NZFW 2015 Gallery: Zambesi - Fashion Quarterly

Zambesi closed New Zealand Fashion week last night with an epic on-site show, complete with a wood-look vinyl catwalk, electric sequin sparkles, lashings of rich plum and purple tones and the odd soft pink hue for good measure. We thought who better to give us a breakdown of the collection than Fashion Quarterly’s creative director – and Zambassador – Marcel Gull. So as soon as the lights went up, FQ features editor Lucy Slight pulled Marcel into a quiet corner to capture his post-runway thoughts.

It’s two minutes post-show. What are your initial thoughts on Zambesi?
You know what, I walked in there feeling so cool because I’m wearing the most current Zambesi right now, and then the moment the first model was out, I was old Zambesi and I wanted what they were wearing. I thought tassels had been done, but no, tassels are back again, so I’ll be doing tassels. But the whole time I was trying to figure out what that colour was… Is it wine? Is it grape? Is it purple? All I know is by the end of the show I still didn’t know what the actual colour was, but I loved it.

Any stand-out trends for you?
Flares are still here. And I liked that there wasn’t so much black either… Oh and there was a bomber jacket that had panels on it. It was so cool, I think it looks like the most expensive thing in the whole show – not that it’s about money. The pleats! The pleats were cool. And the deconstructed skirts. But for me the main thing was the tassels. Is that bad? In one of Dayne [Johnston]’s first shows, he did tassels, and so I like that he’s revisited it but in a different and more modern way. I got one of his tassel belts that I wore around Wellington for a while.

What about those leather accessories?
To be honest, I’ve always thought fanny packs were in, especially when they’re made out of leather and they have a very thin strap. It’s all about the thin strap. As long as it’s the same colour as the pants you’re wearing, it’s alright, because you don’t really notice it. Isn’t it really 70s to have a fanny pack? And that’s cool! The 70s is still around.

Any surprises for you?
Again, I was so over fake fur, but suddenly I see the fur like that and I want it. Isn’t that interesting how quickly I can turn? And there was no mesh. No mesh whatsoever, but there was transparent fabric that had the dots on it. But that’s as meshy as it got, which is kind of hard for a guy. Because how does a guy pull off dotty transparent fabric?

Last thoughts?
Ooh, the pompom hats! I loved the pompom hats. *Scrolls through his camera roll* See, that’s the jacket I love! What is that colour? Honestly! It isn’t purple… Ok, it’s grape.

Watch the show highlights here:

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