Pahull Bains goes hunting for sustainable finds in New Zealand.
One visit to Wellington and you realize why it’s considered one of the coolest capitals in the world. Lying at the southern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, the city boasts cultural institutions like the Te Papa Tongarewa national museum and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. And despite a population of just 415,000, Wellington contains more bars, cafés and restaurants per capita than New York City. It’s also home to an eclectic array of designers, artists and entrepreneurs. Compact though the city may be, it buzzes with an infectious creative energy, and vibrant street art decorates the facade of many a downtown building. Most first-time visitors head straight to Cuba Street—and rightly so. This stretch is filled (or “chocka,” as the Kiwis would say) with some of Wellington’s best restaurants and cafés. But Ghuznee Street, with its smattering of cool boutique stores, is another little pocket of the city that’s well worth a visit. A quick tour reveals that social and environmental responsibility lies at the core of most homegrown Kiwi fashion brands. Considering the vast, untouched, almost otherworldly natural landscape of New Zealand, this dedication to sustainability makes perfect sense. Read on for a roundup of the best eco-minded shops in the windy, walkable little city of Wellington.
ENA iamena.co.nz
This light-filled, airy store carries a slew of designers from Wellington and other parts of New Zealand. Carefully curated by owner Nadya France-White, brands at the shop include Mahsa, an Auckland-based label whose blouses are made of lightweight cotton and cotton silks; Maggie Marilyn, a sustainability-focused line that was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2017; and Alexandra Dodds, a Wellington-born jewellery designer whose made-to-order pieces are all designed, sculpted and finished by hand in her studio. Her aim, explains France-White, is to support the New Zealand fashion industry and local makers.
PRECINCT 35 precinct35.co.nz
This eclectic concept store is a design lover’s dream. There are cube-shaped botanical soaps by Wellington-based Sphaera; ethically sourced jewellery handmade by New Zealand-raised, Australia-based designer Welfe Bowyer; and handcrafted perfumes and apothecary-inspired candles by Curionoir, a luxury-fragrance company founded by Maori perfumer Tiffany Jeans.
THE SERVICE DEPOT theservicedepot.co.nz
This austere shop—think exposed concrete and a black-and-grey colour scheme—houses some of New Zealand’s most avant-garde contemporary labels. Brands include Lela Jacobs, whose design pillars are a monochromatic palette and a zerowaste approach to fabrics; Benjamin Alexander, an ethical, transparency focused brand founded by a Project Runway New Zealand winner; and Jimmy D, an Aucklandbased label known for its deconstructed, androgynous silhouettes.
Deadly Ponies deadlyponies.com
Leather goods are what this brand is known for, but the first thing you notice when you step into its Wellington store is the pastel Brancusi-style installations that its handbags are perched on. The sculptural pieces, which range from wallets and briefcases to belt bags and totes, are all made from ethically sourced leather. The brand’s farmed-deer leather is sourced from companies in the South Island of New Zealand that share its ethical and environmental concerns, and all the leathers used are a result of natural casualties or a by-product of meat production.
NISA nisa.co.nz
Nisa is an ethical underwear company that employs women from refugee backgrounds in its cheery Wellington studio. As a volunteer with the Red Cross who helps to resettle refugee families, founder Elisha Watson realized that securing a job is the number one hurdle for new refugees. So she launched Nisa in 2017 with the goal of providing these new arrivals with the confidence and security of their first job. The company has since expanded to include loungewear, swimwear and socks.
Kowtow nz.kowtowclothing.com
Founded by Gosia Piatek, a refugee who migrated from Poland to New Zealand in 1989, Kowtow is a sustainable womenswear label that is focused on fair trade and responsible sourcing and is working toward a closed-loop design cycle. Piatek’s well-crafted separates—think crisp white shirts, cozy sweaters (individually knitted to eliminate yarn waste) and tailored trousers—are all made from organic, renewable and biodegradable fibres.
YU MEI yumeibrand.com
Transparency is so important to Yu Mei that the ethical handbag label recently released a documentary film titled Land to Luxury that traces its design journey from the backcountry in Hawea (where its deer napa leather, a byproduct of the venison industry, is ethically sourced) to its socially responsible manufacturer in Hong Kong and back to its design studio in Wellington. The brand also runs a buyback initiative, which makes perfect sense given how timeless its sleek and minimalist aesthetic is. Customers can return their pre-loved bags (for a credit toward their next purchase), which are then refurbished in-house and sold in archive sales.
CAUGHLEY caughley.com Multi-designer boutique Caughley carries homegrown labels like sustainable jewellery and eyewear brand Mars (which counts Solange Knowles and Leandra Medine as fans) and womenswear label Idae, whose minimalist garments are made entirely from dead-stock fabric. The shop’s selection of New Zealand-made accessories includes tarot-focused jewellery by Lucinda Barrett and sustainable eyewear by Isle of Eden. Twenty-Seven Names twentysevennames.co.nz
Founded by best friends Rachel Easting and Anjali Burnett, TwentySeven Names is known for feminine prints and ladylike silhouettes. The “Made in New Zealand” label is important to the founders, who design their own prints and cut samples at their studio in Wellington before sending them to Auckland for production. The name, they explain, is a nod to “all the people who helped us launch the collection—community, family, friends, sisters, mums.” Natural fibres are a focus, and Easting and Burnett often buy dead stock from a company in Auckland that is then used to create new designs.