Fashion Quarterly – Winter 2026

Summary

Natua Kaa-Morgan wearing Noa Blanket Co. ($489) fronts Fashion Quarterly's Winter 2026 "Renaissance" issue, celebrating New Zealand makers and artisans. Inside, the FQ Fashion Awards, a winter capsule wardrobe edit, peplum's return, maximalist dressing, and 8 habits for success from leading New Zealand businesswomen.

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Fashion Quarterly's Winter 2026 issue, published June 15, champions a local-maker renaissance across 184 pages. Ed's Letter opens with a call to support New Zealand craftspeople. "Meet The Makers" profiles artisan producers from woollen mills to jewellers. "This Old Thing" explores heirloom dressing. "The Next Gen" spotlights emerging designers. "Peplum Is Back" tracks the silhouette's return on NZ runways. "For The Maximalist" offers unapologetically layered looks. The beauty section runs 16 pages including a creatine conversation, a winter skincare check-in, and smarter body-care routines. Life and Culture covers the FQ Fashion Awards, growing up gothic, and the art of place. Travel features a Canal knowledge (canal-boat travel), postcards from Seoul, next stop Cote d'Azur, and a profile of a driven creator in "Driven To Create." On Top covers "The Second Act," 8 habits for success, the business of modelling, and smarter sipping.

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Regular columns include Sarah's Edit (editor's personal picks), Contributors, Closet Confidentials (readers share their wardrobe rules), Letters To My Younger Self, Trending Notebook, and Coat Check. The Beauty section runs 12 regular columns including Inspector Gadget, Talking Tension, More Than Skin Deep, The Winter Check-In, The Creatine Conversation, The Case For Smarter Body Care, You Smell Nice, and Hair Notebook. Life and Culture includes a Culture Vulture round-up, Growing Up Gothic, The Art Of Place, and a Life and Culture Notebook. Travel covers Canal Knowledge, Postcards From Seoul, Next Stop: Cote D'Azur, Driven To Create, and a Travel Notebook. Practical take: the 8 Habits For Success spread (p169) distills advice from New Zealand business leaders into actionable morning and evening routines.

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Content Guide

▸ Trending / Fashion

p.42 · Meet The Makers
Profiles of New Zealand artisans producing everything from woollen blankets to hand-crafted jewellery. Each maker's story includes their material sourcing, production philosophy and price range. Use it as a gift-sourcing directory: buying direct from makers cuts out at least one retail markup.

p.47 · This Old Thing
Heirloom dressing explored through readers' most treasured hand-me-downs and vintage finds. The feature makes the case that a garment with a story holds more value than anything new off a rack. Practical rule: if you would not fight a sibling for it at an estate sale, do not buy it.

p.50 · The Next Gen
Emerging New Zealand designers who are redefining local fashion. The spread includes short profiles, signature pieces and stockist information. Scouting tip: follow these names now—they will be the next wave on international runways.

p.58 · Peplum Is Back
The return of the peplum silhouette on New Zealand runways. The trend piece shows how to wear it without looking costumey: structured peplum on tailored jackets, soft peplum on knitwear. Wear it: a peplum top tucked into straight-leg trousers works for both office and dinner.

p.60 · For The Maximalist
Unapologetically layered looks for readers who believe more is more. The spread combines clashing prints, layered jewellery and stacked accessories. Grounding rule: maximalism works when every piece has intentional colour relation to at least one other piece in the outfit.

p.73 · Coat Check
The winter coat edit: classic silhouettes (trench, wrap, oversized wool) alongside bolder options (colour-block, shearling, leather). Each coat is shown in two styling variations. Use the spread to identify one coat silhouette that works with 70% of your existing wardrobe.

p.74 · Your Winter Capsule Edit
A 10-piece winter wardrobe that mixes, matches and travels well. The edit includes specific garments, layering techniques and shoe pairings. Do this: start with the capsule list, then allow yourself only two "wild card" pieces outside it.

▸ Style

p.84 · Elemental
A fashion story shot in natural landscapes, connecting garments to the elements. The styling uses texture (wool, leather, raw silk) as the narrative thread. Editorial takeaway: shooting fashion in real landscapes beats a studio set every time when the goal is emotional resonance.

p.100 · Interior Motive
Fashion meets interior design: how textile patterns and colour palettes translate from room to wardrobe. The spread pairs upholstery fabrics with complementary garments. Cross-application: if you love a sofa colour, try it as a coat—the same saturation rules apply.

▸ Beauty

p.130 · The Creatine Conversation
The beauty industry's growing interest in creatine as a topical and oral ingredient for skin firmness and hair strength. The piece reviews current products and clinical backing. Bottom line: topical creatine shows promise for sagging, but oral dosing still lacks sufficient human trials.

p.132 · The Case For Smarter Body Care
A body-care routine built on exfoliation, moisturisation and targeted treatments rather than fragrance alone. It names specific ingredient categories (AHAs for body, urea for feet, niacinamide for chest). Quick win: swap a scented body lotion for a fragrance-free one with 5% niacinamide and see texture change in 2 weeks.

p.122 · Inspector Gadget
The latest beauty tech tools reviewed by efficacy rather than trendiness. From LED masks to microcurrent devices, the editors test and score each. Buying rule: spend on current (LED, microcurrent) not vibration-only tools.

▸ Life And Culture

p.149 · Growing Up Gothic
A personal essay on growing up in New Zealand's gothic subculture—the music, the fashion, the community. It reflects on how subcultural style shapes identity long after you stop dressing the part. Insight: gothic fashion's emphasis on customisation and DIY taught the author skills that later became a career in design.

p.154 · FQ Fashion Awards
Coverage of the annual Fashion Quarterly Fashion Awards, celebrating the best of New Zealand fashion across categories. The awards span emerging talent, established brands and sustainability initiatives. Use the winners list as your shopping shortlist for the season.

▸ On Top / Business

p.169 · 8 Habits For Success
Leading New Zealand businesswomen share daily routines that drive their professional lives. The habits cover morning rituals, boundary-setting, networking approaches and rest practices. Do this: pick one habit from the list and commit to it for 21 days before adding another.

▸ Travel

p.176 · Canal Knowledge
Canal-boat travel through New Zealand's waterways as an alternative to road trips. The feature covers routes, boat hire logistics and seasonal timing. Practical tip: book a canal boat for autumn when the foliage peaks and the waterways are less crowded.

p.180 · Postcards From Seoul
A travel diary from Seoul covering fashion districts, Korean beauty shopping and food markets. The writer names specific neighbourhoods (Hongdae for streetwear, Gangnam for luxury) and budget ranges. Do this: allocate one day per neighbourhood rather than trying to cover all of Seoul in 72 hours.

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Editor's Take

FQ's Winter 2026 Renaissance issue delivers exactly what the cover promises—a celebration of local making that feels neither sentimental nor protectionist. The strongest section is the first 30 pages of Trending: Meet The Makers, The Next Gen and This Old Thing form a coherent argument for buying New Zealand-made without lecturing. The FQ Fashion Awards coverage (p154) is well-integrated, a capstone rather than a bolt-on. Weaknesses: the beauty section, at 16 pages, is twice as long as the Life and Culture section and includes several single-page columns (Talking Tension, The Proof Is In The Routine) that read as filler rather than service. The On Top business section is too short to do its subject justice—8 habits for success deserves 8 pages, not 2. Travel is strong but runs only 8 pages total. For readers who want a distinctly New Zealand fashion perspective rather than another international style reprint, this is the season's best local bet.

Strengths
• Meet The Makers profiles are genuinely useful sourcing directory for NZ-made goods
• 10-piece winter capsule edit gives readers a clear, executable shopping list
• FQ Fashion Awards coverage integrates celebration with editorial content

Weaknesses
• Beauty section padded with single-page filler columns
• On Top business section under-edited at 2 pages for "8 habits" concept

Verdict: Recommended — The strongest Winter issue in years; buy it for the local-maker directory, skip the beauty filler.