Determined not to be defeated by New Zealand’s isolation — and before she had even launched her brand — emerging Auckland-based designer Courtney Pellow flew to New York earlier this year to find a showroom. Zannick Studio took her on and she didn’t have to wait long to get noticed.
In September, Gigi Hadid attracted international media attention when she stepped out at Milan Fashion Week in a pair of the designer’s eye-catching patchwork Up-Cycled Sock Pants.
Handmade from faulty wool socks discarded by a New Zealand manufacturer and retailing on Pellow’s web store for 1,196 New Zealand dollars or $821 at current exchange, the pants were among several pieces from the designer’s debut collection that were loaned to Hadid’s stylist.
A day later, Hadid was photographed again in another Courtney Pellow style: the White Camo Cropped Jean, a relaxed-fit, mid-rise jean in a camouflage print with contrast denim waistband and patch pockets.
While upcycling accounts for just 20 percent of Pellow’s production, sustainability is front of mind for the Auckland University of Technology graduate, who is using organic cotton in her T-shirts.
Other repurposed products include the Up-Cycled Sock Jumper and a range of Bush Shirts crafted from vintage wool blankets that Pellow sources from
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