This story is part of Ensemble's fashion week coverage, supported by Viaduct Harbour

An upcoming DIY grass-roots show is part of a tradition of young creatives subverting – and questioning – fashion industry conventions.

Rogue, a group show set to be held the Friday before NZ Fashion Week’s return after a four year hiatus, comes from a collective of creatives who were frustrated by some of the barriers involved in taking part in the local fashion industry’s biggest and most high-profile event.

“The heart and essence of Rogue is an authentic celebration of our community, of queer joy, of tenacity and our DIY spirit, to give young creatives an opportunity to show their work without financial pressure, or the presence of an institution of any kind,” says Kat Aucamp, who runs the small knitwear label Goldi and is one of the organisers behind the show.

Aucamp had the idea after a “lively” conversation in early April with their partner Stella Nicolson and flatmate (and second year fashion design student at AUT) Billy Blamires. “I had posted on my Instagram story, ‘why is it [fashion week] so expensive? I might do my own show. Who wants to help me?’. And I got bombarded by people reaching out; designer friends, but the majority were people I didn’t know.”

Channelling Jenny Humphrey’s guerrilla fashion show from Gossip Girl, they shared a Google form for those who wanted to express an interest in being involved. A few days later Aucamp posted again to Instagram, announcing that a show was officially happening. “Like many others, I was shocked to find out the cost of being involved in the next gen show at NZFW is $3500+ gst. It was a pearl clutching what the f*ck moment for sure,” they wrote. “I am a strong advocate for a DIY, make your own way, community driven moment.

“Ours will be by us for us.”

Taking over the modernist Mount Albert War Memorial Hall - a council venue opened in 1961 and available to hire for $80 an hour - on Friday August 25, Rogue will feature 24 designers, many recent graduates with a focus on small runs or one-off creations. Designers do not need to pay to take part.

Alongside Aucamp, Nicolson and Blamires, those taking part include artist and designer Giancarlo, recent fashion design graduate and “admin icon” Jalaina Hitchen, designer (Banshee) Kayla Rousselle, founder of Way Management Jaimee-Lee Tredray, recent fashion design graduate Sebastian Stewart, recent communications graduate Saana Wilson, Whitecliffe fashion design student Chloe Pollard.

Accessibility in terms of cost was a key consideration, with tickets only $10 and money going back directly to the designers (tickets sold out in two hours).

The show is self-funded, except for a small ($1000) funding grant from the Blackbird Foundation’s Protostars Grants Program. Like any brand or event these days, they’re also offering merch for sale; another way to help fund costs.

Independent shows from plucky creatives “off” the official fashion week schedule are not new. Mala Brajkovic, Miss Crabb, Little Brother and more have all put on their own shows during the event, without actually taking part (interestingly, they’re all brands that no longer exist). And 'emerging' designers of all stripes have long been part of NZFW in various forms, usually as part of group shows – or simply sneaking into other designers’ shows and after-parties, using the opportunity for valuable networking.

It’s difficult to get a clear answer on the real costs of putting on a fashion show in New Zealand. A spokesperson for NZ Fashion Week said they could not disclose the costs to a brand or designer to be on the event’s official schedule. NZFW did clarify that designers showing in next gen shows do pay to take part, though the event underwrites these.

“Yes, next gen designers do have to pay to take part and NZFW has helped underwrite these costs in order for them to participate. Graduate designers do not pay to participate however institutions are charged a small fee. Additionally, NZFW covers a variety of production costs from models and hair and makeup to music licensing, photography, live streaming and video capture.”

Fashion weeks here and overseas are, at the end of the day, a business. But there has been criticism of the costs involved in taking part in NZFW, including recent questions raised by some in the industry on social media. There are the upfront costs to take part, alongside additional things like models, lighting, PR, hair and makeup, seating, music and more. Then, of course, there is the time, resource and labour it takes to actually create the garments that end up on the runway.

Natasha Ovely, founder and designer of the label Starving Artists Fund, has expressed frustration in the past at the traditional fashion week show model, particularly the often exorbitant cost – echoing similar concerns from Rogue. “It is unethical to position themselves as an institution dedicated to showcasing local talent when your main priority is pocketing revenue on the backs of those who can't afford it,” says Ovely of her main concerns.

She has shown both at fashion week (in 2018 and 2019) and deliberately outside of it. In 2021 she put on her own independent ticketed group show (after it was postponed due to lockdowns), literally called The Independent Show – with the aim of creating “a meritocratic structure instead of having to pay for a seat at the table” she says.

“Showing at fashion week exposed me to the scale of resources available to NZFW, from big-name sponsors, international delegates, PR agencies, and production teams – every designer’s dream bingo card. It simultaneously showed me how all of those things, in the wrong hands feed into a hierarchical system that favours nepotism, wealth and exploitation,” Ovely explains.

“I learned that any platform, no matter how big or small, can cultivate meaningful growth within their industry if they believe it is their responsibility to pull others up with them. What do we want our industry to represent? The raw and varied talent of emerging designers from all walks of life or those who can afford to be designers?”

These are not concerns that are unique to the New Zealand market, or even the concept of a fashion week itself. The fashion industry has traditionally been set up to value and favour – and let’s face it, cater to – those with generational wealth. In May, New York designer Elena Velez spoke to the New York Times in a piece headlined 'Should making it in fashion be this hard?', opting to share the reality of being a young designer in an industry that can favour smoke and mirrors. That included Velez's single working mother going into her retirement fund to help fund her almost $40,000 USD fashion show at New York Fashion Week.

“Her deconstructed corsets and asymmetric dresses had made the rounds on celebrities known for their propulsive sense of style: Rosalía, Solange Knowles, Julia Fox. What more could a 28-year-old fashion designer want?” wrote the reporter Jessica Testa. “Well, money. There was $370 in her account. ‘And I made a $400 sale two hours ago,’ she said, meaning she had been in the red that morning.”

The story laid bare the struggles of being a young designer, albeit in a much bigger market than NZ. It’s a truth most in the industry are aware of, and something Rogue’s Nicolson had picked up on recently too, as the group perhaps naively realised some of the costs and production involved in a show – even one that’s DIY and purposely small. “I was listening to a podcast, looking at successful, new hot designers and most of them are all in debt, if they aren't from super wealthy families. That's one of the biggest things I'm learning, regardless of how outwardly successful you are as a brand.”

Rogue’s organisers say that they have had some fashion industry figures reach out in support, but have been conscious of not being influenced by anyone else’s vision or requirements. “We wanted to make sure it retained its DIY identity,” says Aucamp.

“I think one of the coolest things about what we're doing is even if we don't sell all of our tickets, we've still created this community of designers, creatives, models – a network of creatives that's a lot more organic than something facilitated by somebody else.”

For the organisers, the process has ultimately been about more than just the show itself – or, in fact, fashion week.

“We were pretty adamant that we didn't want to be, like a ‘guerilla fashion show’. There were people who were like, ‘let's take over fashion week and go and cause mayhem!’. But we don't need it,” says Aucamp. “We can just exist. We're already making some sort of statement by putting this show on, because we wouldn't put it on if it wasn't needed.”