nicole Thompson for M.A.C Cosmetics with the inspiration; “Creamy Dolly Russian School Girls.”
Two nuclear protection suit-clad men pushed a giant cake onto the catwalk and Bam! Out popped Aja Rock waving Old Glory; ironic as just as I was starting to flag, she started waving one. The Cold War just got hotter.
The catwalk exploded into a full-on party. They were dancing in the streets like David Bowie and Mick Jagger.
Hands down, best finale of the week so far. Huffer have developed excellent brand identity, I’d just like to see them pushing the design envelope a bit further. They have no problem with the puff. I’d just like a bit more Huff.
By Megan Robinson
Photography Kevin Robinson
1 September 2011
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