My Muse, My Self
Five designers showing at Fashion Week dress a muse in looks from their upcoming collections
RACHEL MILLS Muse: Maeve Woodhouse, owner of Hera Saabi Wearing: Divided pants (available in February, 2019), Baby halter top (available this October)
Rachel Mills’ choice of muse was an easy one. Not only is jewellery-maker Maeve Woodhouse’s studio right next door, but they share the same sensibility when it comes to their crafts. “We have quite similar principles in terms of making,” says Rachel. “She’s a goldsmith and very proud of the fact that she can make things herself rather than getting someone else to do it. That’s something I really admire about her.”
Rachel’s classroom-turned studio at an ex-Montessori school in Parnell is where she splits her time, between her conscious clothing label, launched three years ago, and freelance pattern-making for designers like Trelise Cooper, Kate Sylvester and Karen Walker.
Gaining insight into the way large workrooms function — “both good and bad” — fuelled her desire to create more succinct collections for her own range. Rather than designing a new collection each season, she has a core range of pieces, refreshing the fabric as lines sell out. “There’s so much clothing out there and I don’t want to be contributing a massive amount of pieces just to fill a quota,” she says.
Maeve, of jewellery label Hera Saabi, is a welcome sounding-board for Rachel’s design ideas, as well as a fan of the brand. “She wears my clothes naturally,” says Rachel. “She picks pieces and buys them and I know it’s not just for support, it’s because she genuinely wants to. It’s nice to have a second opinion too.” The pair met two years ago when Rachel’s search for a jewellery designer led to an introduction. “We clicked straight away and it just went from there.” They now collaborate in more ways than one, running buy-one-giveone workshops teaching hand-based skills, including sewing and pattern-making.
“That’s something that has made us quite close — knowing the techniques or the trade of what we do, rather than just designing.”
Maeve is wearing a skirt and top made from organic fabric and a deadstock Marc Jacobs print that can be worn in different ways — two elements that represent the ethos of Rachel’s collection. The skirt can be transformed into pants (how-to video coming soon) and suits several different sizes with its tie waist.
The top is also “open for interpretation”, says Rachel. “I want things to be more flexible. The thing that’s really cool to me is that there are always going to be more ways to wear these items than I can think of.
“I like that people can experiment.”
ADRIAN HAILWOOD Muse: Kirsten Sutherland, production manager at Hailwood
Wearing: Wool embroidered bombers from Hailwood winter 2019 collection
“Bloody hell, it’s all going on today! K Rd, eh?” Adrian Hailwood is in the eye of a storm unfolding at his K Rd store. It’s the lead-up to Fashion Week, and the Hailwood team is prepping for his runway show, organising a look-book shoot for the new winter 2019 range and having a photo taken for Viva. The rain is belting down sideways outside and the energy of the street can’t help but spill inside. Before he can discuss his choice of muse for
Viva’s shoot (close friend and new production manager Kirsten Sutherland), a woman bowls in out of the rain and announces her car’s been stolen. “Oh no! Come and bring your kit inside,” offers Adrian. “Damn. Poor woman.”
As phone calls to the police are made and Adrian busies himself directing an employee who’s just arrived, Kirsten steps in to explain their designer-muse relationship. “When Adrian called me to ask me to be in the photo, my response was that he probably didn’t have much of a choice!” she laughs. “He would have been in trouble if it was anyone else.
“I’ve been to every one of his fashion shows. I’ve always been hovering around.”
Kirsten is based in Wellington, where she runs Saint Fabiola boutique, which stocks Hailwood alongside local designers and artwork. She’s also taken on an official role at Hailwood as production manager. “That’s quite a new area for me, although I’ve been involved in retail for quite some time.” She says the distance works well for her and Adrian, as they would probably kill each other if they worked at close quarters. The pair met at design school and have the kind of easy relationship that allows jokes to fly. “You’ve been my best customer,” says Adrian. “That’s the only reason I chose you as my muse.”
Adrian selects matching tartan bombers for him and Kirsten to wear. “We’re both Scottish, and these jackets show I’m designing menswear again,” he explains. The wool bomber with a cougar embroidered on the back is one of eight menswear pieces in the range. Elsewhere on the rack of garments for next year are items for Adrian’s core customers, women who want glamorous party clothes. There’s a beautiful lace fabric Adrian is particularly proud of, and his favourite piece, a chic black jumpsuit. “I’m doing more and more evening wear. This collection, there will be 10-15 ready-to-wear gowns. So my Fashion Week show is going to be very glam.”
The phone rings and the door opens again, this time a model to be fitted for the look-book shoot. It’s time to leave team Hailwood to the business of creating clothes, and adding to K Rd’s rich tapestry in the process.
GEORGIA CURRIE OF GEORGIA ALICE Muse: Isabella Lau, sales and marketing manager at Georgia Alice
Wearing: Boy blazer (fall-winter 2018), Workwear pant and Penelope T-shirt (resort 2019)
When you’re the designer for New Zealand-born label Georgia Alice, stocked internationally on Net-a-porter in the US and UK, and Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, how do you also cater to local stockists?
Georgia Currie has solved the problem, by making her fall-winter 2018 collection, released last week, the last “main” collection her team will produce. Instead they’ll create two ranges a year — resort and pre-fall — rather than four. It felt like the right time to break away from the traditional seasons.
“This decision gives me and my team more time to concentrate on the important things like creativity, production time, work-life balance and producing the best product that we can,” she says.
Right now, there’s a lot on the go. The team have moved into a new office space on Cook St, and are preparing to host an exclusive Fashion Week dinner.
“We’re using this as an opportunity to say thanks and celebrate the support shown to the brand over the last six years,” says Georgia.
Isabella Lau, sales and marketing manager for the brand, hopes their move away from main seasons will create breathing space for the Georgia Alice team to design more exclusive capsule collections, which help create a sense of urgency and drive sales.
“This shift away from main seasons isn’t new and is gaining momentum with brands like Wardrobe.Nyc launching with seasonless drops,” she says.
“Brands are capitalising on having their own channels to leverage from.”
It’s this insight into the brand that made Isabella an easy choice as Georgia’s muse.
“I wanted to choose someone who has a real impact on me,” says Georgia. “Bella is not only my support and guide in my personal life but she has a large amount of responsibility for growth and development of the brand.”
Bella selected her own outfit for the shoot — a mix of pieces from this fall-winter and the upcoming resort collection.
“Georgia nails tailoring that can be dressed down for every day or paired with an elegant shoe for something more fancy,” says Isabella. “The linen Workwear Pant is the perfect example — beautifully tailored in soft natural linen, paired with a simple lilac T and an oversized blazer for the day. I also plan on wearing these pants with the matching linen blazer to summer weddings.
“The Boy Blazer is my new obsession; it’s slightly oversized, like wearing your boyfriend’s suit jacket, but immaculately tailored across the shoulders.”
For Georgia, the fall-winter 2018 collection was like “designing in a bubble of memories”. She had music by Mac Demarco, Mazzy Star, Nina Simone and Cat Power flooding the workroom.
“It was nostalgic,” she says. “The music reminded me of some beautiful times in the past so when I see the collection it reminds me of all of those things.
“The collection comes from somewhere super-personal.”
TRELISE COOPER Muse: Sophie May Laurie, model at 62 Models Wearing: Shoulder Like It’s Hot jacket, The Shirt Degree shirt, Strut About Town pants (pre-fall 2019)
Trelise Cooper never thought she’d see the day the big-shouldered excesses of her 1980s designs would make a comeback. But this season she’s decided it’s “all about the shoulder line and sleeve”, with suiting in jewel colours of green, watermelon, yellow and lilac (“but not wussy lilac”), complete with exaggerated shoulders and flared sleeves.
Model and muse Sophie May Laurie perfectly embodies the “bold and beautiful,
Dallas-style look” that Trelise’s pre-fall collection is based on. “It’s all about colour and texture and big hair and big jewels. I like the phase that fashion is going through at the moment. It’s the complete opposite of minimalist, with Gucci’s Alessandro Michele leading the way.”
Maximalist fashion isn’t exactly a departure for Trelise, who’s known for her bold prints, embellished garments and use of colour.
It’s an aesthetic that’s both expected from, and inspired by, her customers. “I’m always blown away by how brave my customers are. Every collection it’s the things that I’m unsure about that are usually the things that sell out the fastest — the most out-there, colourful thing. We can’t keep bright brocade fabric in our stores, it goes that fast.”
Explaining the appeal of colour is easy for Trelise. “Think of nature, think of the most beautiful fish or flowers or birds; people are attracted to that. They’ll always pause over a flower garden overflowing with colour. It’s the same with clothes. I love black, but if you want the attraction factor I think it’s got to be colour, which is what women start to realise when they wear it and suddenly get comments on how great they look.”
Trelise knows her customer through and through. It’s a woman wanting a dress for an event or a special occasion that either covers her arms and waist or flaunts both. Her designs cater for those options. “I’m totally driven by wanting to make women feel beautiful. So that when they put something on they have that elevated and transformed effect. They might be feeling flat and when they put the dress on it gives them the confidence to go and be out in the world.
“Whether that’s the mother of the bride when they’re not used to being in front of a crowd or whether it’s a CEO giving a speech in front of hundreds of people. It’s having the support of a really great garment.”
Trelise’s customers offer that support back by attending her Fashion Week shows in droves. After a brief absence from the schedule, she is back this year with two shows. These will highlight pieces from spring-summer, resort and a pre-fall across three brands. “We’re using both runways so it will literally be the biggest show at Fashion Week.”
In typical Trelise fashion, she’s going to be hands-on with every element, even the seating plan. “My business is extremely personal, and we take everything seriously. It’s like organising a wedding for 2000 people.”