Liz and Neville Findlay ONZM investitures

Elisabeth Findlay is a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

designer. She co-founded the fashion house Zambesi with her husband, Neville Findlay, in 1979.

Career

Findlay was born in Athens, Greece. In 1951 the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

relocated her family to Dunedin, New Zealand. Her mother taught her and her sisters how to sew, she never received any formal training in fashion design. At 21 she moved to Auckland and got a job working at a clothing company. Through this experience she learned how to use industrial machines and the production behind clothes. In 1976, encouraged by her sister, Margi Robertson, she opened ''Tart'' boutique store in Parnell Auckland. She selected labels to sell based on her own taste and included New Zealand designers such as

Marilyn Sainty Marilyn Claire Sainty (born 1947) is a New Zealand fashion designer and furniture designer. In 2006, she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Poland fashion industry. Early life Marilyn Sainty was born in Hamilto ...

. She sold only a few garments in the store of her own design. A second store, Cachet, was opened in Takapuna in 1978. In 1979, her husband left his job as a design engineer and they formed their label ''Zambesi''. That same year, they opened their first store at 31 Lorne Street in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, followed by a second store in Queen's Arcade in 1981. By 1986, these two central Auckland stores were merged to create their flagship store on Vulcan Lane. This store remained open until 2012, at which time they shifted to Britomart. The label first gained international acclaim in 1991 when they were first invited to show at Australia Fashion week in Sydney. This was the first year the New Zealand designers were invited to show at the Fashion week. In the

2008 Queen's Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2008 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Of ...

, both Liz and Neville Findlay were appointed

Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...

, for services to business and fashion.

Exhibitions

2005, ''Zambesi: Edge of Darkness'' Auckland Museum

References

External links

Zambesi Store
{{DEFAULTSORT:Findlay, Liz New Zealand fashion designers New Zealand women fashion designers Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Greek emigrants to New Zealand Officers of the New Zealand Order of Merit