Before it breaks: Three labels we’re quietly watching

1 February 2026
By Natalia Didovich

Introducing three upcoming New Zealand brands you should have on your radar in 2026.

Daina Hugh. Photography: Apela Bell.

Daina Hugh

After a three-year hiatus, Lavinia ’Ilolahia – formerly of Layplan — returns with Daina Hugh, a deeply considered new label shaped by Polynesian perspectives and contemporary craft. The brand's debut drop, Heart in Her Hands, is a love letter to ’Ilolahia’s grandmother, offering a gentle reinterpretation of the taʻovala. Opting…

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Fashion Quarterly Winter 2023 Cover
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