Pink was the new black at Eden Park as Breast Cancer Cure made fashion history, rolling out the pink carpet on the All Blacks’ hallowed turf for the first-ever runway show on September 30 .
There was also a pre-party in the players’ changing room where the 25 T-shirt designs from this year’s Tees for a Cure campaign were displayed in player cubby holes.
New Zealand fashion royalty in attendance included Karen Walker, Elisabeth Findlay from Zambesi, Kiri Nathan, Kathryn Wilson, Biddie Cooksley of Tuesday Label, Adrian Hailwood, Vicky Taylor of Taylor, Tanya Carlson, Deb Caldwell of Storm and I’m sure we missed seeing some. There were so many media, designers and influencers swirling about the room and the vibe was high.
Tees for Cure displayed in player cubby holes at Eden Park, from left, Hailwood, Karen Walker and Kathryn Wilson.
It’s ninth Tees for a Cure campaign, though the first ever physical launch and it was epic. Seventy-five models wearing designs by 25 designers. Word on Fashion caught up with four of the designers in the locker room before the show.
Kiri Nathan’s design is a collaboration with Wellington women’s basketball squad Tokomanawa Queens and one of the team’s latest recruits Tiana Mangakahia, 30, who sadly recently passed away from breast cancer.
“Tiana fought breast cancer for many years during her representative years playing basketball,” says Nathan. “She just was a phenomenal queen so we based the T-shirt design on her ahua – the woman that she was and the incredible legacy that she has left behind and the learnings that we’ve taken from her. It was an honour to collaborate with Tokomanawa Queens and Tiana.”
Kiri Nathan’s tee designed in collaboration with the Tokomanawa Queens and Tiana Mangakahia.
The tee’s graphic, a queen’s crown reimagined as a handwoven pare crafted from harakeke, is paired with the reo Māori phrase “Tukua kia kūini” – Be Queenly.
Adrian Hailwood’s “welcome swallow tattoo” design was inspired by and dedicated to his friends who’ve been through breast cancer. “It’s a cure that we need asap because a lot of people are affected by this disease and I’m really proud to be involved,” he said.
For Tuesday label designer Biddie Cooksley her swan graphic is about “unity and love”. “Swans are a universal symbol of love, hope, and resilience and have lifelong partnerships and it just feels appropriate,” says Cooksley.
Tuesday label’s swan tee representing love, hope and resilience.
Zambesi’s slogan ‘Never Give Up’ is back. “It’s a saying that my dad used to say all the time,” says Zambesi’s Elisabeth Findlay. “He used to say, as he picked up his glass of vodka, ‘never give up’. That’s been our mantra and my daughter Sophie designs different graphics around it.”
Zambesi designer Elisabeth Findlay wearing Zambesi’s ‘Never Give Up’ tee on the pink runway before the show.
These words have long inspired Zambesi’s journey and are especially meaningful as they stand in solidarity with those affected by breast cancer.
Presenter Wilhelmina Shrimpton, who modelled on night alongside local celebs Petra Bagust, Antonia Prebble and Lorraine Downes, says the aim is to sell 5 ,000 tees. “That will allow us to fund up to four breast cancer research projects.”
Statistics show that one in nine women will develop breast cancer in a lifetime. Sadly, every day eight women will hear that they’ve got breast cancer, says Breast Cancer CURE principal researcher Professor Andrew Shelling.
“That’s a large number and it’s going to increase as we move forward. But the saddest fact is that every day in New Zealand two women die from breast cancer and that’s not good enough,” says Shelling. “We really want to make a difference with that statistic. We don’t do so well here in New Zealand. While we may have beaten the Wallabies out here on the weekends, we lag behind them in terms of outcomes for women and that’s not on. They have better access to drugs and that’s making a big difference across the Tasman.”
Seventy-five models made history walking for 25 designers at Eden Park for the Tees for a Cure 2025 launch.
As a researcher he’s seen a big difference in his lifetime. When he began doing breast cancer research 25 -30 years ago, for every 100 women that were diagnosed with breast cancer, after five years, only 75 would be alive. In 2025, that’s over 90. “And if you’re detected by mammography or screening that’s over 95 women will be alive today,” says Shelling. “We’ve moved forward considerably over the last few years, and we need to carry on moving forward to improve the outcomes for women here in New Zealand.”
Participating designer labels for this year’s campaign are: Augustine, Bendon, Carlson, Company of Strangers, COOPER, CURATE, Elle & Riley, Federation, Hailwood, Karen Walker, Kathryn Wilson, Kiri Nathan, Kowtow, Moochi, NOM*d, Repertoire, Shen, Stella & Gemma, Storm, Superette, Taylor, Trelise Cooper, Tuesday, Yvonne Bennetti and Zambesi.
Presenter Wilhelmina Shrimpton addresses participating designers, media, stylists and influencers before the show.
A great way to support efforts to find a cure is buy a tee.
Order your tee or find out more about Breast Cancer Cure and Cure for a Tee here.
