Local event styling company The Full Effect has been hard at work creating a bright and bold street presence for the Southern Lakes Festival of Colour.

The business is run by two long term locals, Nikki Latham and Erika Gordon, whose motto is “styling the crap out of life”.

The pair met in 1997, and talked for years about setting up a styling business together.

They took the plunge in late 2019, deciding “the time was right”. Not long after, Covid-19 hit, and after some discussion the two partners decided to keep the business running.

“It gave us time to find our feet,” Nikki said.

Since then they have done a lot of visual merchandising (optimising the presentation of products and services) for local shop windows and displays, and styled various exhibits at the recent Wanaka A&P Show.

Erika Gordon and Nikki Latham

The pair approached the Festival of Colour with a proposal to enhance the streetscape presence of the festival, and were thrilled to get a ‘yes’.

“We’re super excited about the festival because that was our dream,” Erika said. “Hopefully people will enjoy what we’ve done.”

We’re trying to bring the bright and the bold to the festival, bringing more presence in the streetscape.”

“We’d like people to say ‘OMG who made that?’,” Nikki said.

Their work will be seen mostly around the Crystal Palace and the Lake Wānaka Centre on Ardmore Street, but will include seating at the Dinosaur Park and the trademark Festival of Colour leaves at each regional venue.

“We love doing the quirky creative stuff,” Erika said. “We really love making things - and we have so much fun.”

“Where possible we try to be sustainable,” Nikki added. “We use recycled materials, and make things which will be permanent.”

The business has a range of eclectic and stylish props which people can rent. The pair’s dream is to find a “massive workshop” where they can work as well as display their wares.

Find out more here.

The Festival of Colour will take place in Wanaka and elsewhere from April 12-18.

PHOTOS: Wanaka App