Annah's fashion family: 'WE'RE THE DREAM TEAM'

For the creative trio, who love working together, three's a company!

- Carly Gibbs

It's not often that three generations of women share an office, but for Kiwi fashion designer Annah Stretton, her mum Vicki Lowe and daughter Sami Stretton, it's a daily privilege.

Annah, 65, celebrates her company's nearly 35-year journey this year with Vicki, 86, and Sami, 36, beside her every step of the way.

Vicki has managed the accounts for 28 years, while Sami, who grew up in the business, is now the general manager.

As the tight-knit trio look ahead to Mother's Day, they tell the Weekly how grateful they are for one another and the business, which is enjoying a strong resurgence.

While Annah's label was "insanely successful" in its early years, things had begun to stall. “It had become stigmatised and was struggling to reinvent itself as it aged,” shares Annah. “There were all sorts of barriers. We had to reinvigorate a label that had landed on Struggle Street.”

In the five years before Covid, she closed 24 of 34 stores across New Zealand and Australia as their leases expired. “We were reshaping the business to future-proof it,” she says. “It was time to streamline and focus.”

Then during the pandemic, an unexpected opportunity changed everything. A charity approached Annah to produce fabric face masks, so the team repurposed leftover fabrics and trims.