Zambesi, one of the biggest brands in New Zealand, will be one of the fashion labels featured in New Zealand Fashion Week 2013 (Credit: www.zambesi.co.nz)

The New Zealand Fashion Week biggest fashion event in New Zealand will kick off Monday night, Sept 2, with a VIP ceremony in Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre. Over 50 Kiwi and international designers will be showcasing their best autumn/winter 2014 collections on the catwalk during for the rest of the week. The New Zealand Fashion Week is now celebrating its 13th year.

Dame Pieter Stewart, founder of New Zealand Fashion Week, said the collection of designers for this year's event will be the best yet. Some of the biggest names in New Zealand's fashion industry such as Trelise Cooper and Zambesi will be showing off their stylish and trendy wares alongside other edgier and smaller fashion labels.

New Zealand Fashion Week still remains a huge commercial platform for the Kiwi fashion industry. Popular fashion labels like the Stolen Girlfriends Club and Twenty-Seven Names are expected to be back for this year's biggest fashion event to feature their upcoming collections to be held at the Auckland venue on Sept 3 and 4.

Wairarapa fashion label, My Boyfriend's Back, will be appearing for the first time at the New Zealand Fashion Week. A trio of designers from Wellington, featuring Mardle, Millicent and Love Hotel labels will also make their debut.

Grace Lee and Mia Brennan, both indigenous Australian designers, will also be featured together with seven of New Zealand's Maori designers in a Miromoda show on Sept 6.

Marissa Findlay, who has also helped produce fashion shows for Zambesi in the last 14 years, will make sure the New Zealand Fashion Week shows will have an element of mystery and surprise to capture the audience.

Of course any big event will always have criticisms, one of which has been always the lack of income generated by the New Zealand Fashion Week. However, many fashion designers said sales were not simply due to a cause-and-effect equation. Designers said that by the time buyers order place an advance order for upcoming winter collections, months have already passed since the Fashion Week event.

New Zealand Fashion Week may attract a buyer to purchase a designer's collection but other factors can contribute to buying behaviour. Designers who participate in fashion events believe they are opportunities to build their brand with media coverage.