Running the Show: Entrepreneurial women in fashion

Exhibitions

Virtual exhibition, Walking tour

The story of fashion is predominantly a female one, so it is not surprising that women feature strongly in this industry historically and today. Women are not only the biggest consumers of fashion, they also make up the largest proportion of the labour force and frequently, as we will see, they are the designers, manufacturers, retailers, promoters, and the business innovators and entrepreneurs.

There is a generally held idea that it was the women’s liberation movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s that opened a fashion career pathway for women. Primarily, this is because little attention has been paid to the achievements of women in the historical narrative, leading people to believe that prior to that time women had an ancillary rather than a leading role in society and in business. This exhibition seeks to correct that misperception through the stories of some of these enterprising women.

Curated by Doris de Pont and Kelly Dix.

Doris de Pont shares the history of New Zealand women in fashion - the designers, manufacturers, retailers, promoters, and the business innovators and the entrepreneurs.

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