Fashion Quarterly Autumn 2023

The other day, I forced my four-year-old daughter to wear what I considered a cute outfit — a nautical-inspired set with a singlet that boasted a peter pan collar. She riled and raged; I ended up walking away to choose my own outfit. Following me into my bedroom, she said, “Mama, I don’t feel beautiful in this” and stamped her little foot. Reader, I wish I could tell you I sat my beloved down and told her she’s beautiful in anything she wears, then let her get changed. But I didn’t. I was in a rush to drop her and her brothers at school and daycare, to get to a meeting, to get the day going, so I didn’t do the right thing. Naturally, for the rest of the day,…

Apela Bell PHOTOGRAPHER My true loves are my partner, my family, my friends and my job. I wouldn’t be where I am without my loved ones’ endless support for my passion for photography. It can be scary to chase a dream full-time, but having them along for the journey has been so rewarding, so I do it for them. In 2017, I took a three-year break to align myself with what sort of work I want to put out into the world, and one thing I learned from that was to stop feeling pressure to release work that’s ‘trendy’ and just give yourself the freedom to create. I think that’s the purest form of love you can give yourself as a creative. Jessica-Belle Greer WRITER One of the great loves…

Talent: Anita Chhiba. Hair: Danny Pato. Make-up: Kiekie Stanners. Styling assistant: Nayan Patel. Photography assistant: Sophie Miya-Smith. Set designer: Alex Whitefield.…

“I feel like I should tell you something,” says Anita Chhiba, lowering her voice to blend in with the morning hum of busy eatery Amano in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland’s Britomart. The London-based founder and creative director of Diet Paratha — a global community championing the work of South Asian creatives — is back in Aotearoa for the summer, splitting much of her holiday between her home suburb of Pukekohe and the bustle of the city’s waterfront. For the first time during our interview, the candid 33-year-old pauses to take a breath and nervously looks over both shoulders to make sure no one can hear what she’s about to say next. “I really need you to not say anything. Can you look me in the eye?” We’ve met a month out from…

“I realised that clothes could have meaning, be a protest about something or evoke emotions. I really like that about clothing, beyond it just being something pretty.” As FQ sits down in a cosy Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland bar with Jess Grindell, who’s arrived after clocking off from her nine-to-five, it’s clear there’s more to this young designer than meets the eye. Dressed in sleek yet comfortable clothing, she exudes an undeniable inner confidence as she begins to discuss her label. High-quality fabrics, structured pleats and handcrafted pintucks have become synonymous with Grindell’s eponymous label. Giving a nod to the past through Victorian references and reworked takes on masculine tailoring, shesets herself apart from other designers through her strong feminist aesthetic. Fashion has always been a major part of life for the…

Having recently relocated to Melbourne, young Kiwi designer Briana Cleverley is ready to cause a stir on an international level. Established after the first lockdown in 2020, her label Frazier (pronounced Fray-zer) came to fruition following her degree in fine arts at Massey University in Pōneke/Wellington, where she specialised in painting and sculpture. She rediscovered her passion for garment-making after being given a sewing machine for her 21st birthday. “My mum got a sewing machine for her 21st, and her mum — it was sort of a tradition,” she explains. Cleverley had been taught by her mother to sew at a young age. “It was an interest very early on in my life,” she says. Inclusivity and community are central values of the brand she subsequently built. These values and…