Annah Stretton

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Annah Stretton is New Zealand famous designer who founded the Stretton Fashion Group in Morrinsville in 1991.[1] Within a year, she made $1 million with 50 percent profitability. Originally Annah S clothing was sold into other stores, but a few years later Stretton began opening her own boutiques in the Waikato.

In 2005 Stretton bought Her Business magazine and worked as editor, commissioning stories on successful women entrepreneurs and giving business tips. Within a few months it was one of New Zealand’s fastest growing business titles.[2]

In 2013 she set up the Stretton Foundation and from this came her first initiative – RAW (Reclaim Another Woman.) RAW was launched in the Waikato in February 2014, working with incarcerated recidivist offenders. In 2016 Annah created Kia Puāwai which supports charitable organisations delivering social services within the community with wellness programmes. For both her business and philanthropic work Annah was selected as one of the ten semi-finalists for 2018 New Zealander of the Year. Annah is currently on the chair of the Waikato women’s refuge and a board member of UNICEF NZ.[3]

Controversy

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In October 2020, Annah Stretton was publicly criticized for her poster ad on Wellington's Hunter St displays Stretton herself alongside two women of colour in make-up, emphasising their lips and eyes, in an image from Fashion Week 2014. Text on the poster was written "Most people will tell you what you can't do. I am only interested in what I can do."[4] Many people said Stretton was ignorant as she portrayed the model as “caricature”.

Stretton had publicly apologized and said that the poster was taken out of context. In a statement, Stretton said she understood that “out of context the image may be difficult for some in light of ‘Black Lives Matter’ and other ongoing positive (global and national) changes to what is acceptable and what is not, in current day.” She also said the poster will be removed in the next few days.[5]

Reference