Here's How Harris Tapper Will Debut At New Zealand Fashion Week

NZ Herald

5 days ago

A big deal, marked intimately.
Harris Tapper is a business in scale, but its New Zealand Fashion Week debut won't be.
Joining the official NZFW schedule for the first time in 2025, the premiere presentation, held for less than 100 guests at Blue in Ponsonby, will be small, considered, and personal.
The brand says, 'There's a new pulse coming from New Zealand fashion, we felt it was our duty to contribute.'
Harris Tapper joins a host of high-profile Aotearoa fashion brands confirming their involvement on the official schedule of Aotearoa's premier fashion event, which returns in its new format from August 25-30.
Imbuing the intimacy of a mid-century couture salon, expect the Harris Tapper experience to mirror the ethos of the brand itself: clothes designed not for spectacle, but for the woman herself – modern, hard-working tailoring, designed with wise restraint.
In a nod to the nostalgic elegance that underpins the brand's next collection, guests will be served Tanqueray Gibsons. The cousin of the martini mixes gin and dry vermouth and is often garnished with a pickled onion.
The brand will show a new collection that launches in August, with some of the pieces available to buy. Alongside this, the presentation will include special 'coming-soon' pieces and some custom-made, artisanal one-offs.
'We are often inspired by the masters of couture and the quiet showmanship of the early couture salon shows in the 50s and 60s. We'll be questioning the modern approach to sophistication and elegance.'
Close-knit showings have become somewhat of a signature for the burgeoning brand. In February, to celebrate its Spring Summer 2025 collection, it collaborated with Australian boutique The New Trend to host an intimate cocktail evening at The Apollo Inn in Melbourne. Last November, it collaborated with art adviser Anna Shapiro Taylor, bringing together artists Karen Black and Cybele Cox in Sydney to discuss the nuances of producing work at the intersection of commerce and creativity.
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It was a fitting talking point for co-founders Lauren Tapper and Sarah Harris Gould, who are themselves meeting a period of increased commercial demand with an uncompromising vision.
Over the past 24 months, the quiet confidence that underpins their approach and aesthetic has translated into marked market momentum. Founded in 2017 as outfitters who at first focused solely on shirting, the brand has doubled its revenue annually.
The lift corresponds with a period in which the Harris Tapper brand has been cultivating a strong international presence. Tapper and Gould recently returned from New York City, where they took a series of meetings, including one at Vogue.
But the Auckland-based design duo say this NZFW debut is a moment to celebrate on home ground, a salute to staying true to the philosophy that has garnered fans from the outset.
'The time and space we've allowed ourselves to sharpen our voice and tone has led to a more considered, curated approach to the way we see our wearer.'
A rare moment sees the brand with a core of quiet authority step into the spotlight. 'We are never in a rush to be loud,' admits Tapper. 'But this feels like the right moment to speak.'
'We've spent years refining our DNA, fit and cut; working with amazing tailors, pattern cutters and skilled artisans. It felt like the product, the brand and the business were ready to speak and it feels only fitting that the conversation is here, where Harris Tapper was born.'
Harris Tapper's NZFW debut won't be about spectacle – those in the room will see a statement of established identity. A language of easy elegance displayed through refined fits, cuts and fabrics that toy with notions of femininity and power.
They say their involvement in fashion week is 'both a culmination and a beginning'.
A brand entering a new era with assured energy, while treasuring the unique landscape they're born from. Like fashion week itself.
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