Went to Fabric, tried on some clothes, fell in love with them all.

All Images/James K Lowe.

When I was 17, I had a pair of jeans on layby at Fabric on High Street. They were Paper Denim & Cloth, a brand that, back in the day, competed with the best of the designer denim labels. Now? I have no idea what’s happened to them, but then? Then they were a big deal. Especially to my teenage self. Putting them on layby was a pretty big thing for me, considering the fact that I had a part-time job that paid $7.50 an hour and the jeans were, as I recall, hovering around the $450.00 mark – they were an investment. It was a painstaking process, paying off those bootcut Aamerican blue jeans with pink Swarovski crystals on the back pocket (I’m seirous), but I remember the feeling of satisfaction I got from finally getting them. I’d paid off a pair of jeans at, in my mind, the coolest boutique in Auckland.

It’s that experience, and my multiple visits to the store since, that has solidified my feeling towards Fabric as a store. It’s high-end, they stock some of the best brands (A.P.C, Steven Alan, Isabel Marant, Red Wings, Visvim, Junya Watanabe, Engineered Garments, Comme Play, J Brand, etc) and to me, browsing the racks there always feels quite special. It’s hard to explain, but that’s how it is for me. If you’re shopping there, you’re buying into a brand of cool – something that is extremely hard to cultivate worldwide, let alone around these parts. It’s New Zealand’s answer to Colette.

With all this in mind, I was kindly allowed (and very grateful) to be able to pop into the store on a Sunday to browse and document some of the things Fabric has in store at the moment. There were a tonne of things I loved, but if I could choose anything to take home right now, it would be the men’s stripey linen tee (above and immediately below). It’s over NZ$300, but it’s perfect:

A.P.C backpack – so cute:

All Comme Everything.

If you’re going to pick up one grey crewneck sweater in your lifetime, make it from Sunspel (immediately above and below). Their tees and crews are incredible. Just touch one, you’ll fall in love.

Thanks to the helpful Fabric staff for catering to me and to James for his patience with the photos (for more, see here). FABRIC Downtown is located at 5 High Street in Auckland’s CBD. Their sister store, FABRIC Newmarket, is at 6b Teed Street, Newmarket, Auckland.