Introducing: Fringes

By chance, Creative Director Vicki met designer Finn Mora-Hill backstage at ID Dunedin. Standing in the backstage tent waiting for the final runway, the two got chatting. Amazed by Finn's design, technical pattern making and impressive accomplishments, it only seemed fitting to welcome the Fringes brand to The Shelter.

Fringes delivers garments that speak to the demands of modern life in Aotearoa - where clothes must serve both purpose and perception, reflecting the evolving challenges and triumphs of our generation. We sat down with Finn for five minutes, in between pattern-making, cutting and getting ready for the next Āhua Collective show to get to know a little bit more about him and the brand.

Welcome to The Shelter! Could you give us a little intro into you and FRINGES?

My name is Finn Mora-Hill, a 23-year-old fashion designer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. I run the label Fringes; it’s a slow fashion label rooted in texture, autonomy, and social commentary. Made in Aotearoa, each garment is a statement. Designed to be worn hard, held onto, and lived in. It’s clothing for those who value expression, depth, and a sense of connection.

Tell us about how you became a designer and how the label began.

I was born and raised in Auckland, mostly between Te Atatū and Māngere Bridge, where I spent my childhood at the skatepark. A place that shaped my creativity, sense of community, and early exposure to screen printing. I began making T-shirts for friends, and from there, developed a deep love for texture, storytelling, and the expressive potential of clothing.

How would you describe the brand to someone exploring it for the first time?

Every garment is a reflection of something in the local scene. From texture to shape, the brand is inspired and leans into the hardworking people that adorn it and the environments they traverse, work and play in.

You have just completed a master's in technical pattern making.
What drew you to this aspect of design, and how does it influence your collections?

I use CLO3D for most of my patterns (a digital patternmaking program). By harnessing the benefits of 3D design, you can create unconventional and experimental patterns without the waste of traditional patternmaking and sampling.

Alongside running a new brand, you’ve been very involved in Ahua Collective.
Can you tell us how you got involved and what roles you play here?

I have been organising group runways since 2022; I love the theatrics and energy of fashion shows. It’s a beautiful chance to meet people and connect with many different talents over a shared mission. I was involved in Āhua as a designer in 2024; from then, I have been producing shows for other designers since February as well as producing my own shows as well. Āhua is a beautiful community and experience. I feel like it’s a social university experience that many of us didn’t have due to COVID. Except we all have the same mission: to make an impact.

Images of Fringes' “In Over Our Heads” runway in collaboration with jewellery designer Anthurium for Āhua

What do you wish you had known when you first started?

Connection, community and compassion are paramount to building relationships within the industry. Creativity on impulse is so important, with deadlines always encroaching, you need to create and problem solve without thinking. Enjoy the process, take risks, have fun.

What is the most exciting thing about being a kiwi designer at the moment?

Everyone is so excited about other people's work. Our industry is tiny, so it's amazing to have the support of other designers and the industry. As well as understanding that we all have the same goal, to have creative integrity.

If we were to visit your neighbourhood, where are we eating, drinking and exploring?

Go get some fish & chips from M&M takeaways, go for a walk around the peninsula, then get the 132 bus into K road and get a drink at Archos with some friends. (I spent so much time growing up hanging out on K road, I consider it a second neighbourhood)

Do you have a favourite piece from the collection? How would you style it?

My favourite would have to be the Nina shorts, formed by 5 darts along the waist with no side seam, they are fun to wear and offer an interesting silhouette. They look amazing with some high boots and the Jess shirt, which is a boxy shirt printed with photos of tiles in a carpark in Newmarket.