Sew far so good ANNAH STRETTON

The Kiwi designer has fashioned a family empire that’s taken off since making Covid masks for charity

- LEENA TAILOR

Annah Stretton was 12 when she proudly donned her first fashion creation to the Scouts social in Havelock North. “My mum Vicki taught me a lot of things I see as forgotten skills now – knitting, sewing and cooking,” she reflects. “For my first social, she helped me sew an orange ’70s seersucker dress. I was quite proud!”

Five decades later, Annah, 61, remains a leading Kiwi designer, whose love for fashion has evolved into a family business which supports philanthropy – a move which helped save the brand from pre-Covid struggles.

Annah chats to the Weekly from her home in Hamilton about working with her 32-year-old daughter Sami, how becoming a grandmother to 10-month-old daughter Lily has transformed her life and why her husband Tony’s the ultimate romantic.

You trained as an accountant after a dare from your father Pete before launching your label in 1992. What were you hoping to achieve?

My goal was to become a strong rural retailer, because I saw that gap. Then I started thinking about Fashion Weeks and became more design-focused rather than just creating affordable clothing. We moved into cities and developed the Annah Stretton brand from what started as Annah S.

How did you get the unique spelling of Annah?

I was christened Annabel and disliked it, so everyone called me Anna, but I felt the spelling was plain. When I got into business, I saw “Annah” and thought, “Wow, what a great way to spell it” and officially changed my name.

Your children were young when you launched the label. How did you juggle everything?