Federation paint the town

Federation
Air New Zealand Fashion Week
Friday 25 September

Paint- black, blood red, neon blue and green, dripping, trickling, oozing and streaming down the pure white backdrop heralding a giant Federation cross emblem- began the Federation show to the Stones lyrics “I see a red door and I want it painted black.”

It was an indication of what was to come: acid brights, painted on denim, fingers dipped in favourite colours, and a whole lot more. Even the goody bags were in theme with miniature Resene (their sponsor) paint pots filled with Redbull, vodka and appropriately coloured post-it notes and highlighters.

Chunky knit scarves styled as beanies, the blazer (a favourite at fashion week) done in a chambray cropped tuxedo style, a bright red body suit, striped denim, shirt-tailed tees and a grey drawstring pant suit were stand out pieces in the collection.

Alongside some very fashion-forward moments were also a lot of Federation’s motifs seen in previous collections: the logo emblazoned jeans and the printed slogan tee. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, they just get better at what they do well every year. The Federation cross appeared on ‘poo-catcher’ dropped crotch trackpants and some tees, both likely to become season staples. One that I will no doubt be tracking down is the “I wait for you” drape neck tee.

This is high-end streetwear at its best, and it has been 10 years in the making. Federation hits double digits and celebrates their 10th birthday in 2010. What a collection to mark the milestone with. Here’s to another even better ten.

Olivia Boswell
Photos Michael Ng