By Samantha Hayes
In the past year a record number of New Zealanders have left for greener pastures in Australia - fashion designers among them.
One of them is the woman behind kiwi label Salasai, who followed her husband to Perth when he joined the mining boom there.
However Kirsha Whitcher was determined to keep the business completely kiwi, and says her heart remains in New Zealand.
“I've gone in my body, my body's gone, but my heart's still here, I still love the people I work with,” she says.
Rather than employ Australians, Ms Whitcher stuck with her kiwi team to put together Salasai's fifth Fashion Week collection.
New Zealand sales still make up for around 60 percent of the label’s sales, although that is slowly changing as a result of the move to Australia.
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