Wanaka fashion designer Christina Perriam is set to open a boutique in Christchurch, the first Perriam store outside the Upper Clutha.

Perriam will open on Friday March 20 in Christchurch’s inner-city fashion precinct The Crossing, amongst top New Zealand and international brands. The business expansion follows the success of the Perriam flagship store on Wanaka’s Helwick Street, which opened in 2016, and the original Tarras boutique.

Perriam founder Christina Perriam said the launch of the Christchurch store is the cherry on top of a successful few years for the merino label, which she runs from a Wanaka design studio with her husband Callum Grant.

“We’ve always had aspirations to open in Christchurch and it’s been fantastic seeing it all come together. It’s a beautiful space and we are very proud of it,” she said. 

“The support we have received from the Wanaka community over the past three years has given us the confidence to go ahead with creating another boutique and we can’t wait to enter the Christchurch market.”

Christina said she expects Perriam will be well received by Cantabrians, with many Christchurch-based customers aware of the label by having visited the Wanaka boutique or its online store.

The introduction of a Christchurch store comes alongside a new design direction for the brand, which Christina describes as “considered and timeless with a strong emphasis on merino and natural fibres”. 

Perriam makes merino clothing, plus home accessories, and the brand embodies the spirit of the high country. The heart of Perriam is Christina’s family and their farm, Bendigo Station in Central Otago, and the 12,00ha station is the inspiration behind each collection.

“I think the connection between the land and the garment is something that really resonates with our customers,” she said. 

PHOTO: Perriam