Madeleine Crutchley
Writer, journalist and creative based in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, covering fashion, arts and culture.
Published: Viva, The New Zealand Herald, Metro, The Pantograph Punch and more.
Recent Articles
How emerging NZ designers want to change the way you dress
Then, a sudden gust ripped through the pitch-black room. Heads whipped to meet it. Gasps. Invisible doors cracked open on the other side of the runway. Behind it, a neon-green garden was aglow. Jojo Ross’ first model wandered through and crossed the threshold – the embossed, mossy dress seemed to breathe with her. The fashion event, first established on Karangahape Rd in 2024, hosted more than 60 designers over nine days. Audiences stumbled down the back alleys of Newmarket to find runways stage...
Forest’s Plabita Florence on pivoting her top Auckland restaurant to an ice cream parlour
The pivot by chef and owner Florence was unexpected for some customers. A restaurant many consider to be at the top of its game transforming into an ice cream parlour. Why? Florence, wearing house colours (a tree-green T-shirt) and socks covered in sweetcorn, sitting beneath tumbling plants in her dining room, tells Viva it gives the kitchen permission to explore again. “There’s an idea of what they think a ‘Restaurant Of The Year’ is going to look like. We heard quite a lot of criticisms over t...
'We believe in this city and we want to be part of it': Why local designer is backing NZ fashion
“Kristine really took a chance on me – when I think back, I was really underqualified and she was so open. She was always really supportive and I think that gave me a chance to explore and try it out. I was so naive ... I’m so grateful for that time.” Megaw is quick to acknowledge the challenges of working in New Zealand fashion right now. Last year saw big closures and the shrinking of related industries (production, media and PR). Materials are increasingly difficult to get. Zips, as Megaw poi...
Fashion’s $7.8b case: Industry leaders urge ministers to back 'quiet economic powerhouse'
“It felt like we hadn’t really heard that story before – and also really acknowledging the fact that it’s a really female-dominated industry – and I felt that it would be a really important message for my parliamentary colleagues to be able to hear and see the contribution that this industry makes.” “Momentum has been building over the last 12 months,” FitzGerald says. “It was incredible to have ministers in the room. You could see their eyes widening as we were talking about the statistics. The...
On their 20th anniversary, Deadly Ponies’ Liam Bowden and Steve Boyd are learning to break the rules again
“There was no range, it was all by feeling – going to an op shop and finding an old button or some chain and just putting it all together. There wasn’t necessarily a business strategy. It was just a desire to create.”
“There was no range, it was all by feeling – going to an op shop and finding an old button or some chain and just putting it all together. There wasn’t necessarily a business strategy. It was just a desire to create.”
“There was no range, it was all by feeling – going to an op sh...
“There was no range, it was all by feeling – going to an op shop and finding an old button or some chain and just putting it all together. There wasn’t necessarily a business strategy. It was just a desire to create.”
“There was no range, it was all by feeling – going to an op sh...
Beyond fast fashion, NZ designers are finding respite in all things slow
Booksellers and bookish types on their favourite books of 2025 (so far)
A high-stakes political novel set in 16th-century Mexico – a fictionalised version of events that led to the founding of Mexico City in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan. The decisions of the characters mean life or death for themselves and the empires they represent. Despite the detail and consideration of the indigenous cultures contained in each chapter, no part of this is inaccessible, and no page wastes words. For added flair, the whole narrative is coated in the psychoactive drugs consumed by...
Designer Vince Ropitini reasserts the art of passive resistance
The continued tour of this collection also influences Vince’s designs, as other creatives take up his proposition and offer interesting additions. When he was invited to show at Enjoy Contemporary Art Space as a part of an exhibition called Kaka-Aku, he developed another piece that would go on to show at Dunedin iD. “It felt right, being able to go back on learning about where I come from and my culture. It provided me that peace of being able to do something that I love, but also feel incredibl...
How designer Jacqueline Tsang honours her ancestors through circular design
