Elisabeth Findlay

Looking through the archives of New Zealand’s fashion history, you’d be hard-pressed to miss the presence of Zambesi – that clever brand with a cult-like status among those who like their wardrobe to be as clever as their wit. This season marks the 40-year anniversary since the brand appeared on the scene with its contemporary clothes made to speak entirely for themselves – “darkly intellectual” and “beautiful goths”, interpreted the runway reporters.

Since 1979, Zambesi has continuously challenged perceptions while also shaping the country’s fashion identity. It’s one of our most recognised and longest-running labels, yet the brand remains an enigma – a creative force to be reckoned with. “I like the fact it's still a little bit of a mystery,” says its co-founder Elisabeth (Liz) Findlay, as she explains how no one knows the origin of the name.

We’re in the Auckland workroom, where there is an eddy of energy as we stop for tea in the lead-up to Zambesi’s two New Zealand Fashion Week shows. To understand why the brand still stirs such excitement in an industry always on the hunt for the next big thing, it helps to know the story of the head of the Zambesi family – of artists, workers, fans and actual relatives.

"I like the fact it's still a little bit of a mystery.”

Born in Greece, into the Gladiadis family, she arrived in New Zealand as a three-year-old on the Goya refugee ship in 1951. Her Ukrainian father found work on the Otago railways and the family settled in Dunedin. Liz (71) says being a family of eight at the bottom of the world, without any other kin, brought them all closer together. Her Greek-Russian mother, Zinovia, was a skilled seamstress and as the eldest of the four girls, Liz was quick to pick up her mother's craft. “She was incredibly particular and she taught us all to sew. I think, for me, that's where that instinctive feeling for fashion came from.”

Liz and her sister Margarita (Margi Robinson) worked in the city at first, meeting up in their breaks to shop markets and vintage stores. “It has been a great relationship and in spite of the fact that I have always been the little sister, Liz has always respected our individual style,” says Margi, who went on to found Dunedin-based label, Nom*D, and store, Plume.

In the weekends, 16-year-old Liz learnt to model at the Joanne School of Charm – quickly being booked for shows even though designers had to take up hems to accommodate her petite frame.

At 21, she moved to Auckland and started to see more sides of the fashion industry – securing an office job at clothing manufacturers Derek Batts, and becoming production assistant; moving to a retail role at Fotheringay in The House of Flackson on Karangahape Road; and working at Angus Fabrics – viewing first- hand the latest textiles from Europe. “I was fascinated with the whole industry,” she says. “I loved fabric and I loved clothes and all my money went on my back from my favourite local boutiques.”

“I loved fabric and I loved clothes and all my money went on my back from all the local boutiques."

Liz met her husband Neville (on a blind date) when she first moved to Auckland. With his encouragement,
she opened Tart in Parnell in 1975, stocking the likes of Wendy Ganley’s Youthquake label Elle and the eponymous and effortlessly chic label of Marilyn Sainty, while designing her own extra pieces to add to the racks.

Cachet followed in Takapuna in 1978, where the brand started to take on more of an independent stance. Representing emerging designers, it offered shoppers an alternative to the delayed European imports many other stores sold at the time. While it sounds like a strategic approach to building a local fashion empire, Liz and Neville, both Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to fashion, say it was more serendipitous: “We just did what we felt was right at the time.”

As the '80s approached, Liz, with her appreciation for fine fabric and daring dressmaking techniques, decided to concentrate on launching the Zambesi label. Neville packed in his job as a design engineer to help with the business and to be there for their two young children, Marissa and Sophie.

In the beginning, the garments were created on a cutting table in the sunroom of their Grafton villa, often with their daughters playing on the floor in their custom Zambesi. It was all-hands-on-deck and the family hired many aspiring designers before they went out on their own, including Helen Cherry, who calls the label “one of the truly original New Zealand designer brands”. She has fond memories from her first fashion job: “I worked in their home and they treated me like family. I learned so much there and it was always fun – creative fun!”

“Growing up in an environment where my folks were creative and thriving, doing what they were passionate about and having fun at work, was a huge influence on my outlook on life,” says Sophie. “You just don't realise how special it is to have all of that creativity and love from different women around all the time too, because it was a business Mum started,” says Marissa.

Unlike today's young designers, who can instantly cultivate a spotlight online, Liz quietly took her time perfecting her fabric artworks in private. On textile buying trips to Japan, she marvelled at disruptive designers, including Rei Kawakubo of Commes des Garcons and Yohji Yamamoto. For Liz, the material is always the muse, with an appreciation of fit and shape, and freedom and restraint, in designs made to keep everyone guessing.

While the brand is currently a member of new ethical initiative Mindful Fashion New Zealand, Liz has always designed thoughtfully, creating pieces that can be styled to suit any occasion and to last more than a lifetime. “I believe there is an invisible thread that is woven through the collections creating the never-ending wardrobe,” Liz says of her cohesive body of work. “Not relying on following trends, the inspiration comes from an instinctive place, based in the use of fabrication and in this way we continue to add to the existing collections in a very real way.”

“I believe there is an invisible thread that is woven through the collections creating the never-ending wardrobe.”

While the brand is not showy as such, Liz’s favourite way to share her collections is on the runway. Zambesi partook in the televised Corbans Fashion Collections, before it was the Fashion Report, and held pop-up shows all over Auckland. Then in 1997, Zambesi was discovered by the rest of the world at a group show at Australian Fashion Week. The late Italian Vogue fashion editor Anna Piaggi was in attendance and in admiration of Liz’s enthusiastic 74 exits, which received a remarkable minutes-long standing ovation.

The international acclaim continued when Zambesi was one of the infamous ‘New Zealand Four’ chosen to show at London Fashion Week in 1999. Presenting a darkly romantic collection, alongside her sister's Nom*D, reviewers declared New Zealand's fashion was as moody as our other art outlets.

Back home, Cachet had closed and two Zambesi stores opened in Auckland’s CBD. But after London Fashion Week, the city stores merged to create a three-level flagship on Vulcan Lane. Neville designed the store to be all concrete, glass and hot-rolled steel – industrial chic before it was cool here. Liz’s sister Vera was the manager in charge – an iconic figure in the retail scene herself.

The brand’s approach to retail has been measured to ensure integrity. Although there have been 22 stores, the most open in one stint were seven in Australasia, while the brand was stocked in specialist stores further afield, including one in Moscow and in Liberty London. Currently, Zambesi has four stores, three in Auckland and one in Wellington, which also stock Nom*D and like-minded brands found on Paris buying trips
– including Maison Martin Margiela, Raf Simons and Vetements.

In 2003, an official menswear line was launched with Dayne Johnston. Having started with the brand in finishing and quality control, he works closely with Liz to complement the womenswear offering. “The biggest takeaway from my experience of the brand is the freedom and trust I have from Liz, who has always been supportive of what I do,” he says. Liz is quick to point out the importance of her team, and the Zambesi stores and workroom are home to several longtime staff members from all over the globe. This unique following extends to Zambesi’s customers, many of whom have been devotees for decades. “It’s quite humbling to recognise the pride that customers have in owning a piece of Zambesi,” says Liz. “It makes me realise that they have ownership in the brand as do all our loyal and dedicated staff. The Zam Fam all share in the success.”

“It’s quite humbling to recognise the pride that customers have in owning a piece of Zambesi.”

In particular, 2005 was a big year for Zambesi. They were chosen to present at the prestigious Paris trade fair Tranoi, designed the crew uniforms for Air New Zealand and were the subject of the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Zambesi: Edge of Darkness exhibition, as other institutions began to collect archive pieces. The Museum’s notes read: “Elisabeth Findlay’s designs contain an enormous and continual capacity to surprise and to achieve a level of emotional resonance that is rare in contemporary fashion.”

For the New Zealand Fashion Museum’s Doris de Pont, Zambesi is unrivalled for relevance as they continue to make quality garments here in New Zealand – something that has become increasing special as overheads increase and skills move offshore. “Their 40-year story captures many changes in New Zealand society and in our fashion, and their success is testament to their responsiveness and resilience,” Doris says. “I hope Zambesi continues to make clothing that binds us to their sustained sense of style, offering all of us connection, familiarity and true value.”

Zambesi has shown at New Zealand Fashion Week since its inception in 2001, only missing, at most, a couple of shows. “Liz is the calm, kind, gentle person who steers her way with elegance and flair through whatever is happening at the time,” says NZFW founder Dame Pieter Stewart. “The New Zealand fashion industry has been fortunate to have Zambesi as a leading light amongst designers for so many years. They forged the way of producing amazing shows and were very instrumental as one of the key designers that encouraged me to start New Zealand Fashion Week.”

The shows attract a line-up of celebrities for the front row, while bringing the family closer together behind- the-scenes. Neville looks after the hosting, Marissa is in charge of creative direction and production and Sophie on music and graphics.

Memorable moments include a 2005 presentation with former creative director Tulia Wilson, held at Auckland’s iconic St James Theatre, where Pluto played live music while models stomped the stage. The aptly name Engima collection in 2009 saw models walk in front of giant landscape projections at SkyCity, and a dramatic runway in 2013 used their backstage area as the backdrop.

“I feel so lucky I've been able to explore my passions and share them."

Family is central to the story of Zambesi. When I interview Liz at the brand’s headquarters, Neville is there searching for his favourite old photos, and Marissa pops by in-between working on their two shows to be held at New Zealand Fashion Week – one an ode to storytelling for the Autumn/Winter 2020 collection held at the Auckland City Library, and the other a retrospective show during the public Fashion Weekend. One of their dogs, Dusty, occasionally chimes in to our conversation with a cry as she chews on a neon ball of Zambesi socks.

Being together for Zambesi’s milestone anniversary is a full-circle moment for a brand that has always put people first. “I feel so lucky I've been able to explore my passions and share them,” says Liz. “I feel like Zambesi has huge potential yet. That's a weird thing, probably, after 40 years. But in this industry, you never feel like you're finished.” ■