KATHRYN WILSON IN FNZ

If last year proved Christchurch could do fashion, 2026 is set to show it’s no one-season wonder.

The Christchurch Spring Fashion Festival returns to Ōtautahi from 15 – 18 October, bringing four days of runway shows, designer talent and fashion-fuelled events to the Garden City. After last year’s debut, the buzz is bigger, the fashion crowd is ready – and the flight south is looking increasingly tempting.

In partnership with ChristchurchNZ, this year’s festival puts the city firmly in the spotlight, celebrating its history and influence on New Zealand fashion. Once considered the country’s fashion capital – and the founding home of Fashion Quarterly – Christchurch has long played a role in shaping our fashion landscape. Now, with established names, cool local talent and a new generation of designers, CSFF is giving Ōtautahi’s creative scene plenty of room to shine.

The programme is no small affair, either. Two NZFW-produced shows, The New Guard and The Spring Edit, bring together a roll call of Kiwi talent, from Harris Tapper, By Kai, Beach Brains and Paris Georgia to Kathryn Wilson, Juliette Hogan and Karen Walker. Add in Breast Cancer Cure’s Fashion For A Cure, with its lineup of much-loved established designers, and CSFF is quickly becoming more than a satellite event. It’s carving out a place of its own on the Aotearoa fashion calendar...