In Conversation With Lauren Tapper, One-Half Of Kiwi Label Harris Tapper
The modern woman
By Natalie McGowan | 16th April 2026Established in 2017 by former colleagues Sarah Harris Gould and Lauren Tapper, Harris Tapper is the Auckland-based label renowned for its modern take on tailored, elevated essentials that perfectly walk the line between minimalist design and sculptural form.
For style’s Issue 02, we spoke with co-founder Lauren Tapper to hear about the brand’s evolution, their SS26 collection, and Lauren’s must-visit spots in NYC.
Hi Lauren! Introduce yourself.
I’m from a rural area in New Zealand. I’ve always loved clothes and studied fashion design at university. I’ve worked across different areas of the industry, including public relations and merchandising. Some of my earliest memories are dressing up in my grandmother’s wardrobe. Lots of great tailored skirt suits.
Harris Tapper initially started with shirting in 2017, and has since grown into a full ready-to-wear label. Tell me about that evolution.
We launched Harris Tapper with a small edit of women’s shirting. Very quickly, customers and stores began asking for the pieces that would accompany those shirts. We started making pants, skirts, dresses. From the beginning, our brand was less about the product and more about the wearer, serving her needs with an offering of easy, elegant pieces. We’ve leaned in more to an autobiographical approach to design since then, but the roots of subversive femininity and sculptural minimalism stay the same.
How would you describe the Harris Tapper woman today? Has she evolved since the brand’s early days or has the core customer remained the same?
She has the same sense of elegance and sophistication. She’s multifaceted and busy and needs pieces that take her through many different needs in her day. Perhaps now we simply offer her a more complete wardrobe.
What was keeping you creatively inspired during the conceptualisation of SS26? Were there any films, shows, books, or albums on repeat while you were designing this collection?
I was given a copy of The Virgin Suicides, an image book of stills from the film shot by Corinne Day, by one of my best friends, with whom we also collaborate frequently on photography. I loved the soft, youthful feel of the images in contrast with the morbid subject matter of the original book. We shot the collection campaign on the same type of lens used for the film.
1920s silhouettes and tailoring seem to have inspired this collection quite heavily. What drew you to that era of fashion?
There’s a romanticism in looking to the past and imagining modern interpretations. We’re interested in the proportions, finishing, and softness of that time period, particularly nightwear.
If the SS26 collection were a person (real or fictional), who would it be?
It’d be two: Lux Lisbon and Jacqueline Kennedy.
How do you think being based in Auckland affects your design philosophy, if at all, compared to being based in a traditional fashion capital?
I’m not sure it does. We imagine the brand everywhere. We’re proud of where we’re from, but hopefully people interpret the brand as global, something that feels as at home in New York as it does in New Zealand.
You’ve spent time in New York recently. What are your top three must-visit places and why — whether it’s a bar, restaurant, hotel, or store that inspires you?
Nine Orchard for the interiors.
Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle for its history and timelessness. JFK and Fred Astaire drank there.
Outline in Brooklyn for its commitment to being a purely bricks-and-mortar store with no online presence.
Harris Tapper’s SS26 collection is available now online. Browse the range here.
