This article was originally published by i-D Australia.
Millie, 18, studying Bachelor of Arts
Do you feel people in your city have a certain fashion aesthetic?
Yap, expensive.
How is it unique to the rest of the country?
When I think about the rest of the country, I think about farmers, girls in Wellington who love tartan and Doc Martens, and Dunedin I think just wears a lot of Nom*D. So that gives you something to compare it to.
Describe your city’s style in one sentence?
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

Eddy, 18, studying Design
Do you feel like people in your city have a certain fashion aesthetic?
I suppose there are plenty of people that dress some type of way; whether that be your bleach-blonde 45 year old yoga mom hiding in a Porsche SUV, or a dress shirt ruining town lad with a sick fade, it’s a fruitful land of mystery and wonder. Other than that, there are a few eclectic congregations of kids that dress well, but they’re hardly worth mentioning as their individual aesthetics change like a mood ring.
How is it unique to the rest of the country?
Auckland style is different to the rest of the country because our town lads have fresher fades, better skin care routines, more expensive dress shirts.
Tell us about town lads.
Other cities have town lads too, though, just different species of town lad. Key traits being: chino jogger pants, surf brand graphic t-shirts, gumboots. The lads in Auckland would probably dress like this too, if the clubs didn’t have strict dress codes. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll come across a ‘squad’ of elite town lads, wearing expensive, rare, high fashion garments. These lads pride themselves in the curation and execution of their fire fits and appropriated hair styles, often referring to themselves as ‘influencers’ or ‘stylists.’
I’m talking about these guys as if they’re specific to Auckland, New Zealand, but there’s literally millions of them wreaking havoc with DSLRs in urban back alleys across the globe.

Aaron, 19, studying International Relations
Do you feel people in your city have a certain fashion aesthetic?
It’s a bit hard to pin down. Everyone says Wellingtonians wear a lot of black, which is true for some of us. But it seems more prevalent as an aesthetic choice in slightly older people. A lot of young people seem pretty influenced by 90s skate and sportswear styles, and there is a bit of an ironic/sarcastic anti-high fashion thing some people have going on.
Describe your city’s style in one sentence.
90s athletics day meets vampires and a hipster dad at the skate park.

Neil, 17, studying Music Technology
Do you feel people in your city have a certain fashion aesthetic?
I definitely think that there’s something recognizable about this city’s aesthetic, but it’s hard to place. There’s a lot of variety here. I suppose I would could call it consistently varied. It’s energetic, youthful, and people aren’t too pretentious about it, which is nice.
What’s something you’re seeing everywhere around school at the moment?
Wellington loves its second hand clothing, so you see a lot of people in nice old clothes. There’s also this t-shirt underneath a slip dress trend that you see everywhere.
Describe your city’s style in one sentence.
A collision of collective creativity and individual preferences, blown around by the wind.

Frankie, 21, studying Fashion Design
What factors feed into how people dress here?
Dunedin fashion is definitely inspired by our neo-gothic architecture, as shown by the influential brands here such as NOM*d and company. There is rich history here of suffering artists and the youth find originality in each other with their style.
What’s something you’re seeing everywhere around school at the moment?
Karen Walker jewelry and puffer jackets.
Describe your city’s style in one sentence.
Desolate and typical.

Phoebe, 20, studying Fashion Design
Do you feel like people in your city have a certain fashion aesthetic?
Everybody ends up wearing heaps of monochrome colors due to the gloomy Dunedin weather. Fashion here is cold, it is worn to keep warm and tends to be a reflection of the buildings. I try not to conform to wearing dark colors and try and wear as many cute colors and clothes as I can, despite the depressing weather.
What’s something you’re seeing everywhere around school at the moment?
Stripes, hoodies, and puffer jackets.
What would you never wear?
I wore my first puffer jacket the other day and it was pastel purple, but I would never wear a black puffer jacket.