Posts tagged New Zealand
Merging is the New Black: Two Top Fashion PR Companies Join Forces
Jan 25th
There&s been a silver lining to the perils of success for Auckland based fashion PR agent Miranda Likeman of Coco PR.
Paul Blomfield, Jill Blomfield and Miranda Likeman
As of February 1st a business merger has enabled her to join forces with her former mentors and industry experts Paul and Jill Blomfield as well as accept an in-house position with design house Urban Creative.
Starting on February 1, 2011, the two respected PR agencies created a ‘super agency&, with both offices maintaining separate client lists.  Paul Blomfield PR has taken on many of the Coco clients requiring showroom representation and assistance with exporting, while Likeman, in her showroom at Urban Creative in Morningside, will retain Doosh, Sable & Minx, Brady and Rembrandt, alongside other clients on her books that don&t require showroom space.
Likeman will continue involvement over the strategizing of range releases and various projects for the Blomfield  based clients due to her depth of knowledge of them, but this will slowly become only a part time endeavour for her.
Likeman started Coco PR with her former business partner in January 2007, after years as a magazine editor and fashion journalist. “My business partner and I met while she was the Fashion Editor and I was Deputy Editor of a magazine,†says Likeman. “As editors, we found dealing with many PR companies difficult, time consuming and at times, frustrating. More >
Mal Corboy’s Insiteful Kitchen Designs
Dec 20th
Our client Mal Corboy is an internationally renowned kitchen designer based in New Zealand. After launching his design career as a cabinet-maker, his fame continues to grow after receiving a horde of awards and a list of happy customers to Los Angeles and back!
His designs are instantly recognisable, defined by individual use of colour and lighting, with an emphasis on clean, extended lines and peerless attention to form and function.
This article in the Summer 10/11 issue of Insite magazine features Mal and serveral of his award winning kitchen.
LEFT With its stainless steel and American oak tops, this kitchen took out the award for Kitchen Design of the Year 2009 Australia.
Final design completes lower west side
Nov 2nd
Vicki Holder from DesignDaily writes about the impressive Building 6 at Rhubarb Lane by Peddle Thorpe Architects.
The final building in Auckland’s six Rhubard Lane group is the aptly named No. 6 Rhubarb Lane, by Peddle Thorp Architects.
No. 6 Rhubarb Lane by Peddle Thorpe Architects actually straddles the laneway itself.
It contains 15 aPods sized between 170 – 506m2 and much of its framework is inspired by New York loft-style apartments in the celebrated Soho district. Modern interpretations of warehouse spaces use raw materials like polished metal surfaces and exposed concrete.
A feature particularly unique to this building is the innovative “Living Bridge” that will straddle the lane, connecting the two sides of the laneway and making for impressive views over the bustling activity below. One of Peddle Thorp’s directors, Richard Goldie says “with the adjacent 90 degree angles and large amount of glass used, privacy has been carefully managed while retaining excellent natural light flow.”
To see the full article, see: http://designdaily.co.nz/blog/2010/11/final-design-completes-lower-west-side
The Greenest Building in the Land
Nov 2nd
Jazial Crossley of the NBR, writes about The Deloitte Centre at 80 Queen Street, Auckland.
One of Queen St’s newest office towers has broken the record for most green star ratings.
The Impressive Deloitte Centre has achieved three GreenStar certificates.
Built by Brookfield Multiplex for naming rights tenant Deloitte and bank BNZ, with retail at the ground floor, the tower known as Deloitte Centre is located at 80 Queen St in Auckland.
The prime grade building was bought by Rich Lister fashion mogul Tim Glasson in April for $177 million on a 7.6% yield in a deal brokered by Colliers agent Bill Leckie.
It has achieved a 5 Green Star rating for its Office Design, and a 5 Green Star Office Built rating. Now it can add a third string to its bow of environmentally-friendly accolades, with a 5 Green Star Office Interior rating awarded last ngiht.
The 21 storey building was awarded for BNZ’s fitout using sustainable materials, incorporating a lot of natural light and greenery in an abundance of plants with an open plan working format for staff.
BNZ chief executive Andrew Thorburn said sustainability was fundamental to business.
Read the full article here:
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/the-greenest-building-land-132525
Armageddon Expo in Review – on Thread
Oct 30th
Closet geek Anya Brighouse from thread.co.nz posted a brilliant review of Armageddon Expo, held over Labour Weekend in Auckland. Read on…
Armageddon in Auckland
A Dalek poses with a visitor at Armageddon Expo, Auckland
I have always loved science fiction and I am very happy to put my hand up to being a card-carrying fan of Star Trek and all its various guises. I have watched every series ever made, from the original series (there were only ever approximately 79 episodes made over three seasons) to the animated one (who remembers that?) to all the various spin-offs of which there are at least four.
I also love animated films and will watch almost anything as long as it isn’t crap. I also loved the original series of Dr Who – I spent many evenings as a 10 year old hiding behind the sofa half watching the scary bits (generally when the daleks arrived). I loved its slightly camp cheesy-ness, and the fact that you just knew it was all made up because you could tell the cybermen just had tinfoil over them, and the daleks only seemed to appear on flat surfaces as their crappy wheels wouldn’t let them go up hills.
Somehow I appear to have passed on this love of these things to my children.
Read on here
Pip Cheshire Talks about Rhubarb Lane
Oct 19th
Authoritative online design magazine DesignFolio Update has run a great interview with Kiwi design legend Pip Cheshire on his design influences, and his part in the creation of the fabulous Rhubarb Lane urban village planned for Auckland’s Victoria Quarter.
A link to the article is here: http://designfolio.co.nz/_blog/Design_Folio_NZ/post/Architect_Pip_Cheshire_Discusses_Rhubarb_Lane/
Pip Cheshire Discusses Rhubarb Lane with DesignFolio
Flotsam and Jetsam from the Designer Garage Sale
Sep 28th
If you lost anything at the Designer Garage Sale , just give us a call. We have a few credit cards and bits and pieces that people left behind.
Hope you all enjoyed the Sale and look forward to seeing you all again soon!
Designer Garage Sale Featured in the Herald on Sunday
Sep 19th
We got a good mention in today’s Herald on Sunday showing some of the fantastic garments that we’ll have at the Designer Garage Sale at Fashion Weekend starting Friday night.
Brilliant fashion and really great prices – these items were snapped up immediately by our own staff!
Oh and if you recognise the model, you should – that is Francesca Blomfield – expect to see her managing the staffing roster and tills at the sale.
Tickets here or remember that it is FREE to enter on Sunday (only)
Designer Garage Sale Featured in the Herald on Sunday 19 September
A Life Well Lived – Loobie’s Story in M2 Woman
Aug 18th
This label is contemporary, affordable (nothing over $300), is kind to nature and right on trend. She uses beautiful silks, linens and cottons, and has her own original prints, making her items very exclusive.
Sold in the premier store, VINCENT and chain store, Hartleys, Laurinda also has her beautiful Kiwi designs scattered throughout special boutiques in New Zealand.
The name, Loobie came from a “pet†name her husband called her after seeing a Persil ad. Featuring a cute little Ragdoll called Loobie, it reminded him of Laurinda; big eyes, big hair and cute clothes.
The rag trade is right behind Laurinda forging out her new collections, as she has a huge reputation from so many years of contributing design excellence to the New Zealand and Australian market.
Her first collection, “A Life Well Lived,†definitely has a resort feel to it with practical fabrics, lengths and purpose. Jersey silks in khaki, blues and lime; silk cotton voile in Orchid, Carnation and Indigo; beautiful 100 percent cotton garments of Spring Watermelon and Sky Blue; and delicate silk chiffon in Flying Lotus and China Girl white.
Sutcliffe&s pant and jacket shapes are cut well for Kiwi shapes. She understands that fashion needs to celebrate trends but that life is messy and busy and complicated, and often short for time. Laurinda&s life changed when she took time out. Suddenly, she was dropping the kids off again and racing to a school event or kids& game — “Clothes need to follow life, not our lives to follow clothes.â€
Clever layering pieces see you transform a sundress into a belted tunic and pants for dinner. I can&t wait to buy my first piece — or three. The collection is available end
of August.
- By Petra Rijnbeek of M2 Woman
Loobie’s Story Begins From A Life Well Lived
Jul 28th
 Sometimes it takes a shocking change of circumstances to bring out the very best in a person — and Laurinda and Brent Sutcliffe and their creation of Loobie&s Story is no exception.For Laurinda, Australian born, a talented and successful creative director at one of New Zealand&s leading fashion companies, the sudden shock of redundancy after 20 years dynamic service made her ask questions of herself, her own ability and the future. It rocked her back on her heels.
“After years of such a high energy, all-encompassing work life, suddenly I didn&t have to get up and go to work. For a while I really didn&t know what to do,†says Laurinda. “The first day after I finished work I swept the kitchen floor about 10 times before midday. I was so lost.â€
 “I really wasn&t going to do my own label and in fact, redundancy had jolted my confidence,†says Laurinda. “But suddenly there was this amazing convergence of brilliant minds and circumstances and encouragement that was at the same time both humbling and energising… we needed fate to take over and it did,†she said.
