Aotearoa’s freshest fashion and culture platform - on Substack
Ensemble is for people of purpose who want to read about world issues as much as they do beautiful, well-made clothing. We cover fashion, beauty, health & wellbeing, the arts, pop culture and the people shaping our times, with the guiding ethos ‘For both intelligence and whimsy’.
Founded in August 2020 by Aotearoa New Zealand-based Zoe Walker Ahwa and Rebecca Wadey, Ensemble is an independent platform dedicated to thoughtful, inclusive storytelling. We’ve built a community that values honest editorial, sharp social commentary and joyful IRL events — without the influence of corporate agendas or clickbait culture.
We remain a standalone website while also publishing on Substack for paid subscribers. This financial support directly funds our ability to commission and pay contributors, ensuring these stories continue to be told (and creatives get paid!).
Independent media is more vital than ever. If our work resonates with you, please consider a paid subscription. For $7 a month or $75 a year, you are supporting a small, women-owned platform and investing in a space where meaningful conversations thrive.
Paying subscribers receive:
Exclusive content (including our monthly Nice Things column, and The Ensemble Edit of recommendations each week)
Tickets and access to events
Our eternal gratitude and love
The knowledge you’re supporting women-owned, independent media that cares
Lots of other perks!
We offer comp paid subscriptions for those who can’t afford to financially support us right now. For every 100 paid sign-ups, we’ll provide 10 free subscriptions. Need a free subscription? Add your email at the form here.
Editor Zoe Walker Ahwa is the former editor of Fashion Quarterly, associate editor of the Herald’s Viva magazine and style editor at Stuff.
Partnerships director Rebecca Wadey has 20+ years experience in fashion, wellness and beauty publishing and marketing, having worked with companies including Kate Sylvester, Metro, Esteé Lauder, Bobbi Brown and Stuff.
Get in touch via hello@ensemblemagazine.co.nz for advertising and partnerships, editorial coverage, PR requests, story pitches and more.
Please note we are an unpaid two person team, so can’t respond to every PR request.
