Bloc Collective celebrates road reopening this summer 

Words: Andrea Rush

The closure of Normanby Road roundabout for construction of the Mt Eden underground train station has made access to Bloc Collective tricky for more than a year, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel, with the road set to reopen soon.


Design collaborators in the three-storey superior shopping destination include the flagship store of Swedish furniture brand BoConcept; Città, the New Zealand design company that creates purposeful, original and beautiful furniture and homeware; Father Rabbit, which brings an appreciation of design simplicity to his products for bathroom, laundry, kitchen, living room, office and pantry; A&C Homestore, from Alex and Corban of The Block NZ, which is the physical manifestation of the pair’s love of unique design; and clothing designers hej hej and Esse. To add to the enjoyably calm experience, the building has on-site parking off Enfield Road and great coffee at the Bloc Café.


Father Rabbit owner and head buyer Claudia Zinzan is looking forward to the Normanby Road roundabout reopening. “It’s been a real drag and the closure has really affected sales. There are so many new apartments in the area, so those new residents will appreciate their beautiful neighbourhood returning to normal.” She says that this season, bright colour is trending at Father Rabbit, which specialises in all things home, including thoughtful home- wares, clothing basics and pantry staples for every day.


“We have lots of apple reds, grass greens and bright yellows hitting our homeware and apparel ranges.” Favourites for gifts include their Napoleon chilly bins, new summer apparel, the much-loved Father Rabbit diaries, and new Christmas bauble range. Father Rabbit customers have always been quite sustainably minded and the company is currently pushing back on suppliers to lessen packaging plastics and polystyrenes. “It’s great to see changes in this area,” says Zinzan. 

Colour is also in at fashion brand Esse. Owner and designer Alicia Tsi says that “the bright colours for spring/summer express a new- found optimism as the road opens and the country is opening up to the world”. She is pleased that the road reopening will see easier access and thoroughfare to Bloc and that the new transport links will make it easier for customers to get to the building without needing to drive.


Tsi has been paving the way for the slow and sustainable fashion movement since 2017. Esse’s new collection is entitled “The land that we tread” and invites the wearers to bathe in the soft, soothing shades of New Zealand’s natural beauty in new styles and a colour palette that pays homage to Aotearoa’s unique native flora and fauna. Constantly drawing from nature and sense of place, her designs draw inspiration from hikes out in nature, where she finds the most peace.

Her new season capsule is an ode to Aotearoa’s native plants, with colours like soulful kumarahou green and bright kiokio fern red. She has explored using more unique textures that mimic the natural world, introducing undyed fabrics to Esse’s library of sustainable fabrics, such as the organic cotton the brand has sourced from Japan.


“Consumers are looking to merge comfort with playfulness and Esse’s new range is designed to reflect this,” Tsi says. She expects favourites to be the Twist and Turn Toga Top, Twist and Turn Toga Dress and Esse’s best-selling Relaxed Maxi Dress with Sleeves – all three are available in ponga blue, kiokio red and takahe blue. The sustainable ethos is reflected in customers who seek Bloc out as a shopping destination.


“I think customers are becoming more mindful about their shopping habits and conscious about the items they bring into their lives,” says Tsi. “We have definitely seen an increasing number of customers who have resonated with our ethos and sought us out at Bloc.” 

Esse has also collaborated with New Zealand-based Danish artist Mamakan on a series of botanical art installations called Forestscapes, featuring some of these native plants. Mamakan x Esse Forestscape is an installation of foraged native flora and fauna from Mamakan’s forest Velskov in Parau, Waitakere Ranges, and is an ever-evolving art piece that transitions through the seasons. Forestscapes will be on display and available to purchase exclusively at Esse’s store at Bloc Collective from October 16. Proceeds from the purchase of each Forestscape will go towards regenerative efforts and education initiatives of Velskov to raise awareness of the benefits of native forests.


For those who love great design, quality and sustainability, Bloc Collective is a must-visit destination. 

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