CO-EDITOR

Gemma Rasmussen
WELCOME TO FLURO
gemma@fluromag.com ISSUE 2: THE RAG TRADE
CO-EDITOR September 17th-23rd; the only week in which New Zealand is
Courtney Sanders set-upon by the fashion crowd. Issue Two, ‘The Rag Trade’ profiles
courtney@fluromag.com our fashion icons; from leading, established designers Nom D,
FASHION EDITOR Miss Crabb and Des Rusk to fashion icons of the future Two White
Chris Duncan Buddies, Involved, Another Boy and Bird, to gain an insight into
chris@fluromag.com the minds of those creating the look for the week. Ex-Wellington,
FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER Australian based illustrator Jason Lingard demonises the models
Rebecca Ambler in our photo shoots creating a creepy zombie like vibe that fits in
surprisingly well with the profiled labels and we were lucky enough
ART DIRECTION & DESIGN
Jay Johnson
to have talented local artist Kelly Thompson illustrate our cover. We
jay@fluromag.com wanted to represent more than just the throwaway culture of buying
and selling clothing, rather the way in which it is a cultural signifier
CONTRIBUTORS
of our times. Aside from fashion we profile two Wellington bands
Kelly Thompson
kellythompson.co.nz Fighting the Shakes and Little Pictures releasing EP’s this month,
Jason Lingard check our website for tour dates.
killdesign.com
Enjoy!
PRINTER
Lithoprint Ltd. Chris, Courtney, Gemma and Jay.
service@lithoprint.co.nz

COLOUR CONTENTS
Pantone 812C
0002..................................................................Welcome!
TYPEFACE 0004..........................................................Op Shop Finds
Oragasm, Fluro Custom 0008....................................................... Up and Comers:
Bird Clothing
CONTACT
Two White Buddies
contact@fluromag.com
myspace.com/fluromag Involved
www.fluromag.com Another Boy
0016................ Women of your Dreams - Kelly Thompson
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES 0018......................................................... The Rag Trade:
Sam Flaherty Miss Crabb
sam@fluromag.com Nom* D
Des Rusk
All material Copyright
FLURO Magazine
0028........................ Fighting the Shakes & Little Pictures
2007 0030.................................................................... Mixtape

Please Recycle
Dont throw me away, THANKS!
show your friends!
Special thanks to all the featured artists, Huge thanks to Jason for
the amazing images, Kelly for the awesome cover art, Bridget from
Ruby for the party, Jeane from Shock records, Sam, Rich & Sally
from Mighty Mighty, Rod and Kristina from Epic for the humour
and the shots, Margie from Nom*D, Kristine and Katie from Miss
Crabb, Des Rusk, Trav and Jo from Involved, Two White Buddies,
Mic and Sean from Material Boy, Kylie from Bird, Fighting the
Shakes, Little Pictures and all our friends and family for chewing
through the tab in record time.
 ~Gemma Rasmussen presents~

MEN AT SEA
What’s the deal with paint by numbers anyway?
Everyone knows that it’s not real art. It makes painting
as methodical as algebra, which is horrific and just
plain wrong. So, you buy one and open up the little
paint pottles but there isn’t enough paint to finish
the painting, which is annoying because you have no
other ‘poolside blue’ available. Either that or they are
as dry as the Sahara desert and when you try to mix it
with water it turns to clumpy lumps of unpaintability.
When I stumbled upon ‘Men at Sea’ I was pleased as
I fast tracked my way past all that anxiety and arrived
at the glorious final stage, wall hanging. Always fun to
display because people think you are proud of your
‘masterpiece’. Purchased at Feilding’s Salvation Army
for $1 it’s worth every cent.

BEAUTIFUL BODY BRUSH

Functional items don’t seem to be very sexy. They

should be. Pencil sharpeners do little for me, too plain.
Phone chargers make me yawn. A box of tissues, hardly
thrilling. Doesn’t anyone else want more excitement
in their world? If you do then you’ll be loving this awe
inspiring hairbrush. Upon setting my eyes on this baby
my old hairbrush got the flick. No thank you, too plain
and functional. When I get up in the morning and
wrap my hand around the hot pink curvaceous body
of my hairbrush it’s already a better day. The people
who created this little number were even so generous
as to pop on some nipples. Attention to detail is always
a winner. Purchased from an Opshop in Melbourne
called ‘the Dungeon’ (how erotic) it now resides happily
in Wellington. Functional items that are quirky and
decorative will never be out of style, and they’ll brighten
your day, which is always a boon.

0004
 ~Gemma Rasmussen presents~

FRIAR TUCK
I found this chubby man with his rosy cheeks and
brown tunic quite lovely and envisioned him residing
quite happily amongst my knick-knacks. Imagine my
surprise and delight upon the discovery that the Friar
has a detachable head and was in fact made for the
purpose of storing alcohol. No wonder he looked so
merry and his cheeks had a rosy glow. Taking him to
parties you would be unchallenged in having the best
drinking vessel on premises. If you were an alcoholic in
detox he would prove to be your final saviour. If you’re
just not that into alcohol you could go for a casual
jog around the block and fill him up with some thirst
quenching water. There is the unfortunate risk factor
that Friar Tuck’s is highly breakable so if all else fails he
makes a beautiful display piece. $3 at Petone Salvation
army he’s better looking than any beer jug I’ve ever seen.

CARTOON COUTURE
Feel the need to look utterly ridiculous? Fear not, I have
the answer. You can put away the MC Hammer pants
and fish net bra. Once you’ve worn this gorgeous silver
top you’ll be grabbing attention en masse. Never been
famous? Just pop on this top. People may ask for your
autograph, or perhaps to pose for a photo. Take it in
your stride. Perfect for a night out on Courtney Place
you can bump and grind to J.T’s ‘Sexy Back’ knowing
the song was written about you. Just team with leggings
and heels and you’ll be so hot right now. The talk of the
town, literally. First date? Please wear it. I feel this top is
perfect for pretty much any event. Whether it’s a picnic,
disco or your wedding you’ll be ahead of the times and
truly unforgettable. Purchased for $3 at the Petone
Salvation Army it’s the steal of the century.

0006
 ~Courtney Sanders~

I read an article recently about a London collective –
three young art directors-slash-fashion designers-slash
everything-creative-under-the-sun – who were embarking
on another venture which actually happened to be a rave
zine called SuperSuper with CassettePlaya designer Carri
Munden. Whether this pro-active philosophy is a result
of Generation Y’s distaste for authority or MDMA usage
is unclear, but Auckland creative extraordinaire Kylie
McKenzie, A.K.A Bird clothing and curator of It’s Time To
Get Dumb (I.T.T.G.D) DJ night is certainly New Zealand’s
foremost proponent.
“I don’t like 90% of New Zealand bands so it’s hard for me
to go out to gigs every week and have fun! That’s why we
started I.T.T.G.D – out of boredom and having nowhere
we could go out and dance all night!” I.T.T.G.D is run by
Kylie and fellow fashionistas Alex Le Feuvre, Chris Lorimer
(Mint Condition PR) and James Dobson (of label Jimmy
D) and, for only having had four outings in the city, has
built up a devout following. “The night’s have been going
really well! People are loving it and they come and dress
up and dance all night…we have lots of amazing friends
that are into the same music and ideas of fun so the music
is always good…Pocket money (Rosie, Mailee and me)
have done every DUMB so far and they are always a crowd
fave. We also do a radio show on George FM now that they
nicely asked us to do.”
As in London, so in Auckland. McKenzie, successful DJ
night under belt, also re-launched her visually creative side
this year in the form of Bird Clothing.
“I started Bird in my final year of studying graphic design,
then wore my designs around and my friends all loved them.
NZ designer Adrian Hailwood loved them and asked me to
put some in his Auckland shop.” Influenced by “millions of
different things” (the list that accompanied that quote was
indeed lengthy) McKenzie “wants to mix everything up –
appearance, art, literature, music, colours, shapes, patterns.”
The result is a line of well-considered, unique, covetable tees
that scream of extremely late, loud, bright nights – prints
reflected in a mirror-ball across a smoke-machine filled
dance floor, probably at I.T.T.G.D.
Bird is stocked in Saturday Shop, Hailwood, Stenbeck and
Morse (Auckland), Artikel (Wellington) and Dirt Box
(Australia).

www.myspace.com/a_castle_in_the_sky

0008 UP AND COMERS: BIRD CLOTHING


~Courtney Sanders~
In the early 1950’s, James Dean, John Wayne and
Marlon Brando began wearing, what was at the
time an undergarment, as a short sleeved top,
effortlessly transitioning the item of clothing into
one of the most beloved pieces in fashion today.
0010 UP AND COMERS: TWO WHITE BUDDIES
60 years on and t shirts are everywhere; oversized, printed,
sloganned, stencilled, deconstructed, reconstructed –
designers and the chain stores that emulate them are
obsessed with creating tees. In an age where t-shirts have
the power to brand both a fashion house, and the wearer
of said fashion houses’ tee in a highly cultural way, the
majority of tee’s are still ill-fitted and ill-thought through.
The ease at which a tee shirt can be created has seen the
mass production of mass-ugliness.
Enter Two White Buddies. “Creating classic garments with
amazing fits that are fresh when you get them, and timeless
when you find them at the op shop 20 years later”, the
two-white-friend duo have brought the intelligence back to
tees. Strong tailoring and retail backgrounds have enabled
the two to create an immaculately fitted menswear line;
“For me, the fit is the foundation of the garment – without
that, nothing will work. The print is there to highlight the
garment’s form.” And highlight the form their prints do.
Unlike the brash slogan tees currently flooding the market
(thank you House of Holland), the prints on Two White
Buddies tees are the kind created from good ideas that arise
infrequently, often amongst friends, often over coffee, and
have an almost insider-joke appeal to them. “Our prints
reflect our personalities and sense of humour, and although
some of the quotes or images may look random, they all
have a strong creative force behind them. For example ‘Ne
me quitte pas’ and ‘I never will’. ‘Ne me quitte pas means
‘don’t leave me’ in French, and so the two tees go together.”
Two White Buddies are giving FLURO readers the chance
to win a tee! Post a photo of yourself on www.myspace.
com/twowhitebuddies. “You will most likely win if it’s a
half-nakey shot of you chillin in the sun near somewhere
that reminds us of Summer.”
Two White Buddies will stock their new season collection
in Ruby stores nationwide.
 ~Gemma Rasmussen~
How did you guys meet / how did Involved begin?
I was traveling in Europe and met this guy Willis and he
would say ‘get involved man’, so i did just that and stenciled
the catch phrase on t-shirts, and involved was born. I
met my digital media guy Alan on a rooftop, and a lot of
friends, many who I’ve met through involved, contribute,
collaborate and work with me.
How are you different to clothing labels both nationally and
internationally?
It is art and crafts as well as fashion and design, so we’re not
a big machine pumping out products that all look the same.
each piece is hand-printed. Each stencil hand cut. We cut
our hands cutting stencils. There’s a lot of love and blood
goin on in each garment. Thats how we get the red prints,
lots of love and blood.
What’s your favourite piece of clothing from the range at
the mo?
I really like the new shorts we’re developing for summer.
They’re this lo-crotch cloth thing with wrap around pockets
that just makes you want to go surfing so you can throw
them on and lie on the dunes after you’ve done carving out
some sweet lines.
What are your thoughts on New Zealand fashion week and/
or the New Zealand fashion industry?
I think that fashion week is an important part of showcasing
that part of our fashion industry to NZ and the world. I
0012 UP AND COMERS: INVOLVED
think the NZ fashion industry is a great thing and has a
bigger effect on the world than what we realise. Its good
quality and all our sheep really help with fabric selection.
How long have you had your store and is there anything you
want people to know about it?
The store, which we call the Stencilship, has been here for
ten months. It is a real sunny place. The summer range is out
and its called ‘This is what colour is’. We want to show you
how colour is involved.
Have you found working on clothing in your store to be
positive experience?
Yep, people like to watch it coming together and all the
‘missed a spots’ get to put their bit in.
What do you want your customers to know about Involved?
Involved is a product of doing something the way people
think it not supposed to be done. But what we’re doing is
working. Try it with your own thing, risk it cos there’s only
this life to get involved.
And now for some more personal questions:
Stuck on a desert island what 3 things would you take?
Rebeccah (Fiancee), a long board so we could both ride
waves at the same time, and a super 8 with lots of film.
If you were a super hero would you choose invisibility or
x-ray vision?
Invisibility. Its pretty much a combo of both, but you don’t
have to wear the x-ray glasses. I hate x-ray glasses.
www.involved.co.nz | www.myspace.com/involvednz
The Stencilship: Shop 29, Upstairs St Kevins
Arcade, 179 K Rd Newton, Auckland
 ~Gemma Rasmussen~
Australian designer Mic Eaton is blowing minds with
clothing label ‘Material Boy’ but the fun doesn’t end
there. With the introduction of diffusion line ‘Another
Boy’ there are more great clothes to get excited about.
Mic describes Another Boy as “a little more street, easier
to wear (for some) and less offensive” than Material Boy.
While still retaining glorious amounts of individuality and
eccentricity the pieces from Another Boy are more urban
in style.
With slim fits the pieces can be worn by girls as well, but
whoever the wearer the clothes are sure to turn heads and
retain a strong sense of identity. This can put down to the
heavy applications of futuristic patterns and amazing colour.
Each piece is good enough to slap on and transform any
old outfit due to the dazzling X factor that so many clothing
pieces these days seem to lack. Formally a pro surfer, until
injury took its toll Mic has an understanding that clothes
are not just for looking good but need to be functional
and well fitting. With board shorts, t-shirts and oversized
0014 UP AND COMERS: ANOTHER BOY
hoodies the clothing is more casual and surf orientated than
predecessor Material boy, and a welcome change to the sea
of mass produced surf clothing labels with logos splattered
mindlessly in every available space. With much working
time spent in Bali as well as Australia it is little wonder his
clothing is so freshly inspired.
Mic decided to create Another Boy to enable him to
channel inspiration into a new collection as well as give
a new audience great clothes to wear. The lesser known
of the two labels ‘Another Boy’ is a little like ‘Material
Boys amazing little brother who doesn’t steal his style but
reinterprets it into a exciting and fun new direction. Sure to
raise your grandma’s eyebrows at Christmas time with your
‘new fangled clothes’ Eaton’s creations are not made for
those who wish to fade into the background. Instead they
bring an exciting punch to a sometimes, tentative fashion
industry. It seems however this eccentric new injection of
clothing is making both the fashion industry and public
stand up and take notice, and with the successes of Material
Boy it can be certain that Another Boy is not far in tow.
www.materialboy.com.au | www.myspace.com/yeahboiii
 ~Gemma Rasmussen~

There are many lovely ladies and gents in

fashion but it seems Kelly Thompson has a
knack for capturing them in a spectacular
manner. Working in fashion photography as
well as fashion illustration Kelly has paved
her own road to working in the New Zealand
fashion industry.
With illustrations that depict beautiful, captivating
women with smouldering eyes, elaborate
hairpieces and classic poses Kelly’s works are
highly skilled and distinctive in style. Their
unique look makes me wish I were brave enough
to dabble with wild fantastical hairpieces and
dramatic makeup as these girls look so effortlessly
amazing. However I have an inkling I would look
like an eccentric loon.

The majority of Kelly’s works are in fashion

photography and this is where she focuses her
career. No one trick pony she captures models
successfully, whatever the mood. Whether it’s
dark and moody or playful and light there is a
continuity of exciting and original shots both
in and out of the studio. Her photos go beyond “I did a photography degree but found myself not enjoying When asked about her views on New Zealand fashion
simply modelling clothes in an aesthetically it much so I took up some illustration papers as well. Kelly did have one wish, “If only there wasn’t so much
pleasing manner to exquisite photography. My teachers didn’t exactly love my work and were pretty black. Australian labels like Shakuhachi and Kirrily Johnson
unresponsive. Finishing university I talked casually to have really light and playful colours, as does New Zealand
It seems living in Wellington can sometimes be
potential clients rather than being formal about it and designer Cybele. It seems every winter black is all that there
challenging when you wish to work in the media,
established relationships this way. It was really word of is in New Zealand fashion.”
with larger magazines and advertising agencies
mouth, persistence as well as a lot of hard work. However
located in Auckland. However with enough If you’re keen to see Kelly’s illustrations in the flesh she will
if you are determined enough you can create a career
persistence and dedication to your work it is be having an exhibition at Good As Gold in October. Tis’
wherever you are.”
possible to establish yourself without having to definitely not one to miss as she has a whole collection of
make the move to the big smoke. Sourcing J.H. Lynch and Richard Gray as influential artists beauties to fall in love with. If anything I hope that after
and Chloe, Roberto Cavalli and anything couture as perfect getting a look at her illustrations you will feel an urge to
With an eight page shoot out in September for
clothes to photograph Kelly maintains inspiration as an endorse fantastical headpieces and a new craze will sweep
Pulp magazine, as well as illustrations for Karen
important factor. “I have a sunroom where I can go to work the nation.
and a cover for Lucire, Kelly is rather busy. Starting
in with a picture board with things I love”
out our interview I was curious to know how Kelly
got to where she is, creating works for such high
profile New Zealand magazines.
www.kellythompson.co.nz | www.myspace.com/tildenz

0016 KELLY THOMPSON KELLY THOMPSON 0017

 MISS CRABB
Effortless luxury. The clothing of Miss Crabb can be
summed up quite perfectly into those two words. With a
unique twist of clothing Miss Crabb offers ladies the chance
to wear elegant, modern and a tad risque clothing. When
young girls dress up in their mothers clothes on Sunday
afternoons and imagine their future selves in a sophisticated
manner Miss Crabb’s clothing probably isn’t far from the
fantasy.
After graduating from Wanganui, Kristine Crabb made the
move to the big smoke of Auckland and opened ‘Rip Shit
and Bust’ Fashion Gallery on K Road selling both friends
and her own clothes. Come 2005 she began focusing on her
own individual label hence the birth of ‘Miss Crabb’ which
can now be found in her store on Ponsonby Road. With
a lot of attention going into each piece there are smaller
runs of clothing and even one off pieces allowing you to
throw away fears of turning up to a party in a dress identical
to four other party goers. It seems Miss Crabb has a very
distinct personality and is largely unaffected to the fashion
circus that continues around her, allowing clothing pieces
to be relevant and original season after season, rather than
passing with the trends. Staying true to an artistic individual
approach is crucial to Kristine Crabb’s ideals with collabora-
tions from other artists such as Maiangi Waita of ‘Who is
Dead Martin?’ allowing for fresh inspiration and exciting
influences to reach the clothing collection.
Looking through Miss Crabbs collections it is obvious
that each piece of clothing is open to interpretation and
does not have to be worn a specific way thus appealing
0018 THE RAG TRADE: MISS CRABB
Gemma Rasmussen
to women of many different tastes, age groups and body
shapes. There is a real element of adventure to the clothing
without taking it to the dreaded costume hire level. I get the
sense that Kristine Crabb wants women to have fun with
the way they dress and feel free to dabble and experiment
with various looks without fear. This for many woman (and
men) a challenge especially when we get stuck in the rut of
throwing the same clothes on day in day out and not being
particularly excited or proud about the way they look. Miss
Crabb gives a gentle nudge in the right direction and if
anything, inspires.
The collection dabbles in bright colour as well as manda-
tory shades of black but stays away from anything on the
dull side. Using luxurious fabrics and challenging the
conventional cut and shape of dresses, tops, coats and skirts
the materials used drape elegantly from the body and with
the mere addition of a belt to any given piece an outfit is
transformed. There is an element of interpretation to each
piece of clothing allowing the wearer to play around with
their outfit until they find a way of wearing that suits their
own style.
If anything Miss Crabb inspires women to take risks in fash-
ion and try new colours, cuts and styles while retaining their
own taste and sense of individuality. The fine line between
innovative originality and recycled imitation is a tricky one,
but it seems Miss Crabb stays on the right side.
Also look out for Kristines’ design assistant, Kate Megaws’
up and coming label ‘Penny Sage’
Him:Des Rusk Shirt and Trousers, Nom*D Waistcoat.
Her:Miss Crabb Dress.
misscrabb.com
THE RAG TRADE 0019
 Him: Des Rusk Singlet & Parka, Nom*D Him: Des Rusk Shirt & Trousers, Vintage gloves @
Eyelet Vest, Jeans and Shoes Models own. Ziggurat, Jacket & Shoes Models own.
Her: Miss Crabb Dress, Shoes Models own. Her: Miss Crabb Dress, Vintage Gloves @ Ziggurat

0020 THE RAG TRADE THE RAG TRADE 0021

 NOM*D
An unlabelled opaque, tinted glass door in North
Dunedin – subtle and unassuming. Not exactly the location
one would expect New Zealand’s foremost fashion mind
to operate from (more likely would be a flat full of rioting
rugby-fuelled university students). However, this is where
Margi Robertson and the creative ensemble of Nom*D have
recently moved into to progress their unpretentious assault
on the fashion industry.
It is the unpretentiousness of the brand, considering the
momentous achievements of Nom*D, that is most striking
and in a roundabout way contributed to their ability to
produce forwarding-thinking and continually progressive
collections. “I think the difference in Dunedin is people are
quite grounded and you do what you believe in rather than
being led by what you think you should be doing, and that’s
reflected in everything that comes out of Dunedin…music,
art and fashion. People are very individual and just do what
they do.”
Nom D’s Summer 07/08 collection is no exception. Opera-
tion Bombshell conjures images of luxe 1920’s jazz clubs and
lingerie parlours inhabited by Monroe-esque screen sirens
of yesteryear, all based in a post-apocalyptic time-warped
version of today. Reconstructed lingerie in beige and rose
satins compliments thunderous blues and fiery reds con-
cluded by prints of atom bomb tests.
“We just came up with the H bomb thing. Those images are
quite amazing and beautiful but then ridiculous. The irony
is that it was a tourist attraction to actually watch the bombs
go off. The collection is a crazy mix up of bombshells and
bombs.”
Crazy or not, Operation Bombshell expresses everything
Nom*D is about and consistently present season after sea-
son. Whether it is the southern influence or not, Robertson
and her team seamlessly meld cutting edge and timelessness
with fashion-forward and truly individual thinking.
Robertson attributes the original inspiration for the brand
to Japanese designers having traveled to the country with
her sister (Elizabeth Findlay of Zambesi) in the 1970’s.
0022 THE RAG TRADE: NOM*D
Courtney Sanders
“Those images are
quite amazing and
beautiful but then
ridiculous.
The irony is that
it was a tourist
attraction to
actually watch the
bombs go off.”
“My first introduction to Avant Garde was the Japanese de-
signers. Yoshi Yamamoto and Comme De Garçons changed
my perception of fashion. In the mid 1980’s I went to Japan
and discovered the one-size-fits-all that designers were do-
ing and the non-colours - things were black or calico or grey
or white. A lot of that came from their heritage – kimonos,
origami, wrapping and folding.” The new aesthetic became
immediately apparent in Robertson’s stores Plume, which
are now infamous for their informed starkness.“Our stores
went from junky boutiques to being clean and minimal and
folded and I have to say the Japanese thing influenced me
hugely.”
The ever-present reconstruction in Nom*D garments and
the use of underwear, corsetry and utilitarian elements can
be attributed to a secondary inspiration of Robertsons. “The
next influences would have been Gaultier where it got to
being a bit more up front. He references his own stuff over
again and we’ve started to do that.”
Nom*D was one of a handful of New Zealand designers
chosen to represent the country at London Fashion week
in 1999 and has become synonymous with the media rep-
resentation of our look; sombre clothing for thunderously
moody days of habitation on an island in the South Pacific.
Nom*D was always a propagandist of mood-based fashion,
but it wasn’t until 2000 and the launch of Air New Zealand
Him: Nom*D Tshirt, Des Rusk
Hooded Vest and Trousers,
Shoes Models own.
Her: Miss Crabb Bomber
Jacket, Nom*D Dress, Shoes
Models own.
THE RAG TRADE 0023
 Fashion Week that Robertson began producing full theme-
based collections. “We have been going for 21 years but
for the first 14 years we only did knitwear so Nom*D has
only been in its current form for 7 years. I think we’re really
enjoying working in that area; when you’re doing catwalk
shows you have to think about what you’re doing and where
you’re going and it’s quite cool to have the collaboration of
other people that you’re working with on the show, with
the visual and music and everything it’s not just one person
sitting down and figuring it out, it’s a team thing.”
And as for Fashion Week? “We’ve been at Air New Zealand
Fashion Week since the beginning. It’s an absolutely
professional environment for selling a collection and for
the wholesale side it’s an education of how fashion works.
However, it is something that is quite costly I think that
everyone has to be really careful about how far they go
and how much money they spend, sometimes in sales the
potential for increase is quite small because of where we
are, especially for Nom*D, because we’re not a mainstream
label. What you do get is a whole collection being presented
to media and buyers.”
Leaving the new offices down a white stairwell littered with
soon-to-be-hung art deco mirrors, the classic, unassuming
success of the brand is confirmed. Nom*D is highly covet-
able, highly wearable re-referenced social documentation;
forever fashionable in an age of trends, fads and throwaway
culture.
www.nomd.co.nz
STYLIST: Chris Duncan
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rebecca Ambler
MANIPULATOR: Jason Lingard - killdesign.com
MODELS: James Houston & Nina Symons-Rusbatch
Ziggurat: 144 Cuba St, Wellington 04 385 1077
For all other stockist enquiries see designers websites.
0024 THE RAG TRADE: DES RUSK
DES RUSK Courtney Sanders
In an age where high school is predominately followed
by university, polytechnic, or some other or rather tertiary
education, often regardless of the relevance to the person or
possibility of future employment, Des Rusk is somewhat of
a university drop-out overachiever.
Rusk began work experience at Crane Limited (producers
of Little Brother, Crane Brothers and Karen Walker mens-
wear) half way through his second year at university, and
by the time the first semester of third year was scheduled to
start, he was employed full time, eventually working on the
Little Brother label as Brand Manager. “It was an invaluable
experience and the perfect timing for what I wanted to
do. There were very few opportunities in menswear and I
believe I worked in the best possible place.”
In 2006, two years after Des Rusk’s eponymous label was
launched, he was invited to Air New Zealand Fashion Week
as part of the Showroom 22 showcase. “For me, ANZFW
was as much, if not more a profile building exercise as it was
an account gaining exercise.” And a profile it certainly built.
Des Rusk went from a label in its infancy and of relative
anonymity, to a well-known, well-respected and highly
demanded menswear brand.
And the clothes? The brand melds the tailoring skills and
structural ability gained from experience at arguably New
Zealand’s finest menswear house, with a street sensibility.
His new collection, like those previously, demonstrates
this; “It’s a continuation of developing my shapes and styles
rather than following a heavy theme. There’s, as always, a
strong semi tailored base but also a mix of more street influ-
ences along with a wide variation of fabrics, from checked
wool coats to jersey knit jackets to fine cotton shirtings.”
“The plan from here is keep building the label and growing
at a sustainable rate. I’ve new buyers in New Zealand who
want to view Winter 2008 and I’ve picked up an Australian
agent who will be representing me from next season which
Him: Nom*D Tshirt, Des Rusk Hooded Vest and
will be great, so am looking forward to growing the business Trousers, Shoes Models own.
both here and in Australia.” Her:Miss Crabb Bomber Jacket, Nom*D Dress, Vintage
Gloves and Necklace @ Ziggurat, Shoes Models own.
www.desrusk.com
THE RAG TRADE 0025
 Him: Nom*D Vest, Vintage Gloves @ Ziggurat, Jeans &
Shoes Models own.
Her: Nom*D Dress & House Coat, Vintage Necklace and
Gloves @ Ziggurat, Shoes Models own.

0026 THE RAG TRADE


“You and Me and my Amplifier”
www.myspace.com/lotsoflittlepictures
Little Pictures is a really new band right? When and how did
you kids form?
Mark recorded some demos (alone, in his bedroom) at the
beginning of the year. He put them on the internet, and a
little later on he was asked to perform them at a concert
with Grayson Gilmore. However, the organisers were under
the slight misconception that Little Pictures was an actual
band, so Mark recruited his two coolest and most attractive
friends, Johanna and James. With mere weeks to prepare
we wrote some cool and attractive songs together (alone, in
Mark’s living room). We had lots of fun at the concert, so we
decided to keep going.
You guys have recorded an EP, “You and me and my ampli-
fier” – tell us about it.
We recorded You and me and my amplifier in Mark’s
bedroom, using lots of electronic and acoustic instruments.
It took a couple of weeks of late night recording to finish the
four songs, and we’re really pleased with how it turned out.
What are your inspirations for songwriting?
We listen to lots and lots of different things: electronic stuff
like Hot Chip, Of Montreal and Bachelorette, and other
things like the Beach Boys, the Smiths, and Interpol.
You guys seem to be loving the Craftwerk thing and are
about to go on tour with that and a Low Hum yeah? Fans of
crafting? Favourite craft activity....
We all have our own little crafty things we do. James is a
design student, Johanna and Mark draw on post-it notes
and decorate their amplifier (his name is Albert).
We can’t wait for the Craftwerk tour!!

There is one obvious characteristic that identifies a Fight-
ing the Shakes live show; the immediacy of their sound. The
band are capable of straddling the line between in-your-face,
everything-all-at-once punk and well developed, angular
post-punk, the result being an intrusive, intense but highly
listenable live experience. And now they’ve bottled it -
finally. The first release from the trio (guitarist Jayesh Ravla,
bassist Hadlee Donaldson and drummer Chet Parbhu), All
My Friends Are Electric was a “long iterative process because
we kept coming to a certain part and rerecording them.
Trying to capture the way we wanted to sound was difficult
since we hadn’t done any proper recording or production
before.” The result is a collection of six tracks that demon-
strate Fighting the Shakes songwriting capabilities as well as
their live potential.
The title and theme were unintentional: “the EP is titled
All My Friends Are Electric after one of our songs that didn’t
end up making the cut”, notes bassist Hadlee Donaldson.
Guitarist Jayesh Ravla notes the ideas for their songs and
lyrics “refer to little anecdotes about certain situations or
observations we have made in our daily lives.” And the
immediacy thing arises again; this unbound directness and
energy that is not only obvious in their live performance
but comes across both in the title and the directness of the
songs on the EP.
The band cite natural influences; “in the early days, it’d be
fair to say At the Drive-In and The Mint Chicks were pretty
big influences, but over time its gotten to the point where
I couldn’t really pinpoint it.” Explaining the balancing act
between heavy, noise-rock and the lyrically strong, melodic-
ish tracks scattered through their live sets and EP Jayesh
notes; “every week I’ll be listening to lots of different things.
Lately it’s been lots of Motown and Stax as well as TV on
the Radio. I’m working more on melody and making a song
fit together rather than just having heaps of crazy parts for
“All My Friends Are Electric”
www.myspace.com/fightingtheshakes
the sake of a song being messed up.”
Since day one, Fighting the Shakes have been invited to
play with the foremost bands in New Zealand post-punk.
“Being asked to play This Night Creeps last ever show – and
it was with The Mint Chicks too – was pretty amazing.” In
terms of touring, “going to Auckland for three weekends in
a row back in May was probably my favourite tour, if you
can call it that. We managed to pretty much go through the
highs and lows of playing a tour, such as playing to an ap-
preciate crowd at the BFM new band showcase (which they
headlined) meeting nice people and putting 91 into a diesel
van. We had to also work full time jobs during the weeks
through the tour so it was exhausting but I think it was a
credit to everyone else in the band that we actually held it
together for that month.”
So what’s next? “We don’t have any set plans just yet. I
think playing music can be unpredictable and you never
know what is going to happen next.” Hardworking and
determined, with a unique racket to boot, Fighting the
Shakes might just find they have something electric on their
hands too.

0028 LITTLE PICTURES FIGHTING THE SHAKES 0029

 ~Courtney Sanders presents~
THE GO TEAM
PROOF OF YOUTH
If a bunch of juvenille delinquints (in the Weasley twin
(from Harry Potter, of course) mischeif making type
way) were forced to attend a band camp slash musical
retreat to sort out their attitude problems and were left
together in a room full of trumpets, keyboards, and com-
puters, with one particularly loud and outspoken (again,
in the best possible way) black girl, the result would
resemble something like The Go Team’s Proof of Youth.
Although 2004’s Thunder, Lightening, Strike was com-
pelling and fun, it was effectively entirely the work of the
groups’ musical mastermind Ian Parton, and as a result
lacked, well, the team spirit that this effort encom-
passes. The members, particularly vocalist Ninja, have
really flexed their muscles and the result is the musical
equivalent of bottled enthusiasm – Proof of Youth is the
school cheerleading team, only wasted and cheering for
far more powerful things than the football team.
Cheers for the beers (C.D.’s)
www.myspace.com/shockrecordsnz
0030 MIXTAPE
ARCHITECTURE IN HELSINKI
PLACES LIKE THIS
Architecture in Helsinki’s Places Like This is a middle-
aged date that starts out all teenage awkwardness and
turns into a riotously debaucherous affair. Cameron
Bird’s vocals tremor somewhere between muppet-
esque screamo-pop and sumptuous soundscapism,
complementing his female compatriot perfectly, and
when singing lines like “the blood keeps flowing to your
hea-ah-ah, yah-yah-yah” personifies the tumultuousness
of many a dating scenario.
Track three “Hold Music” is a mainstream crossover,
all anthemic choruses and trumpets, while “Debbie”
continues the bands destruction of obvious composi-
tions. More subtle tracks like “Underwater” demonstrate
the capability of Architecture in Helsinki to stretch their
sound into often ominous ballad territory, and “Like it
or not” bongo drum’s its way into some sort of teenage-
angst African dance party.
Like their previous hit track, Places Like This does the
whirlwind on the boy-meet-girl, girl-breaks-up-with-
girl, girl-and-boy-find each other again plotline, and
concludes happily married, or at least in some sort of
psychedelic dysfunctional de-facto relationship.