A Hamilton woman who by day designs camo gear has caught the eye of World Fashion Week organisers in Paris with a very different kind of style.
Jacqueline Roper's iconically Kiwi non-camo garment is tonight winging its way to Europe for next year's show, and it's a cut above her day job.
Instead of a flounce on the shoulder, Roper's designs are normally more rugged-looking and the kinda guy or girl who wears them is handy with a gun.
After returning from a successful design career in Tokyo and the US, hunting and fishing garments are her bread-and-butter but high-end fashion is her passion.
"There's not a lot of money to be made in New Zealand so you need a second job or first job to be able to cover the costs of making those high-end garments," she says.
But her vintage style is now turning heads.
Spotted on Instagram during New Zealand Fashion Week last year, Roper's been selected by the Paris organisers of the World Fashion Week Exhibition.
"At first I thought it was a scam," Roper exclaims.
But there was no scam, just a ticket to the world stage with 195 other designers in an exhibition that'll travel the globe, winding up in Paris next October at World Fashion Week.
"Everything we do is natural fibres or no waste," Roper says.
"A New Zealander would get it's raranga but I've done it in a contemporary style."
Thirty-four metres of biodegradable, natural silk organza and a hand-dyed top that's as Kiwi as it gets.
"It's reminiscent of not only the kea but also NZ's native forests and Te Reo heritage and it's beautiful to wear," says model Laura Campbell.
And all hunters wearing her other range can work it, knowing they're in famous hands.
