5 New Zealand Designers Making Kiwi Fashion Extra Cool!

Okay, New Zealand Fashion Week happened, like, almost three months ago. But given the fanfare was taking place just as the New York and European runways were heating up, it took a while to sort through the sartorial rubble, so to speak. That said, we wanted to report back on a handful of Kiwi designers who don't let their far-flung environs slow them down. While New Zealand Fashion Week didn't offer the volume of shows that our Western Hemisphere friends do, there is definitely a quality-over-quantity vibe at work.

Among our favorites — and likely yours, too — Lonely Hearts (could they be the next Lover-meets-Karen Walker?), Deryn Schmidt (loved her use of bold, saturated color!), and Katie-Maree Cole (whose quirky Western styling totally charmed us). Click through to see the best of what young New Zealand designers are cooking up for autumn '12 (they're not six months ahead — their seasons are just reversed!).