karen walker

By far one of the most successful New Zealand fashion designers, Karen Walker has made a name for herself worldwide. According to the brand's website, the collections are high casual, with a reoccurring theme of taking two extremes and pushing them together. This leads to collections that are both feminine and masculine, tailored and street, as well as dark and cute. In addition to Karen Walker's main womenswear collection there is a jewellery label alongside an eyewear label. Uniquely, Karen Walker also has a diffusion label, Hi There, created to make her label more affordable to such consumers as students, who would otherwise find the brand inaccessible. 

Photos karenwalker.com

Surprisingly, the Karen Walker store in Wellington Central was one of the stores with the most decor. I usually associate high end stores with a very simple and fresh aesthetic, whereas the boutique had pale walls contrasted with framed photographs and a number of brightly coloured decorations. This was not a bad thing however. I feel that it personified the store, making it represent the Karen Walker brand very well. It was very true to the brand, and did not look cheap or tacky in any way. It was unique and interesting, and set the scene for the clothing perfectly. Karen Walker's collection was displayed at the front of the store and each garment could easily be seen and reached, as they were on ground level racks. Near the back of the store, there were several racks of Topshop clothing, which I thought was interesting. I feel that the Karen Walker brand would have collaborated with such a company to further the brand, as new cliental would be attracted into the store.

The clothing was of an extremely high standard, the best we visited. Unlike all of the other stores we visited, the garments we looked at had no loose threads or imperfections. The quality of construction, the fabrics used and the recognisable style of Karen Walker makes each garment true to the brand and means that the customer gets what they desire when visiting the store. 

Along with being the best in quality, Karen Walker is also the most expensive store that we visited. Prices range from the low hundreds up to $1,190.00. Sizing was again small, with limited sizes available. 

Karen Walker's brand is featured in magazines and worn by celebrities worldwide. Featured in: Frankie, Harper's Bazaar, Lula, Nylon and Vogue.

Karen Walker featured in Lula magazine. Photos by me