Southern Exposure

The notion that fashionable shopping takes place only in cities is outmoded, thanks to the Internet. And so when Lise Strathdee—who grew up in Italy and New Zealand and then worked in Milan with Romeo Gigli for many years before establishing her own design studio in London—stopped off at a tiny, rural community in New Zealand in search of a lunchtime snack during a vacation, she knew she'd found the perfect place to set up shop. Outpost Hokianga outposthokianga.com is a hip concept store that mixes fashion, books, art and fine food, and happens to be located in Rawene, a village clustered around a harbor on the mighty Hokianga estuary. Four years on, Outpost Hokianga, which Strathdee calls "a general store for the 21st century," is situated in a converted post office, and it's thriving. Products include her own designs, such as cargo pants reimagined in opulent Chinese silks, innovative jewelry, and gourmet food, like pesto made by local producers and balsamic vinegar imported from a former fashion manufacturer in Italy. While price is no concern to shoppers who have driven some two hours over switchback roads from The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, the nearest five-star accommodation, Strathdee makes sure not to exclude the local community. "Prices start at 50¢," she says, "so a young girl can come in here and buy a pretty hair elastic or just sit in my fashion library."