Bringing high fashion to Hamilton
Jacqueline Roper has travelled the world in her fashion career, and of all the places she’s been, Hamilton is one of the least interested in haute couture fashion. But she has a plan to change that.
Working under the brand name Jacqueline Anne, Roper designs high-end fashion. She’s worked in the US and Tokyo.
“I got offered a job in Amsterdam working for O’NeIll as the head of women’s apparel at their head office. But I got pregnant. And I thought, it’s better for my kid to grow up in New Zealand and have a Kiwi life. And you know, being home is cool.”
She also came back because of her other passion: rugby. She coached for many years, and wanted to be back for the Rugby World Cup. So now she’s set up shop in little old Kirikiriroa.
But it’s not easy, she said.
“My passion is haute couture. And as much as I’d love to have more of that fashion here, New Zealanders don’t really wear that kind of thing,” Roper said. “We’re a casual nation.” However, this year Roper is launching an annual haute couture gala, the first of which will be at the Hamilton Gardens next month.
Fashion is not its only purpose; the proceeds will go to Waikato Women’s Refuge and Kids in Need Waikato.
Roper says it’s “good for your soul” to fundraise and help charities, so worked that into her gardens event.
“I think it’s important that we all find a place where we can give something.
“But at the same time it’s a tough one because New Zealand is so small. My goal is to be recognised as New Zealand’s first haute couture fashion designer from the Federation De La Haute Couture in Paris. And in order to do that I have to do a haute couture runway in New Zealand twice a year.”
But New Zealand is not big on fashion, said Roper. We like our sports wear and our street wear, but haute couture fashion is a little too extravagant for New Zealand’s laid back demeanour.
Her overseas clientele is going well enough. She has clients in Australia and the US.
“I lived in California for about ten years, so I know the market over there.”
In terms of trends, Roper said she doesn’t follow them, she sets them.
“When I was overseas working for Burton Snowboard which is a top international snowboard brand, we were free to create as we wanted.
“And a lot of our designs made it into global trend magazines for other brands to follow.”
“I’ve always been someone who doesn’t care what other people are doing, I’m going to set the trends.”
Because of the time and work that goes into her pieces, they’re not cheap. But this is to be expected she said; haute couture is not regular clothing.
“I’m an artist and clothing is my canvas. So if you come to this gala, you’ll see things that are not normal, and you’ll see where fashion can go.”
“You’ve got to separate the two: there’s haute couture which has the drama and the showmanship, and the other side is wearable fashion. They’re not the same.”
Although Hamilton may not be the easiest town to promote haute couture fashion in, Roper wouldn’t move away.
“Hamilton is great. After living in Auckland, I love it. The traffic is so much better.”
Haute Couture in the Gardens will take place at the Hamilton Gardens on March 15.