Emilia Wickstead's Guide to Auckland: Breathtaking Beaches, Kiwi Designers, and More

Welcome to Locals Only. In this series, we're tapping notable locals in the style space to share a tight list of their top recommendations of what to see, eat, and shop in their home city. They'll share off-the-radar recs that you won't find in your average guidebook, resulting in digestible mini guides revealing where the city's most fashionable residents are actually hanging out.

Since she founded her eponymous label in 2008, the name Emilia Wickstead has become a pillar of the British fashion community and a mainstay on the London Fashion Week calendar. But despite her brand's London address, Wickstead isn’t English by birth—she grew up in Auckland, New Zealand, before moving to Milan with her mother as a teenager. It wasn't until she enrolled in the fashion design program at Central Saint Martins that she found her way to London, where she's resided ever since.

Over the last 15 years, Wickstead has led her brand on a meteoric trajectory. The designer's singular vision of modern femininity and ability to capture a sense of both power and youthfulness has earned her many accolades including the Elle Style Award for Red Carpet Designer of the Year in 2014. She's dressed everyone from British royalty to Hollywood's elite, including Kate Middleton, Gigi Hadid, and Alexa Chung. Most recently, she's returned to her New Zealand roots to design the new uniforms for more than 5000 Air New Zealand crew and staffers.

We caught up with Wickstead to discuss coming home, her newest design project, and her ultimate guide to the best spots in Auckland—where to dine, what to see, and of course, where to shop.

To what extent is Auckland home for you, and how often do you return?

Auckland is definitely home. I lived here until I was 14, and I grew up in the city, just myself and my mom. When my mother married an Italian, we moved to Italy, and then after I lived there for four years, I then went to university in the UK.

I come back every year. I have a very large family here. It's always so great for the soul. I think when you live in New Zealand, you either travel a lot, or you sort of don't. I never traveled, really, when I lived here. The most I traveled was to go to the beach. So it's really special to come back and see everybody every year, and I think important now for my kids as well.