Meet Mr Hoiho
by Metropol | October 28, 2026 8:33 am
At last, writes Metropol editor Nina Tucker, a fascination with fashion’s quirkiest bags has finally landed on our shores. In true New Zealand style, this bag is one that gives back.
For his fall/winter 2022 collection, eclectic and craft-driven surrealist designer Jonathan Anderson designed a lifelike Pigeon Clutch (NZ $1900). For fall/winter 2025, Moschino’s pasta bag (US $3020) offered cascading spaghetti noodles and tomato accents. At Balenciaga, you can buy a Chips bag (which looks like a bag of Doritos and costs NZ $3550).
As crazy as it might seem, I’ve always enjoyed playful surrealist absurdity, sartorially speaking, and the juxtaposition of it all. Holding a clutch that looks like a pigeon is fabulously playful and something that fashion needs more of: fun.
So when Deadly Ponies released a limited edition Mr Hoiho bag, with a quarter of the proceeds supporting Forest & Bird, you can imagine my delight. A meticulously crafted, artisanly-considered bag that looks like one of the world’s rarest penguins. It’s as beautiful as it is powerful.
With less than 5000 hoiho remaining, scientists predict that without action, the hoiho yellow-eyed penguin could become extinct on mainland Aotearoa within 10 to 20 years. Facing threats like food shortages, disease, habitat loss, being caught by fishing nets, and predation on land and at sea, the luxury B Corp handbag brand created this limited-edition piece to amplify the hoiho’s voice and contribute to vital conservation efforts.
Forest & Bird is working to secure their future through stronger marine protections, and hands-on conservation in the Catlins at both Irihuka Long Point and Te Rere Reserve, home to some of the last remaining mainland populations.
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Image: Mr Hoiho is handcrafted from past-season leather offcuts in keeping with Deadly Ponies’ zero-waste ethos. 25% of proceeds from each bag will be donated directly to Forest & Bird to support vital conservation efforts.
Mr Hoiho is available exclusively at Deadly Ponies stores and at deadlyponies.com.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/meet-mr-hoiho/