“Wellington eco warrior Starfish broke new ground to become the first fashion label to present a totally sustainable and eco-friendly collection at Air New Zealand Fashion Week.

Every piece in the Starfish collection, Brave New World, was sustainable, including hats for Starfish by Petone’s Hills hats and Fair trade Veja footwear. The range included New Zealand-made organic cotton knickers, and garments made of bamboo silks, New Zealand merino, and koplon, a fibre made of 30% wool and 70% recycled fabrics.”

Carolyn Enting, The Dominon Post, Oct 1 2009.

“Starfish’s collection was the highlight of the group show, providing ANZFW’s first complete show of environmentally friendly garments.

The collection was called Brave New World, and featured uniform-inspired pieces, striped merinos, double-breasted coat and more, all in eco-friendly fabrics.”

Zoe Walker, The New Zealand Herald, Sept 25 2009

NZ Women’s Health, April 2009.

Where possible, Starfish sources New Zealand made fabrics with sustainable qualities such as organic denims, cottons and hemp. They also use recycled buttons and buckles, paper bags with a vegetable based dye and chlorine free tissues.”

Her, Issue 101, March 2009.

Your Weekend, March 28, 2009.

Sunday, March 29, 2009.

All Starfish garments are made in New Zealand, even though Foon could no doubt fatten her margins if she moved production offshore. She uses organic cotton, recycled rubber and buttons, vegetable based dye, reuses all plastic garment bags and coat hangers and carry bags are made from recycled chlorine-free paper.

‘See, you can be fashionable and still save the planet,’ Foon says with a smile.”

Your Weekend, January 2009.

Starfish designer – Laurie Foon.
Wellington designer Laurie Foon has always wanted women to be eco-savvy style queens, without looking like paper-bag princesses.

Foon makes her Starfish carry bags and swing tags from recyclable chlorine free paper with vegetable based ink and her clothes from organic cotton, NZ made hemp and other fabrics sourced from sustainable factories. She finishes them with eco-friendly trims, buttons and belt buckles. Leftover fabric is donated to community groups.

Shocked with the ‘constant want’ syndrome, Foon decided 15 years ago to build a fashion name on both style and eco-design. What started at a Wellington market stall grew into top label Starfish. In an industry ‘fueled by planned obsolescence’, Foon sees it as her mission to make clothing that’s timeless and enduring, and won’t be tossed out come next fashion wave.

Starfish was New Zealand’s first Sustainable Business Awards fashion winner in recognition of its rigorous recycling, fabric sourcing and sustainable product design.

The hottest sustainable garment from Starfish? The New Dynasty dress, made from hemp, organic cotton and silk. ‘Hemp is one of our favourites because it grows like a weed … and it’s a strong natural fibre,’ says Foon. ‘No one would ever guess you were being eco-savvy in this dress!’ ”

KiaOra Air New Zealand inflight magazine, Nov 2008. 

Fashion is frivolous? Hardly. Textiles are a multibillion-dollar industry that employs one-sixth of the world’s population. And what we wear matters. Our clothes communicate how we feel, how we see ourselves, and how we want to be seen. So what are you wearing? Who made it? And what is it made from?

Try the truly wonderful fibre – HEMP. With half the ecological footprint of cotton, hemp could be grown in NZ – and with barely any irrigation or pesticide. Hemp fibre is naturally rough, but new processes and fibre blends have created soft, strong fabrics that look … smokin.

Image features Starfish NEW DYNASTY DRESS – Hemp / Silk / Organic Cotton blend. Designed and made in NZ.

Wellington labels STARFISH and LAURIE FOON returned to the catwalk at Fashion Week with a strong statement on style and sustainability. It has been four years since Laurie Foon and co-designer Carleen Schollum last showed at Fashion Week. Their winter 09 collection – HEIRLOOM – was partly inspired by the Rita Angus: Life and Vision exhibition at Te Papa and Angus’ desire to create something unique and lasting.

 The pair doubled their workload sourcing fabrics from New Zealand suppliers. 65% of the garments in the show were made from locally produced and sustainable fabrics, including fine gauge merino grown and milled in the South Island and woven in Timaru; merino silk possum scarves knitted in the Manawatu; and knits from the Bay of Plenty.

But now it is all over, Foon and Schollum are understandably a little anxious. They needn’t be. The collection is effortlessly wearable and fashionable. My picks are the superbly cut, killer LAURIE FOON ‘Socialite’ pants and the STARFISH organic denim ‘Dowry’ coat and high waist skirt.

Sustainable and gorgeous.

For her return to Air New Zealand Fashion Week for the first time in years, Laurie Foon sent models down a bronze metallic runway, with eyeshadow to match. Starfish’s sporty luxe look was particularly successful – the casual look matched the casual vibe of the show.

Titled HEIRLOOM, the range is inspired by all things precious and unthinkable to lose. This means lots of pieces made from natural fabrics which are designed to last. The influence of Rita Angus shows through the vibrant colours – amber, lots of grey and a seasonal print which resembles brush strokes on a canvas.

The collection is sure to become precious to New Zealanders, with stand-out pieces including a pink puffer jacket, the hoodies and anything plaid.