What's with New Zealand's obsession with wearing black?

Black is a uniform. It has a power, strength and ease to it.

Kowtow managing director Emma Wallace says this is behind our love for wearing the colour head to toe, especially in the capital where she lives.

"I don't know what it is about Wellingtonians, but we love that whole black look," says Wallace, a trained fashion designer who has been at the helm of the NZ ethical fashion label for 13 years.

"Maybe for women, it's the equivalent of a guy's business suit. Women can wear their black dress, their black jacket and it feels like I am sorted and done, and I think that's really important, that we don't labour too much over what we wear sometimes, and it just gives you that confidence."

The brand, which stands strongly by the use of natural fibres and sustainable practices, says their diverse customer base loves to play with joyful colour, but Kowtow will always feature black staples in their essentials range.

"We still see a strong demand to have that, they become your go-tos in your wardrobe. You don't have to think about it," explains Wallace, who today is wearing pants in black, one of her favourite colours.

"In fashion cricles there's just always the classic black and doing it with really strong style. it is just a timeless classic colour."

Legendary New Zealand label Zambesi is renowned for its strong approach to black. Wallace believes this has been pivotal in the local love for the colour.

Fashion designer Elizabeth Findlay, who co-founded Zambesi with husband Neville in 1979. says loving black is nothing to apologise for - it's a staple for the brand as well as in her own wardrobe.

“I’m particularly drawn to black and it’s quite funny because I’ve had people say to me sometimes, ‘Oh, but you only do black, don’t you?’ and I go, ‘Well, actually we don’t, we do do other colours.’ But I do have this obsession I guess with black.

“I feel good in black, I like wearing it, it’s what I wear most days.”

She says that while its appeal might fluctuate, black isn’t going away.

“There’re black dresses being sewn in front of me at the moment.

“Everything we’re working on at the moment is actually black. I look round and the machinists are all sewing black.

“Black is here to stay always."

Fashion historian and designer Doris de Pont says there’s been a shift in attitude to black since 2011, when she curated a ‘Black in Fashion’ exhibition for the New Zealand Fashion Museum.

“I think black is more integrated rather than front of mind,” she told RNZ Afternoons.

She says the colour’s prevalence had its roots in practicality, but it now serves a range of identities - black can be formal and authoritative but it's also the colour of rebellion.

“It’s very sophisticated and elegant and it also has a really strong association with our fashion brand, from the time that we were described as the ‘new Belgians’ – Belgians being edgy and dark.”

De Pont says New Zealand is less “dictated to” these days by international fashion trends. Although that comes with a huge amount of freedom... “leave the people who love black to keep wearing black”.

In the early 90s, ambassadors to New Zealand created a media frenzy when they criticised the country’s women for their black garb.

French Ambassador Jacques Le Blanc started the furore - claiming Kiwi women dressed like soldiers. A week later, Colombian Ambassador Lola D'la Cruz-Mattos weighed in too.

“Sometimes they look as if they have been to a funeral. In Colombia we celebrate our femininity by being bold with colour.”

No matter the season, black clothes dominate Wellington's pre-loved fashion stores. At Recycle Boutique on Ghuznee St, manager Evan Fraser says black threads make up a huge proportion of the clothes they receive to on-sell. Black items are almost guaranteed to survive the store's sorting processes and make it to the shop floor.

He says Wellington in particular seems to have an affinity with the colour and speculates that “black-on-black-on-black” style has roots in the music, art and alternative scenes.

“I always joke that it’s one big commune, especially here in the city, especially in retail. And I do find that there’s something about the black … the uniform that brings us all together."

Fraser's colleague and sibling Katelyn Fraser is often in all black.

“I’m wearing some black loafers I got from here … some black pants I also got from here, a basic black top I think it was just from the op-shop, black cardigan was also from my work here as well,” Katelyn says.

“It’s definitely a staple of my wardrobe, I find it very easy to shop and you don’t have to think about it so much in the morning as well, it’s just black pants, black top, black shoes – oh, perfect outfit."