The first time I laid eyes on a Wynn Hamlyn design, I took a sharp intake of breath. The way the dress’s vibrant fabric draped my friend’s body was something to behold—it was undeniably elegant and feminine, but the colour palette and details provided an unexpected edge. The more Wynn Hamlyn pieces I encountered in the wild, the more impressed I became. It was thoughtful, refined womenswear with a dash of eccentricity. As I watched the label flourish over the next few years, it became clear that it was this fusion of the classic with the atypical that made it stand out on an overcrowded international stage.
Founded by Auckland-based designer Wynn Crawshaw, since launching in 2015 the New Zealand label has become a mainstay in the wardrobes of the chicest women you know (and those you likely follow online, too). Devotees of the label adore its innovative approach to classic pieces—think a tailored blazer with an asymmetrical waist tie, or a knit sweater with a handmade macramé panel. For Wynn, a particular affinity for knitwear has been there from the very start. His debut collection was composed entirely of knitted pieces, and it’s a textile he considers a core building block of his label.
In each collection, he plays with form and function to craft pieces that are highly wearable and, despite first appearances, surprisingly practical. They’re the type of hardworking, versatile designs you’ll find yourself gravitating towards time and time again – many of them are just as at home in an office or Sunday brunch setting as they are at a wedding or formal event. Overseas, Wynn Hamlyn has become highly sought after, with much of the label’s rapid growth being attributed to the wholesale side of the business, and it being stocked on ecommerce giants such as Moda Operandi and Ssense.
In 2020, keen to focus on direct-to-customer interactions, the label opened its flagship store in Auckland’s iconic Little Queen Street laneway, becoming neighbours with a selection of premium New Zealand designers such as Yu Mei and Twenty-Seven Names. The following year, the label debuted a dedicated menswear line that’s met with similar success, and has helped solidify Wynn Hamlyn as one of the country’s most successful (and innovative) fashion exports.
Considering its size, New Zealand certainly punches well above its weight in the realm of fashion. As a Kiwi myself, I can attest that being isolated from the rest of the world forces you to think outside the box sartorially. Perhaps this is why we’ve become so well known for breeding industry-leading talent like Wynn Crawshaw. Even so, crafting a label like Wynn Hamlyn—with its distinctive aesthetic, dedicated customer base and continual growth across a decade—is no small feat. But much like his designs, Wynn has made it all look positively carefree.
This article originally appeared in Issue 04 of Cosmopolitan Australia.
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