The first time twenty-seven names appeared in my life was in a classroom. Amidst the gray of our high-school technology block, a new colour was being projected onto the walls as our teacher began an education on the best of local fashion. She however missed out on a key fact — the brand’s very two founders had likely sat in the very chair I was in.
Our invisible string had long been threaded. But fate would however wait years for our alignment, when they became one of my very first clients during my entry into PR. It’s a world that can feel transactional and outdated at its worst. But at its best, it brings you Anjali Burnett and Rachel Easting. You’re not meant to play favourites, but for anyone who’s ever worked with Rach and Anj, the decision is made for you. They’re the gold mine of our fashion industry. Unflinchingly authentic, kind, and the kind to cheer you on as you enter a bathtub in purple satin bows during Fashion Week.
It was night-time in London when I got the message from my best friend Joanna Zhao. Long-distance friendship is difficult and thrives on messages that gather no sense across timezones. “I have lived so many lives,” I’d said at 10:47pm. A notification pinged from her: “Omg Rita is here too”. My best friend of over a decade was backstage with my little, tiny (taller) sister.
A first in years, the twenty-seven names retrospective show at Common Material celebrated twenty years of the best things they embody; forever friendship and unwithering threads. With styling from Aotearoa’s best in his own right, Dan Ahwa, and music from the Wellington Girls College choir, this was a celebration of the colour and texture that love brings into our lives.
It's a funny feeling when you can feel the closeness of your hometown and loved ones from over 18,000 kilometres away. That’s the magic of twenty-seven names. Below, I caught a moment with two models from the show, my blood sister Rita Yem and adopted sister Joanna Zhao to discuss growing up in Te-Whanganui-a-Tara, friendship, backstage antics, and what twenty-seven names means to them (even in haiku form).
It’s so special talking to you both, as two of the closest women in my life who over the years have found your own meaning to TSN. How would you describe the spirit of the show?
Rita: Every single person I spoke to was so joyous, it felt like getting ready for a party with your girls. It was such an honour to be a part of the show, let alone be able to feel the love in that room. Even during the time-pressed quick changes between looks, there was giggling and this genuine care for everyone involved. It was such an inspiring spirit, watching the room being led by such intelligent women.
Joanna: So so special being there with Rita. It was such a lovely vibe, so many familiar faces and so many people coming up to me saying "you're Yawynne's bestie!" It created such a beautiful feminine energy in the room too, all the girls were so kind and everyone was complimenting each other's looks.
What was the atmosphere like backstage?
Joanna: My backstage highlight was when Rita first spotted me and screamed. We both didn’t know the other was doing the show, it was so magical when we realised.
Rita: I was incredibly nervous because I don’t model and was in a room with some of the most breathtaking women. But the atmosphere was so welcoming. Within the first five minutes of realising the people I knew were too busy to stay and chat, I had already made a new friend. My highlight was definitely turning a corner and seeing Joanna. It felt like the morning was just getting better and better.
Dan Ahwa styled the show, which I was so excited to see as I’ve heard so many tales from Zoe Walker-Ahwa, alongside both Rach and Anj about past New Zealand Fashion Week shows he’d done. What was your favourite looks from the show and why?
Rita: It was the biggest pleasure to meet Dan, his talent is so sacred. I have to be biased and say my favourite look was my first look, in the red Futures Jumper with the Free Agent Coat and the Doom and Bloom silk red scarf on top. That alone was such a show-stopping red, finished with red socks and red shoes… For a literal cherry on top!
Joanna: I had so much fun going around all the racks before the show and seeing what Dan had put together. Out of my own looks, I loved the first one. I felt like Olivia Rodrigo in this pink blush babydoll dress. But from the whole show, Act 2 was my favourite with all the amazing props. It was built around beautiful suiting and my favourite look was Izzy's - a matching plaid set with a matching beret. She was also carrying a giant bag of flowers and a baguette. So fun and chic.
Us three know better than most that you can’t beat Wellington on a good day. Walk me through your perfect day in our hometown.
Rita: Imagine this… An evening with the girls, I am needing to gather them together to discuss another ‘Hannah from Girls’ event happening in my life (been having a lot of those lately). I ask them to meet for a drink and dinner at The Ram on Cuba Street. We’re preferably on an outside table, talking way too loud and being much too vulgar. This is where I would wear the red look too. Feels fitting, feels right.
Joanna: I’m home for the Christmas break. All my friends are back. It’s sunny and warm, and I've just had yum cha at Regal with my mum and sister, then I'm meeting everyone for rooftop drinks at Ascot. I'd be in some variation of a midi skirt (no mini skirts when I'm staying with my Asian mum lol) and almost certainly something new, because the shopping here is so much better than Auckland.
How was it for you both watching the Wellington Girls College choir come out? Even from so far away and having no major attachment to our mutual high school, I felt weirdly emotional about it.
Joanna: Part of me got that queasy feeling you get when you see your old school uniform but I also felt nostalgic. It felt like so long ago now that I had to wear that uniform. And now here I am on the other side of it. Then watching Anj and Rach hold each other while watching the choir, two best friends who met at school and made all of this happen. It made me think of you because that's where we met too. It was one of those moments where everything just felt connected.
Rita: Joanna and I giggled at first when we caught the jarring turquoise blazer under the lights. It was all too familiar. At first, I didn’t realise they were there to perform. But once I realised, I felt emotional. Realising just how far Anj and Rach have come, what they have created with so much love and how grateful I am to be a part of this. It also made me realise that it’s now been four years since I left high school, and how it really is going to be okay knowing I have my girls thanks to that turquoise uniform.
What was the most special part of the show for you both?
Joanna: Right at the very beginning, before we'd even walked out. I was standing behind Anj and Rach while the choir was performing, and I could see them holding each other, so full of love for each other and so proud. You can feel that friendship in everything they make and it is so magical that they have done it together.
Rita: I kept catching eyes with Anj and Rach, just getting to see this pure excitement and love in their faces. Getting to watch them admire what they have done and seeing everyone else also be so elated to be part of this. To me, twenty-seven names is the importance of friendship and hard work. To steal their own words “What is done in love, WILL last forever”.
Rita, I know this was your first show that you ever walked. What was the experience of that like?
Rita: I was trying hard to act like I knew what I was doing, and caught myself getting red when the other lovely models kept asking me who I was signed with, because I wasn’t signed. I had quite literally worked at the hospital until 12:30am that morning and went home with blood splatter on my scrubs. But, the show honestly felt like hanging out with new friends. I am very grateful that the environment of my first show was just genuine fun.
We’re all Wellington born and bred. How would you describe growing up here and the unique style ecosystem of this city?
Joanna: I'm not sure if it's because we were younger and hadn't been influenced by trends yet, but everyone's style felt so distinctly their own. I can picture exactly how all my friends dressed growing up and none of it looked alike. I feel like I notice that more in Wellington than in Auckland, where styles can start to blur together a bit. Even just being back on Saturday for the day, I saw many more cool, distinctly different outfits. Style feels less influenced and more personal.
Rita: The way I can describe what it was like growing up in Pōneke is, I went through an emo phase where I wore the most horrendous outfits and not a single person batted an eye… Except for my sister. I have since met a lot of new friends from smaller Aotearoa towns, we have spoken on how thrilling it was for them to move to Pōneke and realise how much freedom they had to dress. That made me realise my privilege. I had never once second-guessed if my outfit was too much, as I grew up in a city where “basic” is rather looked down upon.
What impact do you think the style identity of Te-Whanganui-a-Tara has had on your own personal style?
Joanna: Op-shopping culture has always been a thing here. I used to go with my Mum when I was little and then [later] with my friends in high school. Everyone goes thrifting now but I feel like it is ingrained into Wellingtonians. A lot of my personal style when I was younger revolved around my mum's old clothes. Some were cute, some I look back on in shock. I had a phase where I would wear her old brightly-coloured raincoats as fashion, a bright orange one and giant blue puffer jacket come to mind but at the time I thought it was swag. I can’t say that I have a distinct personal style, I just wear what I think looks and feels good to me.
Rita: You see, as a gal who really had no idea how to style herself for twenty years, I have had the privilege of having Yawynne and Joanna for older sisters. My style identity is heavily inspired by them. I’ve also been lucky in being part of the TSN whānau and learning so much about quality clothing. To also follow Jo’s answer, growing up op-shopping with Yawynne and our mum was such a blessing. Something we did weekly [as a family] is now a fun date I do with my girls. It’s the thrill of the perfect $6 find that turns into a staple for months.
Now, describe twenty-seven names in haiku form to me.
Rita:
Anj, ineffable
Rach, delicate, mastermind
Rare, beyond all words.
Joanna:
Wellington Girls made,
Into soft silk and flowers,
Now we wear their love.
One takeaway that you hope people left with after the show.
Joanna: Female friendships are the most beautiful thing. You could feel it though all the looks from the show.
Rita: Support local!!!! Understand how incredible it is to be surrounded by love!! Again, what is made with love will last.
