These are the 9 freshest faces from New Zealand Fashion Week 2019
Gone are the days of identical model line-ups. In fashion weeks past, casting directors and designers elected to feature faces and body types that fit a narrow mould and, more often than not, appeared a doppelgänger of the model that came before them and the model that followed next.
But the faces of fashion are changing. At New Zealand Fashion Week, where sustainability served not as a buzzword but rather a pervasive theme with designers actively deploying end-of-stock fabrics, biodegradable packaging and locally sourced natural fibres in their collections, diversity in casting proved another thread du jour that bound the collections together.
Over the week-long affair, a series of standout faces established themselves not only as models to watch, but as personalities without which the clothes of up-and-coming and well-known designers would not have been brought to life. And, at every show, they flexed their abilities to chameleon and adapt into character in order to transform themselves anew.
The refreshing casting at each show ran the gamut of race, gender and age, with every single line-up in the week’s schedule a well-rounded testament to the power of the model to make the clothes. These models, too, defied stereotypical standards of beauty and are instead bringing something unique (filled to the brim with personality and identifiably their own) to the fore.
Below, familiarise yourself with New Zealand Fashion Week 2019’s promising class of cool models and learn of their highlights of the week and hopes for their careers in the future.
Robert Tennent (@rob.tennent)
Age: 21
NZFW highlight: “Being the only boy to walk for Paris Georgia”
Dream show: “Gucci or Balenciaga”
Personal style in three words: “Relaxed, butch, unbothered”
Image credit: instagram.com/rob.tennent
Lochie Stonehouse (@lochiestonehouse)
Age: 27
NZFW highlight: “This year’s Stolen Girlfriends Club show”
Dream show: “Patrick Church”
Personal style in three words: “Thrift, little-thought, distinct”
Image credit: instagram.com/lochiestonehouse
Ch’lita Isabella Collins (@chlita)
Age: 19
NZFW highlight: “Opening the 40th Zambesi show”
Dream show: “Rick Owens or Comme des Garçons”
Personal style in three words: “Swag, proportions, fabric”
Image credit: instagram.com/chlita
Manahou Mackay (@manamackay)
Age: 20
NZFW highlight: “Maggie Marilyn was super beautiful but could never pick”
Dream show: “Chanel autumn/winter ’14/’15”
Personal style in three words: “Simple, expressive, edgy”
Image credit: instagram.com/manamackay
Rebecca Haeger (@beccahaeger)
Age: 24
NZFW highlight: “Paris Georgia”
Dream show: “Maryam Nassir Zadeh”
Personal style in three words: “Relaxed, considered, fun”
Image credit: instagram.com/beccahaeger
Harry Rupert Barclay (@harryxbarclay)
Age: 22
NZFW highlight: “The Stolen Girlfriends Club show”
Dream show: “Opening double rainbouu resort 2019 as my first show at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia in Sydney was really something!”
Personal style in three words: “Super-fucking-chill”
Image credit: instagram.com/harryxbarclay
Ayan Manyang Makoii (@ayanmanyangmakoii)
Age: 18
NZFW highlight: “Paris Georgia”
Dream show: “mowalola”
Personal style in three words: “However I feel”
Image credit: instagram.com/ayanmanyangmakoii
Lucian Zachary Williams Rice (@stupidrichkid)
Age: 18
NZFW highlight: “Meeting an array of fresh faces behind the scenes and the set design of the Stolen Girlfriends Club show”
Dream show: “Christian Dior… I love what Kim Jones does for Dior Homme”
Personal style in three words: “Chic, nineties, monochrome”
Image credit: instagram.com/stupidrichkid
Sophia Frankish (@sophiafrankish)
Age: 20
NZFW highlight: “The energy and excitement of the first show is so special, for me this was getting married in a sea of love letters for Kate Sylvester”
Dream show: “Ganni”
Personal style in three words: “Chill, comfortable, grungy”
Image credit: instagram.com/sophiafrankish