When the red light setting forced the cancellation of the already rescheduled NZ Fashion Week, it was a crushing blow to creatives across the country who had put a huge amount of work into preparing for the event. Fashion designers, makeup artists, models, photographers and many more had the catwalk pulled out from under them.

We wanted to find a way to celebrate the whole of the local fashion industry and give them - and all fashion-loving New Zealanders - the festivities they deserve.

The Ensemble Edit, a digital and shoppable fashion show, was the result; watch and shop the show here on Stuff.

Fittingly, the show was a true ensemble effort.

Free and accessible to all, it features an incredible cast of models in looks picked from new-to-store collections from a dozen NZ fashion designers, with items available to click to buy straight from the runway.

The show was styled and cast by Auckland creative director and photographer Rob Tennent, who approached the job with a goal to making it “super inclusive and diverse.”

“I really put effort into having a diverse range of sizes and genders and identities and make sure everyone feels like they’ve been seen.”

First time fashion show model Baksho Craig described her catwalk debut as “beautiful”.

”This is my first time, and I've met the most beautiful people. I feel like I've been really looked after.”

Alongside Craig, the show features some of Aotearoa's coolest talent walking amongst the incredible and powerful 'Kōwhaiwhai' exhibition that has just opened at Tim Melville Gallery. The result is a beautiful collision of fashion, art, community and talent.

Like any fashion presentation, it took a lot of hard work from a huge team of generous people behind the scenes to pull together, and we captured the behind the scenes process on camera, so you can see how it all came together.

Ensemble co-founder Zoe Walker Ahwa had a chat to some of the faces behind and in the show - watch the video below.

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