Lauren...Waterfront

New Zealand Fashion Week which is a 4 day event on the waterfront kicked off yesterday. It's a fairly humble affair with a selection of designers, both the known and the upcoming. There has been a bit of criticism about it - every year it seems to shed designers and visitors. Yet I really think something like a fashion week is fantastic for a city like Auckland - whatever form that takes. It kind of provides a fashion focal point for the year. And whatever gets people buzzing about local designers has got to be good. It's becoming scary the number of people I meet on the street that buy their whole wardrobes online and overseas. There is a lot of mediocrity in New Zealand fashion (like anywhere), but there are several standouts that are as good as anywhere, and totally deserve to be supported.

I also think that people by and large are genuinely interested in fashion and Fashion week, but the coverage can be a little bland. It tends to be the usual How to survive a Fashion Week type thing. The answer to that is you just sit there. But it would be great to hear some genuinely honest opinion in fashion coverage, but I guess that presents it's own difficulties.

This is Lauren, on the way to the catwalk, getting blown about a bit.