William Newton

From the Resene Whitecliffe Colour of Fashion gallery

Colour: Resene Good To Go

Resene Good To Go

“New Zealand's wildlife is key to our country’s identity, and our native birds are some of the most unique. The Kea, Kaka, and Kakapo together form one of the oldest branches of the global parrot family tree. Kea are considered the guardians of the mountains by the Waitaha Māori and the neighbouring South Island iwis. With this in mind, we can infer that the Kea feels the mountains need to be protected from windscreen wipers and other threatening car accessories. I believe the cheeky nature of these birds is reflected in us as New Zealanders, which makes them even more important to Aotearoa.

William Newton and model

Music is a big part of New Zealand culture also, and is very important in my life. My love for music comes from many places, one being my parents-in our house the stereo was always on in one room and the radio in another. I think music can create an emotional response in us that can’t be created by anything else. Music is known to help reduce stress and anxiety, and for me personally, it assists my creativity and helps me focus.

William Newton and model

As a child growing up I was always fascinated with our native birds, my parents are very enthusiastic about New Zealand artists and our wildlife, and growing up our home was always dressed up with Kiwiana style deco. One of my earliest memories is going to Kapiti island for a school trip when I was 5 or 6. I vividly remember a Kea landing on a classmate, and her running around in circles screaming. While my classmate’s screams of terror killed the moment a bit, I still remember the beauty of the bird being that close. I had never seen anything exotic like that before.

This garment represents the beauty of our native birds, and the power and fluidity of music. When I first saw Resene Good To Go, I saw a Kakapo’s feathers. To me, music has always been something that unlocks the imagination to new possibilities, and an art form that can take you to new places with the power of sound. I want the bird like features to physically represent the elegance of our wildlife, and also be a metaphor for effects music can have on us.

“Music gives wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything” – Plato.”

William Newton design - front view