1. The second collection from local brand Knitted is here
After launching a made-in-New Zealand knitwear collection last year, Knitted designer Cameo Pollock-Turner has debuted her second collection. Focusing on a trans-seasonal capsule of recycled and regenerated yarns, garments are knitted on fully fashioned knitwear machines then manually sewn together to ensure no cut and sew waste.
The wool used in Knitted’s first collection was sourced from the South Island, then knitted all over the country by different manufacturers. “We were very fortunate with our first collection that our Kiwi manufacturers didn’t have high MOQs [minimum order requirements] and so we were able to create a small, limited range”, says Pollock-Turner.
And producing the second collection was even more challenging. Although the sampling process commenced with local manufacturers, as a small scale brand, Knitted could not fulfil the minimum order requirements requested for this and future seasons. The decision was made to go overseas, which involved six more sampling attempts before finding a knitwear manufacturer in Hong Kong.
“While I have temporarily backed away from the New Zealand born and bread story, I wanted to figure out new ways I can give back to the fashion industry rather than putting more waste into it”, explains Pollock-Turner.
The styles in the latest capsule are designed with versatility in mind — from an over-dress that’s perfect for the beach, worn with jeans, or by itself, to a soft waffle-like shirt that’s a stylish, seasonal alternative to the classic dress version. Garments are available in classic neutrals and popular hues like royal blue, lilac, and canary yellow.
Shop the collection at knittednz.com.
2. An elevated take on traditional clubroom towelling
An Antipodean brand known for its modern approach to traditional towelling, Baina’s ‘Underwood’ collection is an elevated take on heritage clubroom styles, aptly named after the oldest public swimming complex in the United States — the Underwood Pool in Massachusetts.
With Baina’s previous collection exploring darker hues, Underwood takes this further by heroing a new colourway, ‘moss’. The rich, warm green colourway is set against a ribbed texture, contrasting with butter-yellow crème stripes to reflect the vintage sports theme.
On offer is a hand towel, bath towel, and generously sized bath sheet, made from premium organic cotton. “After sitting with this moss and crème pairing since early 2020, we were waiting for the moment to include it in the collection. It has such a broad appeal, is timeless, and when presented in a rib, evokes a heritage feel. Underwood was designed to suit any aesthetic,” says Baina co-founder Anna Fahey.
The campaign was shot by Aotearoa creative Rob Tennent at the Parnell Baths, capturing the essence of the vintage locker room and the inward act of post-match reflection.
Shop Underwood at shopbaina.com or via select Baina stockists.
3. The exclusive membership which allows you to collect coveted digital art
Art enthusiasts take notice, New Zealand company Glorious Digital is releasing its highly-anticipated ‘Glorious Founding Membership’. With only 1,000 founding memberships available as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), holders will receive access to upcoming Glorious Digital releases and exclusive events.
Glorious is a one-of-a-kind platform specialising in digital masterpieces. Renowned New Zealand painter Reuben Paterson will soon launch the inaugural artwork offering to founding members, with prominent creatives like Karl Maughan and Heather Straka also scheduled to release their works to collectors. Once purchased, the digital art can be displayed on digital screens in the home, for example on Samsung’s ‘The Frame’, a refined television model that doubles as a picture frame.
Launching on Thursday 3 March at 7pm, the memberships will be sold on a first-in-first-served basis, and can be purchased via a digital currency wallet topped up with the Ether cryptocurrency. While a new process for most, Glorious has created guidance about how to do this.
“NFT adoption is in its absolute infancy and so anyone engaging in this space is truly a digital pioneer. Our goal is to assist our clients every step of the way as they navigate this new frontier. People do need to get their heads around buying cryptocurrency, but we’ve found people are enjoying the ride, are learning more about this new technology and finding the experience enjoyable and interesting once they’ve made the decision. And after they’ve made that decision, our job is to surprise and delight them for years to come”, says Glorious chief executive Tim Harper.
To register your interest in a Glorious founding membership, sign up here.
4. Pour your very own salted grapefruit margarita, straight from the bottle
While making cocktails from scratch is fun, this requires a stocked drinks trolley, time, and patience. Therefore, New Zealand brand Batched is devoted to producing handcrafted cocktails from the bottle — all you need to do is shake and pour.
Leading the premium ready-made drinks market with its popular espresso martinis and strawberry rhubarb gin sours, Batched has recently welcomed two delectable new varieties to its range — a salted grapefruit margarita and a classic whiskey sour.
Refreshing and sophisticated, the margarita has just the right amount of tartness and sweetness, while the whiskey sour is a silky smooth and consistent drop.
You’ll no doubt see these new creations all season long at weddings and dinner parties, and you might just be tempted to order your own — perhaps as a home-isolation pick-me-up.
Discover Batched at premiumliquor.co.nz.
5. Pera May teams up with Wellington City Mission
From Saturday, exclusive pieces from slow-fashion label Pera May will be sold alongside second-hand clothes at the Wellington City Mission op shop.
The Pera May garments will sit alongside the op shop clothes, representing a nuanced, sustainable ecosystem where secondhand and new markets work together to amplify the fight against fast fashion consumption.
The collaboration also highlights the everyday buying power of the consumer. Like all sales made at the Wellington City Mission op shop, proceeds from the garments will be directly reinvested back into the community, for example, through the ‘Social Supermarket’, where members of the community can select their own food items, instead of receiving a pre-packaged parcel. The initiative has been under increased demand since the pandemic, and is dependent on the continued success of the City Mission shop.
Shop Pera May at Wellington City Mission on 180 Taranaki Street from 5-12 March or until sold out.
