Next week would have marked the start of New Zealand Fashion Week's 20th anniversary – a milestone organisers have been hoping to celebrate since 2020.
Like many other events, this year's showcases had to be cancelled after the country entered Red light settings.
New Zealand Fashion Week wasn't scheduled for 2020 due to Covid-19, and last year's show was postponed just days out when the country went into lockdown in August.
Dame Pieter Stewart, managing director and founder of New Zealand Fashion Week, says this year's cancellation was a huge blow.
"I feel mostly for the designers because they've now produced collections twice and when they produce a collection it's their main marketing tool for many of them."
Jakob Carter was set to launch his new collection in the 'New Gen' show this year – a platform for up-and-coming designers to showcase their brand.
"You spend months and months planning for this show," he said. "That's where we get a lot of our business for the year, and buyers, a lot exposure."
Even some of the country's larger fashion brands are taking a hit.
Kate Sylvester was set to open her new store at Auckland's Commercial Bay, in line with this year's show.
"For our industry, doing the shows is always amazingly positive for sales," she said. "Now we're going to have to just think really hard and push so much harder, come up with other ways to get interest and get people in the stores."
As for when Fashion Week would finally return, Dame Pieter couldn't say.
"Have you got a crystal ball?"
She says she hopes to run a retrospective show at some stage to celebrate 20 years of New Zealand Fashion Week, but it won't be any time soon.
"When everything's clear, we'll still do the retrospective show but it might be a way off."
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