I always hear good things about New Zealand and New Zealanders. I didn't realize they were so stylish, though:
New Zealand is now home to a vibrant and steadily expanding fashion industry, with some 50 established labels, up from a handful ten years ago, half of which sell abroad. The World Trade Organisation says clothes exports were worth NZ$315m ($216m) in the year to June 2007, up from NZ$194m a decade earlier. The largest market is Australia, followed by America, Britain, Hong Kong and Japan.
Karen Walker, one of New Zealand's leading designers, showed a collection at New York's Fashion Week in February. Trelise Cooper's designs are sold in fancy American shops, including Saks Fifth Avenue and Fred Segal. And Pumpkin Patch, a childrenswear and maternity-clothes chain, moved into the British and American markets in 2006, and its success is prompting it to open more shops in American this spring.
