An iconic piece of New Zealand Aotearoa’s fashion history has just been added to the collection: a cotton velvet dress coat by Gus Fisher.

Gurshon Fisher was the youngest child of Michael Fisher, a Jewish émigré from Riga, Latvia and Fanny Dabscheck, the daughter of a Jewish Russian émigré to Australia. Known as Gus, he left school at the age of 17 in 1938 to begin work at El-Jay, his brother Louis’s clothing manufacturing business, taking over the company after the Second World War. Known for his attention to detail and to meticulous tailoring, Gus travelled annually to Paris to see the latest models and fashions and to purchase materials. These business trips brought him into contact with the fashion couturiers, including Christian Dior.

In 1953 Gus was invited to become the exclusive licensee for Dior in New Zealand and the relationship was sealed the following year when Dior himself signed the contract. It was to prove a fruitful and long partnership. In 1986 at the Dior Salon in Paris, a special award ceremony was held to commemorate the holder who had held the Dior licence for the longest period ever.