Now, as you can see on the left, I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to curating a festival outfit. So firstly, feel free to follow that board, and leave a comment if you have any themes you’d like me create an outfit collage around!
BUT I really wanted to focus this article on where to find cool pieces to create fun outfits, especially in lil ol’ New Zealand.
So if you’re based in New Zealand, on a budget and still looking for something extra for your festival fit – Here are a few of my favourite places to look…
New Zealand Stores to Buy a Festival Outfit:
Dangerfield
Basically, Australia & New Zealand’s version of Hot Topic. Heaps of alternative fashion here, plus their outlet store often has pieces for 50% off or even lower. While I’m trying to stay away from options that support fast fashion in this article – this is also a great place for men to find interesting festival fits.
Now onto the options where you can support smaller local businesses!
Takeover Festival Store
This is an online store that has bright and bold handmade clothing. Think colourful sequin sets!
Smoove Reworked Vintage
A niche store that can be found in Paihia, Auckland, Tauranga & Eltham. There’s a bunch of vintage items like fur coats but also some awesome reworked pieces like sequin shirts & jackets.
Captain Fantastic Clothes for Party People
These guys have an online store, and pop up stores around the country, often travelling around during the festival season to sell at events. There’s something for everyone in really vibrant prints. I find this store a great place to look for winter festival clothes as there’s sometimes large coats or robes.
Secondhand (Op shops, TradeMe & Facebook Marketplace)
Op shops, TradeMe and marketplace are an absolute treasure trove to find pieces to put together a festi fit. These are also great places to donate or sell festival outfits you no longer wear.
Op Shops
For Op Shops, I’d make a day exploring with friends in an area with a lot of secondhand stores e.g. K Road or Birkenhead in Auckland.
Some higher end shops like Recycle Boutique or Tatty’s will also sell designer items on your behalf. Please note that you should not donate any damaged or stained clothing to secondhand stores. A good rule to go by is if you would not buy it, don’t donate it. Instead, find a place that does textile recycling. H&M has a garment collection programme (and if you donate a bag of clothing, you’ll get a 15% off your next item voucher!),
Online Secondhand Sources
Online sources are great to find cheap clothing items from your favourite brands without breaking the bank.
Browse TradeMe and look through their $1 reserve auctions.
Facebook Marketplace is also fantastic. The best way to find outfits is to join relevant buy & sell groups. However, you should be more mindful when paying for or selling items as it has less protections than TradeMe. I like to meet people in person, in a public area so I can physically see items and payment.
Another great thing to do is swap festival clothes with your friends.
Festival Outfit Rental Businesses:
There are also a few rental businesses such as:
Each of these businesses operate differently, so I would refer to their websites and info pages for how their rental systems work.
For accessories:
Lovisa / Costume Jewellery Stores
Honestly, love this place for festival accessories, often because they sort their pieces by colour. It’s fairly cheap, and there’s usually bulk deals when there’s sales. You also don’t really want to take anything too flashy to a festival because its very easy to lose small items.
Check out Etsy sellers if you’re wanting to support local and find handmade goods.
If you get bored of your accessories, buy a basic jewellery making kit (earring hooks, jump rings, beads, pliers etc.) and switch up the jewellery you’ve already got!
Go Attend a Festival!
Now that you’re all set to attend a festival – take a look at some of my NZ festival blogs:
Also, let me know of your favourite places to find festival outfits in New Zealand by commenting below!
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