404 PAGES! NZ designer Discussions KAREN WALKER HELEN CHERRY KATE SYLVESTER trelise cooper CYBÈLE MURRAY CRANE NOM*D ZAMBESI WORLD Celebs in Fashion SAM hAYeS
Antonia Prebble DAI HENWOOD
JAY REEVE
ISSUE #67 / 2010 / NZ $15.95
AU $15.90 / UK £5.99 / US $13.99 / Eu €8.90 REMIX 1
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KAREN WALKER SUN GODS
www.karenwalkereyewear.com
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NEUW.COM.AU
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contents
cover PHOTOGRAPHy Jessica Sim fashion editor Atip W Model Michelle @ Nova Models Hair & Makeup Stacy Lee-Ghin using M.A.C & Kevin Murphy Thanks to Tania Kent @ Britomart Bra top by CybÈle, leather knit & shorts by Salasai, lace cuffs & neckpiece by Zambesi.
RESEARCH, PG 50: LATEST NEWS AND PICS FROM THE SOCIAL SCENE, FASHION, ART AND OTHER RANDOM GOODNESS. TRENDS, PG 92: CROCHET, SHORTY SHORTS, PASTELS. BEAUTY & GROOMING, PG 119. ABOUT FACE FOR HER & HIM, SPRING MAKEUP TRENDS, D&M HAIR, INOA SHOWCASE, BEAUTY NEWS. FACES OF FASHION, PG 138: SAMANTHA HAYES, ANTONIA PREBBLE, DAI HENWOOD, JAY REEVE. PROFILES, PG 154: BROOKE FRASER, ROSE MCIVER. DESIGNER DISCUSSIONS, PG 164: KAREN WALKER & MIKHAIL GHERMAN, HELEN CHERRY, CYBELE WIREN, KATE SYLVESTER, MURRAY CRANE, TRELISE COOPER, BENNY CASTLES & FRANCIS HOOPER, LIZ & NEVILLE FINDLAY, MARGI ROBERTSON. FASHION INDUSTRY FOLKS, PG 232: DAN GOSLING, LUCY MARR, ALANA TAYLOR, MARTIN ANDREWS, DES RUSK. ART TALK, PG 244: REUBEN PATERSON & LONNIE HUTCHINSON. FASHION, PG 251: 106 PAGES OF STUNNING SPRING/SUMMER FASHION. POP CULTURE, PG 359: PICTURE ME: A MODEL’S DIARY, THE RUNAWAYS, DEAR TIME’S WASTE, JULIA DEANS, MARK RONSON, MIAMI HORROR, BLOGS, BOOKS, GAMES & MORE.
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PER0042\TBWA
Enter to win at www.absolut.com/newzealand
ABSOLUT FASHION Win a custom-made designer piece. to win the opportunity to collaborate with a leading New Zealand designer and create a custom-made piece, just for you. There are also 30 designer pieces to be won. Enter online from September 1 - October 15, 2010.
EntEr thE draw
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T H E D E PA RT M E N T STO R E TO P F LO O R 1 0 N O RT H C RO F T ST R E E T TA K A P U N A AU K L A N D w w w.TO P S H O P.CO M REMIX 15
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EDITORial
404 pages. This issue of remix has been a real labour of love FOR OUR TEAM. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TELL EVERYONE YOU’RE WORKING ON THE ANNUAL NEW ZEALAND FASHION EDITION - EVERYONE WANTS TO BE A PART OF IT and it becomes this enormous project requiring a lot of talent and passion. THE FASHION INDUSTRY IN NEW ZEALAND, IN ITS WIDEST SENSE, IS INCREDIBLY PASSIONATE, SUPPORTIVE AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, COLLABORATIVE. THIS ISSUE IS A CELEBRATION OF EVERYONE WHO CREATES, PROMOTES AND LOVES NEW ZEALAND FASHION - FROM THE DESIGNERS, THE BUYERS & RETAILERS, STYLISTS, HAIR & MAKEUP TEAMS - a great number of whom have collaborated with us to create this issue. so go pop the kettle on or crack open a beer (or several, this is no quick read) and enjoy this special edition dedicated to our homegrown fashion heroes. tina x
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www.cybele.co.nz
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CONTRIBUTORS
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: whats your earliest fashion memory? Helene Ravlich, Writer: A pair of shiny red gumboots given to me when I was 18 months old, which were also my first great love. I wore them religiously come rain or shine, they were perfect for every occasion, and the fiery colour made them the perfect statement piece, every time. I miss them still! Jessica Sim, Photographer: When I was four my mum bought me a ‘princess’ dress as I had called it, and I didn’t want to take it off for a week! Steve King, Photographer: Moving to Singapore when I was three years old and just knowing the paisley shirt was the one I had to have on for the plane ride... it was big day ahead but I knew I looked cool… Stacy Lee Ghin, Hair & Makeup Artist: My earliest fashion moment was being really little and my mom being very very glamourous with very lush sexy wavy hair, very dark eye liner, huge smile and a ton of gold necklaces and bangles on both arms from wrist to elbow. She was a gorgeous woman with lots of Caribbean fashion flare of the 80s.. She was stoked to find this brown and black diagonal striped tight fitting dress in a deep v shape from the neckline with a fish tail in a size 8 on sale at ‘Le Chateau’ (like a Canadian version of Topshop in the ‘80s). She had red lipstick on, and I thought she looked fantastic!! I asked her if she was wearing the ‘wet ‘n’ wild’ lipstick I bought her for Mother’s Day. She said yes, and that all the men were staring at her in the subway because the lipstick made her look so beautiful! I was estastic! Kelly Thompson, Photographer: My earliest fashion memory is of myself in my all time favourite white leggings covered in pink and purple flowers, I wore them with a three-tiered denim skirt and silver jellies… babein! If it rained I also had a yellow transparent umbrella that came down over me like a dome... sometimes I wish I could get that one back, it was amazing.Craig Owen, Photographer: My mother’s dressmaking and pattern books... when I was around five years old I discovered these and was fascinated by all the ‘great’ fashion images they contained.
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The stunning new ghd Pink limited edition in association with The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.
ghdhair.com 0800hairghd
$30.00 per ghd IV pink styler box set sold in New Zealand will go to The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation (registration charity number AK/1475566).
ISSUE 67
Editor-In-Chief Tim Phin Editor Tina Moore tina@remix.co.nz Creative Director Ian Fraser Ferguson ian@friendsofdesign.com Fashion Editor Atip Wananuruks fashion@remix.co.nz Design Assistant Annabelle Rose Sub Editor Lewis Tennant Beauty Tina Moore Music Will Seal Film Tim Lambourne Star Interns Courtney MacLeod Amanda Tse Krysta Hardaker Advertising Manager Tim Phin tim@remix.co.nz +64 21 736 491 Contributing Writers Sylvia Varnham O’Regan Will Seal Dean Campbell Jose Barbosa Helene Ravlich Francesca De Jong Evelyn Ebrey Flora Cheng Brock Oliver Nicole Leybourne
Contributing Stylists Pebbles Hooper vALENTINA TIURBINI Barry Betham Cameron Lee Putt Contributing Photographers Camille Sanson Kelly Thompson Garth Badger Clinton Tudor Oliver Rose Jessica Sim Guy Coombes Marissa Findlay STEPHEN LANGDON Craig Owen LOUISE Hatton Contributing Hair & Makeup Artists Margo Regan Amber Haldane AMBER D Darya Bing Stacy Lee Ghin Julianna Grogan Shontal Healey Virginia Carde Sara Allsop Phoebe Leonard Casey Roxburgh Aimee Graham Hayley Pullyn Neisha Henry Bonnie Liu Mobeen Bhikoo Greg Murrell LOUIS BYRNE LAN NGUYEN Diana Moar Maza White Jason Li Kirsten Stanners Danny Pato Michelle Perry Bex Brent
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Accounts accounts@remix.co.nz CONTACT US: Tel: +64 9 376 2055 www.remix.co.nz Physical Address: 1/6 Dickens Street Ponsonby Auckland 1021 New Zealand Postal Address: P.O. Box 105 631 Auckland Central Auckland 1143 New Zealand SUBSCRIPTIONS: www.remix.co.nz Printed by GEON Printing Group 0800 GEON GROUP www.geongroup.com Distributed in NZ by Gordon & Gotch Ltd Worldwide distribution by Co Mag Los Angeles Crew Lindzy Davidson Jerry Park Thuy Nguyen Michelle Belegrin Darren Tieste Jo Hilton Publisher Remix Media Ltd / Tim Phin Disclaimer: The views expressed in REMIX Magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers and editors. Not part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without permission. © 2010 REMIX Media Ltd
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WRANGLER.COM.AU REMIX 41
The 106. Skateable style, but relaxed.
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OUT & about
BROUGHT TO YOU BY LUMIX
7. 6.
mini garage opening
While the words ‘funky’ and ‘car dealership’ don’t generally go in the same sentence, things are different when it’s MINI, and Auckland’s socialites were out in force to celebrate the opening of the funky new MINI Garage on Ponsonby Rd. Photos by Guy Coombes
www.panasonic.co.nz/lumix
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GUESS.COM
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OUT & about
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12.
remix issue 66 launch party
DJ duo Maya & Vanya spun tunes at a nice, cosy party for the extended REMIX Magazine family & friends at new Auckland club Hitch. PHOTOS by will seal
www.panasonic.co.nz/lumix
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BE A PART OF
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M∙A∙C PRO MEMBERshiP is FOR ThE PAssiOnATE PROFEssiOnAl. iT’s EvERyThing ThAT MATTERs: inFluEnTiAl, inFORMATivE, OuTRAgEOus. MEET ThE PROs. EnjOy disCOunTs. EnhAnCE yOuR MAkEuP ARTisTRy wiTh MAsTER ClAssEs. M∙A∙C PRO, nOT jusT A CulT…iT’s A univERsE. M·A·C CHANCERY 12 COuRThOusE lAnE ChAnCERy sQuARE AuCklAnd CiTy 0800 MAC shOP FOR inFORMATiOn ABOuT BECOMing A MEMBER And A lisT OF OThER M∙A∙C PRO lOCATiOns, visiT www. MACPRO.COM.
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OUT & about
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12.
servilles academy opening
Servilles celebrate the expansion of their head office and hairdressing academy into grand new premises on Auckland’s Queen St. Aunty Helen did the honours, officially opening the venue with a heartfelt speech for Paul Serville. photos by norrie montgomery
www.panasonic.co.nz/lumix
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OUT & about
BROUGHT TO YOU BY LUMIX
12.
SEMI-PERMANENT LAUNCH PARTY
graphic designers, fashion designers, animators, illustrators, typographers, sound designers, creatives and sponsors alike, gathered to celebrate the 7th annual semi-permanent design conference held in auckland. Photos by Annabelle Rose
www.panasonic.co.nz/lumix
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RE SE AR
She wears Prada SKU 326131 He wears Ray-Ban SKU 324731 www.sunglasshut.co.nz 0800 607 895
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SEXY DENIM
Wrangler’s new Spring/Summer range looks to the 1970’s, in particular the Venice Beach skate scene of that era, drawing inspiration for a collection that encapsulates the iconic essence of the brand from its free-loving heyday. The men’s denim range offers up the staple slim silhouettes of the Strangler fit in heritage blue and rinse washes. A breakthrough ultra light fabrication in the Strangler has been produced of 9oz Italian denim bearing the latest super stretch technology, perfect for the summer heat. The stovepipe Stomper fit is updated in a classic indigo raw wash, perfect teamed with laid back washed singlets and pastel coloured hooded tops. The women’s line ramps things up a notch with skin tight, high-waisted Twiggy pants served up in the aforementioned super light 9oz denim. Figure hugging Cheeky shorts push the envelope even further, with the original destroyed wash giving more than a nod to the classic Wrangler ads of the 70’s. We’re also loving the super trendy crop tops and crocheted swimwear in this range!
Skullcandy accessories
Skullcandy, the makers of the infamously cool headphones, have extended their range in NZ to accessories. Like the headphones, the accessories have a functional, bright and fresh street-style look. The range includes hats, beanies, belts and wallets. www.skullcandy.co.nz Photo by Clinton Tudor
DESIGNER LAPTOP SKINS
‘Tech chic’ specialists HP have teamed up with four New Zealand fashion designers this September to release limited edition laptop skins for the HP 10.1’ Mini Notebook PC and 15.6’ Pavilion Notebook PC. Fashion designers Adrian Hailwood, Annah Stretton, Sable and Minx, and Saben have designed their own unique prints especially for the New Zealand market. Not just a means of work or play anymore, the mini PC has become the ultimate, fully functional portable technology. On the back of HP’s Vivienne Tam Limited Edition Mini’s and Sex & the City association, it highlights HP’s ongoing commitment to creating stylish technologies that fit into the busy lifestyles of fashionable kiwis. These custom designed HP skins are available for a limited time with purchase of selected HP Notebook PC’s nationwide. For more information visit www.hp.co.nz/ designbyhp Giveaway! To celebrate New Zealand Fashion Week, we have one limited edition Adrian Hailwood skinned HP Mini to giveaway. Titled ‘Catherine’, Adrian’s skin design comes from his blue lady series of light boxes. To go into the draw to win one of these stylish HP Mini’s skinned with Adrian Hailwood’s design, go to www.remix.co.nz
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TMA1 headphones
Danish electronics company Aiaiai recently celebrated the release of their much-anticipated TMA-1 headphones. Designed primarily for Djs, the headphones’ simple, refined, appearance reflect the brand’s focus on function rather than flash. And function they do - Aiaiai worked with twenty-seven of the world’s best DJs such as Hot Chip and Matthew Dear, who used them and then reported their experiences back to the brand. This advice was then used to further develop the TMA’1. They were described by slamxhype.com as ‘our favourite headphone on the market’ and have been met with similar reactions across media worldwide. So if you’re looking for an upgrade or an addition to your collection, take a look. TMA-1 headphones are sold at selected electronics outlets throughout New Zealand.
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LA PERLA
Luxurious swimwear is no longer an oxymoron thanks to the stunning spring-summer 2010 swimwear range by Italian lingerie brand La Perla. Stocked exclusively at Auckland’s The Silk Drawer, the collection features a range of classic one and two-pieces, each more intricate than the next. Highlights include a stunning one-piece in vivid peacock print and bikinis detailed with roped fabric and jewels. Shapes range to suit a variety of tastes and include a plunging one-piece in black, a delicate tan triangle bikini as well as strapless styles. Prices for the collection range from $500-$1400, a great chance for some indulgence this summer. www.thesilkdrawer.co.nz or www.facebook.com/TheSilkDrawer
NEUW IN TOWN
Australian based denim label Neuw was founded by three friends with a great passion for denim. For inspiration the Neuw team often raid designer Par Lundqvist’s extensive collection of vintage garments totalling over 2500 pieces, ranging from the late 1800s to the 1990s. Neuw also use a concept they call Vintage Revision where the designer takes vintage jeans then recuts and reshapes them into modern versions, while still maintaining the integrity of the original garment. So far they are sold in Australasia and as far away as Scandinavia, with next season launching in respected denim youth fashion store OAK in New York, Fred Segal and American Rag. Check them out in the newly revised Storeroom store in Britomart re-opening in September. www.neuw.com.au
California dreamin’
Vans’ California Classic range pays tribute to iconic shoe shapes and styles, offering a timeless and exciting range of footwear for both guys and girls. Favourite styles include the Zapato Del Barco and the Cukka Del Barko. The Zapato is a new take on the increasingly popular boat shoe, made from premium leather and detailed with contrasting toe stitching. The Cukka is a street style shoe, finished with waxed leather and lined with jersey material for maximum comfort. The colour range is equally dignified; available in either black or walnut. $209.00
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MINI Cooper Made famous as the getaway-vehicle of choice by Charlize Theron and her posse in The Italian Job, the Mini Cooper is speedy, compact, polished and in demand. Mini’s newest dealership, the ‘Mini Garage’ goes above and beyond any traditional ideas of what a car dealership is. Situated on the corner of Auckland’s Ponsonby Road and Mackelvie Street, the Garage is your one stop shop for all things Mini and offers a range of new and innovative features. Inside the pristine space is a café, and interactive kiosks which allow browsers to source information at their leisure. A second Mini Garage is located in Christchurch at 30 Manchester Street. 0800 BE MINI (236464).
DIY Pandora
Pandora’s online Bracelet Designer function allows you to create your own unique charm bracelet to suit your own individual style. With more than 800 handcrafted charms available sometimes with precious gems or semi-precious stones and in a variety of materials from both gold and white gold to silver, silver oxidized, two tone and steel, there are limitless possibilities for styling and mixing Pandora with the occasion, your outfit, and your personality. Once you’ve selected everything you want on your bracelet you can then see save and print or email the image! www.pandora.net
RADIO PONSONBY
Independent and into music, Radio Ponsonby is a local Auckland station with a line-up full of experienced music lovers. Hitting the scene six months ago the station now boasts a full dj line-up including seasoned professionals Murry Sweetpants, Thane Kirby, Dave Hull, A.D.A.M etc and a host of new talent championing music genres old and new. Radio Ponsonby is a proud Ponsonby local taking it to the world online with streaming and even full time visually on ustream.tv Tune in on 107.7FM, text the studio on 8228 – in their own words, they ‘won’t sell out, hard sell you stuff you never buy or make you feel like your listening to The Edge’. www.radioponsonby.co.nz
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MEADOWLARK
Meadowlark’s new Summer collection, ‘No Eenrgy Vampires’ is all about optimism and protecting you from bad vibes. The iconic and recurrent Meadowlark symbols of the heart, skull and the protea transcend to talismanic status, imbued with magic to repel gloom. Remix has an incredible $1000 worth of Meadowlark jewellery to give away! Go to www.remix.co.nz/win & USE THE KEYWORD ‘VAMPIRES’ to enter the draw to win the Five Skull Necklace, Heart Jewel Ring in Rhodalite Garnet, Mini Heart Pendant and Skull Stud Earrings.
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Absolut fashion cocktails
Absolut vodka has joined forces with three of New Zealand’s leadind designers, Adrian Hailwood, Lonely hearts and Federation for this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week, to create custom cocktails which will be avilable at selected bars throughout September. On top of this, Absolut is offering the chance for one lucky winner to have an item of clothing tailor-made by the designer of their choice. For the designers’ cocktail recipes, and the chance to win this fantastic custom designer creation, go to www.absolut.com/nz for more details. To celebrate the Absolut Fashion campaign and ten years of New Zealand Fashion Week, Absolut and REMIX have ten double passes to the Fashion Weekend (September 24-25) to giveaway. Come and join the REMIX team in the Absolut Studio, which will feature bands, DJs, artists and of course the delicious Absolut Fashion designer cocktails. To enter, go to www.remix.co.nz/win and register using the code ‘ABSOLUTFASHION’ before the 20th September. You must be 18 or over to enter.
Cult-‐Couture
For those of you who love your fashion with a dose of spectacle the Villa Maria Cult Couture fashion design awards is on again this year at the TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre in Auckland. Having come a long way since their humble beginnings, Cult Couture is now in its ninth year and is being held at as part of the 2010 Manukau Festival of the Arts. Featuring performances by J Williams, Sola Rosa and ReQuest among others, Cult Couture is so much more than just a fashion awards show. It combines fashion with music, dance, art and theatrical flair to create a dazzling multi-cultural production. Entrants from around the country compete in six categories including Recycled Revolution, Obviously Organic and Flight of Fantasy. The talented hopefuls have to interpret the theme of their category and impress the judges with their creativity, innovation and technical savvy. The awards are judged by leading fashion industry experts Adrian Hailwood, Murray Bevan and Rachael Churchward. Prizes are awarded to the winners and runners up of each category and there is also a premier award of $5000 for the overall winner. Get your tickets from www.ticketdirect.co.nz , 0508 4 EVENTS or from the TelstraClear Box Office. www.manukau.govt.nz/cultcouture
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Parinto
Stephen Richardson knows a thing or three about fashion. The model turned designer turned curator has recently launched his latest T-SHIRT brand, Parinto. The name is a take on the Japanese word ‘purinto’ which means ‘to print’ and that’s exactly what the company does… onto t-shirts. Parinto is the brainchild of Richardson and fellow clothing entrepreneur Robert Ewan, the founder of the iconic New Zealand label Mr. Vintage. ‘We wanted to create a brand that was more artistic based,’ Richardson says. The brand isn’t about Richardson and his work, it’s a collection of various different artists from across the globe putting some of their best pieces onto Parinto labelled tees. Richardson prides the business on its contributors and includes people like Max Gimblett, one of New Zealand’s most famous contemporary painters now residing in New York, as well as Blanca Gómez, a well known Spanish artist, and talented New Zealanders like photographer Mark Smith and illustrator Henrietta Harris. Parinto boasts over 15 artists all from the fields of painting, sketching, illustrating, photography and design and is continually adding more to the mix. Richardson first got into the industry after graduating in design and on a whim moving to the UK to intern for his brother’s animation company. His brother, Rufus Dayglo, now a comic book artist for the iconic comic Tank Girl, is also a contributor for Parinto label. Richardson was later picked up by a modelling agency and began modelling in London, Paris and New York, which inspired him to start his own label. When he returned to New Zealand in 2003, he partnered up with a few friends to do some design work for the Crane Brothers, which ultimately lead him to start his own label Richard...son. At first he sold his tees through friend’s stores and wholesales, but later opened up his own boutique in Parnell in 2007. Due to the brand’s popularity and its fast growth, Richardson decided to put everything on hold while he sought out a business partner to help him run the label. Enter Robert Ewan. Ewan was introduced to Richardson by a mutual friend and the two decided to rework and relaunch the business as Parinto in April 2010. The business primarily runs through the website and the boys are in talks about putting together a themed pop-up store for the October/November/December period in the Auckland CBD. ‘The pop up store gives us a chance to really get the brand out there,’ Richardson says. ‘We’ve come up with a secret theme to throw into the mix to really get people buzzing about it.’ When asked what the theme of the store may be, Richardson says to ‘stay tuned’ and keep an eye out on the website for more information. To see more about the Parinto brand and its eclectic line of tees, check out www.parinto.com By Francesca de Jong
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SEMIPERMANENT 2010
Story BY BROCK OLIVER
Tyranny of the Blank PagE Aotea Centre, Auckland / August 20-21
Now in its seventh year, Semi-Permanent scratched its digital itch with a dynamic creative conference featuring 15 local and international speakers - sharing their passion, insight and humour over two days. It was a forum that exposed and expanded the myriad forms that contribute to an increasingly ubiquitous term – design. Hosted and organized by bleeding edge creative agency The Church, SemiPermanent is described by them as ‘a global gathering of pure talent, new ideas, conversation and visual splendour’. In other words - a porthole into ‘design geek nirvana’. With near to 2000 people buzzing through the three tiered Aotea Centre like incredibly well-dressed worker bees, Semi Permanent provided plenty of intrigue, even in the lobby, with a book and magazine pod, t-shirt project WORDSBY curated by casual attire innovators Closet and other creative corners to soak up gigabytes of inspiration. However, like most festivals, people were here to see the bands – or in this case, the bandwidth of intelligence and innovation, showcased by the speakers. The concert chamber quickly filled as 10am loomed on Friday morning, the venue taking on a sci-fi feel under the flickering silver screen glare of laptops, cellphones and iPads littered throughout. This sense of futurism was soon brought back to earth however, by the ‘garden shed’ aesthetic and consistently hilarious banter of event MC, Te Radar. His bawdy humour and enthusiasm were the perfect foil for any designer/speaker who threatened to start talking in code.
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JESSICA HISCHE / TYPOGRAPHER & ILLUSTRATOR Hailing from Brooklyn, NYC, Jessica Hische was the perfect opening act for Semi-Permanent 2010. Her typography is like walking into the perfect gift shop where every product is wrapped in beautiful ribbons, flowing with a healthy sense of vintage East Coast sensibility. Famous for her ornate type, floral flourishes and obsession with cats, Hische is everything you would expect from a New York hipster, laid back and confident. Influenced by the shapes of art nouveau and a distinctly 1950s colour palette, her signature typography has guided her into work dominated by monograms, logos, packaging, book layout and covers. She has created her own font – Buttermilk – her Daily Drop Caps website is an innovative design project where she ‘creates’ a letter per day, slowly scribing her way through the alphabet. If typography were an object, hers would be a Victorian ornament. www.jessicahische.com KAREN WALKER & MIKHAIL GHERMAN / DESIGNER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR If anyone is the antithesis of the ‘world famous in New Zealand’ parochialism it is the steely eyed Karen Walker. Extremely focused on fashion as a global entity, Walker is all about the high end in the hippest cities; primarily New York, London and Tokyo. Walker, with her partner and creative director Gherman speak in a casual interview format, hosted by seasoned fashion commentator Stacy Gregg. With an organic approach to growth by association to niche outlets and discerning publications, Karen Walker has garnered a sense of cool by fostering a fashion line with ‘the right amount of wrong in it’. More than just the clothes you wear, Walker and Gherman leave the audience with the notion that fashion is as much about the intellectual stimulus as it is the tactile experience, and very much about sustaining a sound business sense. www.karenwalker.com SARAH ESTENS / ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS Hailing from Sydney as a senior designer for Frost Design, Sarah Estens creates concepts and manages projects for large scale environments. Her passion for merging 2D graphics with interior design comes to the fore in the talk, her great portfolio work harnessing industrial space with hot licks of red typography or etched glass that scale 25 metres in height. With ‘girlish’ enthusiasm, Estens
connects with many of the young students at Semi-Permanent, highlighting that many people in these ’dream jobs’ were students not so long ago. In fact never stop being students, a key to their growing success. www.frostdesign.com.au DUNCAN SPEAKMAN / ARTIST, SOUND DESIGNER In the cluttered and saturated visual world that we live in, the sensory pleasure of sound is a rather abstract science. As a design element it is involved in almost every project, but rarely isolated. Walking onto the stage in total silence and maintaining that awkward absence for nearly a minute, Duncan Speakman immediately highlights the invisible weight of his chosen discipline. Flown in from Bristol, UK, Speakman (perfect name for the artist) seeks out what he calls the ‘cinema of the everyday’ or his major mentor John Grierson’s definition of documentary as ‘the creative treatment of actuality’. On paper this sounds like rather high-brow semantics, however with his examples (the finest of which is his ‘Subtlemob’ concept) Speakman showcases how sound underpins our sensory delights and with clever manipulation, can give us the perfect ‘outsider perspective’ of our own lives. www.subtlemob.com ANDREW GORDON / ANIMATOR One of the major players of Semi-Permanent was Andrew Gordon of Pixar Animation studios. A king hitter in the CGI world, Gordon has worked on most of the notable animated movies of recent times, namely; A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, & 3, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Gordon gives an amazing lecture on the finer mechanics of animation, with a rich history that runs from Looney Tunes slapstick to the super-real 3D environment of recent CGI classics. With major league budgets and ambition, it is mind-blowing to realize the depth of research and development that goes into the articulation of characters. A prime example is the recent Toy Story 3 where two people had the sole task of testing the animated outfits, to ensure realistic movement of the clothing; the weight, the looseness. Working with Pixar is standing on the shoulders of a giant. Gordon emphasizes the importance of collaboration and the lack of hierarchy within the Pixar team, obviously a winning formula. www. pixar.com
CHRIS ALLEN / MULTI MEDIA ARTIST As the founder of The Light Surgeons, Chris Allen has a holistic fascination with graphics, celluloid and narrative that has seen him run the gamut of film; from splicing rolls of Super 8 film to explosive digital light projections. An affable Londoner with messy bed hair, Allen cut his teeth in the burgeoning club scene of the mid 1990s, with tight associations with record labels such as Ninja Tune, Mo’ Wax, Metal Headz and Wall of Sound. The Light Surgeons helped pioneer and develop what came to known as the VJ aspect of club culture and their projects have morphed and mutated over the years into many corporate and cultural manifestations. As an artist Allen has matured, with his love of ‘found objects and people’ giving a very lo-fi sensibility to the hi-tech world that he inhabits. Truly encapsulating the term ‘multi-media’, Allen is a name to type into Google and spend the rest of your day in awe of the results. www.thelightsurgeons.co.uk DICK & OTIS FRIZZELL / GRAPHIC ARTISTS The iconic father and son duo of Dick and Otis Frizzell kicked off Semi-Permanent on Saturday with their hour talk split between the two. Dick was first to unravel his legacy; one where he managed to blur the line between commercial work and art. In a time (early 1970s) where roles were compartmentalized, he relished the chance to parody this with his modernist abstractions. From ‘Ches ‘n Dale’ to ‘Mickey to Tiki Tu Meke’ Dick Frizzell quips on his career and sideswiping swerves as an artist. Otis Frizzell takes the baton from his father, talking of evolution from graffiti artist and hip hop connoisseur to tattooist and graphic artist. Equally blessed with a sense of irony and the iconic, Otis currently resides as half of the art brand Weston Frizzell, his ‘Behave’ print, executed in shape to Beehive matchbox is a perfect example. Occasionally throwing in a cheeky comment to the other’s spiel, the Frizzell combo was a great entrée into the weekend. NICOLAS ROOPE / INTERACTIVE Perhaps the most serious, but also inspiring speaker at Semi-Permanent was Nik Roope of Poke Agency in London. His area of expertise is websites and social media and in an age where the term ‘interactive’ is bandied about with cheap abandon, Roope gives real depth and meaning to the word. From cottage industry inspired ideas such as ‘Baker Tweet’ (where bakers tweet their followers that bread is fresh out of the oven & available on the shop counter) to intensely orchestrated web stunts for Orange Telco in the UK, Roope and his agency Poke are the mad scientists of social media, making the experience so real and tactile the screen dissolves into insignificance. Roope is the embodiment of the consummate pragmatist, straddling the great divide between business and the consumer, like Moses parting the Red Sea. A grandiose statement perhaps, but witnessing a genius at work inspires such OTT thoughts. www.pokelondon.com KATRIN SONNLEITNER / PRODUCT DESIGN Hailing from Karlsruhe, Germany, Karen Sonnleitner is a product designer who resides more in the art theory end of the spectrum than the mass production tip. Dressed in Adidas apparel with red tights and knee high blue socks, Sonnleitner was certainly the oddball of the conference, with a warm demeanor accompanying her German precision and economy. Products she showcased including a cross between a scythe and a broom, and a puzzle rug that consisted of hundreds of generic puzzle pieces in a variety of colours, and of course an instruction manual. All sound kooky? Well it was, and just part of life’s rich tapestry. www.katrin-
ADRIAN SHAUGHNESSY / GRAPHIC DESIGN One of the ‘godfathers’ of modern design, Adrian Shaughnessy spent 15 years as creative director of Intro, the design studio he founded in 1989. As an early adopter of digital technology he has witnessed the vast changes in the execution of design, though the tools change, the aesthetics remain the same. In 2004 Shaughnessy moved into the realm of writing and consultancy, a meta-designer whose most famous book is How to be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul. So the primary purpose of his talk here is to destroy some of the myths he has witnessed and illuminate these to a bunch of ‘young turks’ rising up through the ranks. Somewhat of a Graphics philanthropist, he provided the invisible glue to many of the notions and common threads that arise during the conference. For this reason alone he was an invaluable speaker. www.unitededitions.com GARETH O’BRIEN / MOTION GRAPHICS The ‘kiwi boy done good’ member of the Semi-Permanent line-up. Gareth O’Brien resides and works in New York as a member of Buck, a motion graphics studio. With the onscreen aid of his ‘sock puppet’ Grottos, O’Brien bases his talk on the importance of side projects, both personal ones and company projects. With several examples such as ‘Past It On’ (a collaborative short animation venture) and mind bogglingly time intensive stop motion animation for Sundance film festival. O’Brien highlights the tireless spirit needed if you aspire to excel. A quality this ‘Peter Pan’ designer has in spades. www.buck.tv STORM THORGERSON / GRAPHIC DESIGNER Definitely the most enigmatic and iconic of all the speakers at Semi-Permanent was Storm Thorgerson, co-founder of Hipgnosis and arguably the most prolific artist in history (if you count album sales as art sales). Famous for his creative photography stunts to adorn album covers, Thorgerson is the surreal mind behind most Pink Floyd covers, Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy album, Mars Volta’s Frances the Mute and too many to name. The invisible face of the designer was erased as Storm walked on stage, his walking stick in hand, slowly making his way to the chair. Though Nordic in heritage, Thorgerson speaks like a rather eccentric aristocrat, the archduke of design. The crowd is treated to ‘the gospel according to me’, as he talks us through his album covers and the mad stories that accompany them. Visual themes reoccur in album covers with arid landscapes, brilliant blue skies, surreal sculptures and strange symbols all used to magnetize the viewer and fulfill narrative. Captivating in his slow and dry explanations, all immersed in self deprecating humour, Thorgerson engineered a live photo shoot that involved the entire bottom floor holding cut kiwifruit up to their eyes like 4D specs. This master of the surreal does so, by making his stunts ‘for real’, and closes Semi-Permanent 2010 abundant in the knowledge that the imagination knows no bound. That great design is about the persistence and tenacity to turn our dreams into reality. It is a great thought to end with and a perfect place to leave the cursor flashing… till Semi-Permanent 2011 that is. www.stormthorgerson.com
sonnleitner.com
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Windows®. Life without Walls™. HP recommends Windows 7.
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Lady Luck
REMIX speaks to Karin Adcock, the entrepreneur responsible for the success of Danish jewellery brand Pandora in Australasia. How did you come to be the official distributor and Managing Director of PANDORA Australia & New Zealand? I was introduced to
PANDORA website only allows bracelets to be customised and designed by the customer online, would the other ranges like rings, brooches, necklaces and pendants be made available online too at some point? We have many plans to make the website the perfect tool
PANDORA by a friend in Denmark and she suggested that I take it to Australia. I was completely convinced of the appeal of the jewellery and knew that Australian and New Zealand women would love the way you can create your own look and your own unique and individual pieces. Was it hard to convince jewellers to stock the PANDORA concept in their stores? Yes, at first the reaction was ‘It’s nice, but it’s not for me’. It was a case of not giving up and initially stocking PANDORA in gift shops, rather than traditional jewellers, where there was a tendency to browse and the jewellery worked well in this environment in the earlier days. Did you anticipate PANDORA to becoming
for choosing your PANDORA jewellery. It’s best to keep visiting and to sign up to the PANDORA club where we will keep our members on top of all the exciting changes and additional features. With the idea of ‘a charm for every
unforgettable moment’ in mind, what would you say has been an unforgettable moment for you? When we opened our first concept store
in the QVB building in Sydney. We had people queuing around the block to get in and experience the brand. Do you think the extensive travelling that
one of the best known and sought after jewellery brands in the Australasian region? I knew that it would be popular and it was a case of
you have done around the world has helped you to understand the concept and idea behind the different Collections of PANDORA jewellery, In terms of their style and design? What I really like about
building on this and using creative advertising to make women aware of the concept and the high quality, hand made jewellery. It must be a challenge
PANDORA is that there are many different and equally beautiful designs in the collection and this means we appeal to many women. When I am travelling it’s really interesting to see how different women wear their PANDORA jewellery.
having to run a successful jewellery wholesale company like PANDORA while raising a young family, how do you keep your work life balanced with your home life? We like to run PANDORA as a family
Other than the focus on total personalisation and customisation of PANDORA jewellery for the individual wearer, what else would you say sets PANDORA apart from the competition in the jewellery business? It is our quality. Each PANDORA piece passes through
friendly company and we try to make sure that our staff leave the office and get home to their families. Why do you think PANDORA is becoming so increasingly popular today in fashion culture? That is an easy question. You can take a theme with PANDORA and create the look you want. You can repeat charms on a necklace to create a dramatic neckpiece, or you can add five pendants to one hook in Compose if you want to make statement earrings. Our leather bracelets, lariats and wooden beads just add to the options. There is so much you can do from stacking rings in gold and silver with rubies and diamonds to making your own unique bracelet, cuff or necklace using a colour theme or focussing on one kind of gemstone. What was the idea behind the ‘design-your-own-bracelet’ concept? The idea came from the traditional charm bracelet, but the charms thread onto the bracelet. We have over 550 charms to choose from so we are sure that every woman will find something she likes to reflect that special moment whether it’s a goal achieved, a milestone or a magical time. They also make the best gifts and we find that gift buyers come into our stores, sometimes in twos and threes, to choose a charm that perfectly suits the person they’re buying for. At the moment the
over 30 pairs of hands as it is made and while we do make a lot of jewellery, we don’t compromise quality, using many traditional methods. All of our gems are handset – every one! This means we can really stand by the quality of jewellery of the produce, from the original metals we use to our quality control and finishing. PANDORA has created wood beads in collaboration with
Rainforest Protection Initiative, which has a mission of helping the environment by protecting endangered rainforests, are there any other design collaborations in the works for PANDORA? We
are most likely to work with designers in Australia and New Zealand who can bring different, interesting and beautiful ways of putting our jewellery together.
What do you see happening in the future for PANDORA as it further expands its market in the area of high fashion? We introduce new season products twice a year and we’re always looking at ways to give our loyal customers different ways of wearing their jewellery.
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contact: +64 9 377 7773 / super@substance.net.nz
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A ROOM FOR EVERY OCCASION hether it’s a significant birthday, the start of a new romance, the collapse of an old one or a celebration of finding the perfect shoes, Kermadec is where you should be. With a great selection of venues - catering for the intimate proposal right through to the big all-nighter - Kermadec delivers. For a lively, fun dinner party, there’s the original Kermadec Brasserie & Bar, with its balcony overlooking the humming Viaduct below.
Wanting more privacy for those embarrassing birthday/ engagement speeches? Then the Roof Garden is for you, with stunning views out across the water.But if it’s small and intimate you’re after, try one of the two private Tatami Rooms. When it’s party time, head for the Trench Bar with its resident DJs, impressive bar, snug booths and huge aquarium. Here, you can dance and flirt in those perfect shoes.
Kermadec – where you can kick back and call it home.
Viaduct Harbour Auckland | 09 304 0454 | kermadec.co.nz
Taking New Zealand fashion to the world
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BEYOND COUTURE - akira isogawa WORDS BY HELENE RAVLICH
The Designer Rugs name has long been linked to fashion, with unique and beautiful collaborations happening over the years that have seen some of Australia’s brightest design names working with the company to create some beautiful collections. One of Designer Rugs’ most popular collaborators is Australian fashion star Akira Isogawa, who has worked with them for several years now. He recently travelled to New Zealand to give advice to Kiwi creatives looking to collaborate with the brand before flying home to work on his latest collection for Paris Fashion Week. A visit to his workroom reveals him to be the most low key of superstar designers, who this year moved his operations from Sydney’s glam Surrey Hills to industrial Marrickville for more space. A fan of the nearby trains, he urges me to use public transport as he finds joy in using it every day himself. His studio is two floors of staff, the machinery of design and racks upon racks of incredible clothing, all set to the soundtrack of planes leaving Sydney airport constantly flying overhead. ‘It’s like working in a war zone’, the designer says with a laugh, albeit a particularly gorgeous one. When we sit down to speak he apologises that he may appear stressed, but is one of the most relaxed people I’ve ever met, despite a Herculean schedule that saw him travel to London for four days, then Auckland then back to Sydney to design for his September Parisian outing.
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How long have you personally been designing for rugs? For more than three years, I think. Did you approach Designer Rugs with a view to collaborating, or was it vice versa? Well the idea came about when Designer Rugs started to become involved with auctions for charity via Vogue Australia. They asked a few designers – including myself – to come up with an interesting graphic and a few colourways for a one-off rug. These were then auctioned off, and my design happened to get one of the highest bids. I really enjoyed the process of working in a different medium and working with the team at Designer Rugs, so Yosi (Tal, Managing Director, Designer Rugs) and I decided to reconnect and discuss the possibility of collaboration. It just kind of came about naturally. Was it a challenge when you started out? Designing anything is challenging, coming up with new concepts is always surrounded by creative pressure and then dealing with deadlines and sampling, things like that. You have to always have production in mind, as although the rugs are limited edition, they aren’t one-offs. I try to think of my rugs as a piece of art that people can buy for their home, and even hang on the wall rather than put on the floor. Designer Rugs have such a great team with so much technical expertise between them that it’s an honour to be advised by them what is or isn’t possible. Do you have the end user in mind when designing rugs, or do you take more of an artist’s approach? I’m not the kind of designer that’s ever been driven by marketing, and always think about the aesthetic first. Is it challenging with the current financial climate to be that sort of designer? I don’t actually think about it that much, but I seem to
be successful so something must be working! Creativity always comes first.
Do you see your rugs as an extension of your runway collections in terms of aesthetic? Are they complementary? Definitely, I believe
they are. They are still designed by the same person, and I only have one personality with a very particular character. No matter what I design, my own aesthetic comes out… so they are all in tune with each other. What sort
of person do you think appreciates your rugs, the same sort of person who buys your clothes - or another user altogether? I
think that everything I create comes from the same basic aesthetic that people are attracted by, and for me, the only difference between designing clothing and rugs is that clothing requires fitting and has to conform to certain body shapes and sizes. A rug is just one piece, and it’s flat and usually square – although I often play with texture. Do you have a personal favourite collections? I have a rug in my house from one of my first collections, which is covered in cherry blossoms. It’s red and ivory and very uplifting, and I love it because I tend to like bright colours around me, even though the clothes I wear myself are always very monochromatic. I love rugs that energise you and energise your space. Do you think people choose a rug and then decorate a room around it, or add it to an already existing space? We offer neutral toned rugs that fit easier into lots of different environments, but I’d love to think that some people build their room around a piece of my design. What advice would you give other designers about creating for rugs? I think it’s important that you have a solid inspiration in mind, and a certain philosophy behind everything that you do. The rug must be speaking to you somehow, as design is just another method of communication. Have belief in your vision, which should apply to designing for fashion too. Any plans for further expansion into the interiors world? Not at the moment, I am already way too busy as it is! If I try to take on any more I’ll have to hire a designer and put my name on their work, which just isn’t me.
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IT’S PERSONAL. MINI RAY. From $32,595. Only at the MINI ONLINE STORE at MINI.CO.NZ – 1of 4 new ways to buy a MINI.
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SEEING KAREN WALKERS They’re on countless summer wish lists, loved across age groups, genders and international waters: Karen Walker sunglasses are undeniably cool. Hailed for her exciting mix of classic and quirky styles, the New Zealand designer’s much anticipated sunglass collections are consistently innovative, fresh and fun - and we’ re not the only ones who think so. From Beth Ditto to M.I.A, Walker’s vast celebrity following is growing by the minute. Take a look at some of Hollywood’s best and brightest spotted wearing their own much-loved pair of Karen Walker sunnies.
Pictured: 1. Anna Chlumsky 2. Beth Ditto 3. Zoe Kravitz 4. Cory Kennedy 5. Terry Richardson 6. Beth Ditto 7. Mark Hoppus 8 & 9. Alexa Chung 10. M.I.A
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MILE HIGH
To celebrate Air New Zealand’s Designer Export Award at this years New Zealand Fashion Week, we have partnered with Air New Zealand to showcase their sexy, new world class 777-300 seats. The ground-breaking seat designs were the perfect complement to some of New Zealand’s equally as innovative Fashion designers latest collections. We couldn’t think of a better way to illustrate their support in taking New Zealand Fashion to the world. The new 777-300’s will be flying Auckland – London from December. For more information see www.airnewzealand.co.nz Photography: Garth Badger Styling: Pebbles Hooper Makeup: Phoebe Leonard using M.A.C Hair: Shontal Healey for stephen marr Assistant: Duncan Innes model: SOFIA @ RED 11
zambesi ‘Liason’ vest & ‘Satellite’ tank, Lonely Hearts leather ‘Practice’ shorts, Onyx beaded necklace @ Wunderkammer, Tristan Blair flats
Suede beige blazer & Stripped shorts by WORLD, Frilled blouse by Stolen Girlfriends Club
Stripped blazer by WORLD, shirt by Lonely Hearts, black skinny pants by Salasai, Wedges from TopShop.
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10 QUESTIONs with...
Tony Stewart of Clooney Restaurant You have been nominated as a Finalist in the Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year awards again this year, you were runner up for Best Smart Dining Metropolitan last year, how does it feel to have Clooney recognized by the industry in this way? It’s fantastic recognition. It is a good time to reflect and gauge our progress from their prospective. What is your personal favourite dish on your current menu and why? No particular favourite. Our 10-course degustation however has my imagination as most of the dishes are new. Whose work in your industry either locally or internationally do you admire and are inspired by? Presently I am inspired by those who are achieving a high level of sustainability through growing their own primary products. Clooney has played host to some interesting events over
the past four years. What has been the most memorable night in the restaurant for you? No one specific moment. More a number of special
nights where the restaurant is giving off great energy through lots of familiar customers having a great time. You have achieved a lot in the nearly four
years you have been open, what are your future plans for Clooney? We are presently looking at some different offerings. Watch this space…Clooney is well known for its amazing ambient dining room, what were your
inspirations when creating the space? I wanted to achieve an environment that was all about the diner. Where they could come to have great food in a space that helped provide a memorable experience. Since you are the owner and
main host on the floor every night you must have a pretty hectic schedule, what is your typical day like and how do you balance your time? I look after my son until about 9.30am, have coffee, check emails
and return replies, coffee, address problems, coffee, work through bookings & functions, coffee, numerous meetings created and held, pre-service plan and set up of the restaurant, home for a short break, coffee and evening service.
You must see a lot of ‘first date’ diners at Clooney - what would you recommend for a first date dinner? A dry martini followed by our 10-course degustation. If you can get through that, you are half way there. If you could have a table of any five guests for dinner, alive or dead, who would they be? My wife, son, Mikhail Gorbachev, Pierre Garnier (to cook for us) and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. If you could sum up Clooney in three words, what would they be? International, memorable, progressive. Photo Garth Badger
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MY FUTURE’S SO BRIGHT....
From aviators to round to vintage to neon to tortoiseshell, almost anything goes for sunnies this season. Here are our top 12 picks from the new season releases. LEFT TO RIGHT: Polo $410. ROC ‘Heidi’ $79.95. Chronicles of Never ‘Antlia’ $389. D&G Aviator $309.90. Karen Walker ‘The Village’ $349. Prada $450. Mykita Franz 24k Ltd Edition $970 from Gates Eyewear. Karen Walker ‘Number One’ $315. Chronicles of Never ‘Earth Bears’ $389. Moscot ‘Lemtosh’ $389. Ray Ban ‘Rare Print’ $290. Ray Ban ‘Road Spirit’ $279.90
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10 years of... There was obviously something in the water back in 2000. A handful of New Zealand businesses began life and have since become some of our most beloved brands. REMIX raises a glass to toast the 10th birthdays of New Zealand Fashion Week, Federation and OUR:HOUSE. Cheers! Photo OF FEDERATION’s nick clegg BY Oliver Rose
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10 ... years of
...Federation Nick & Jenny Clegg combined a passion for street and skate culture with design talent to launch Federation, now one of New Zealand’s leading high end streetwear labels. What were you doing 10 years ago that planted the seed for Federation? What was the catalyst? I think that it was always something
that we wanted to do, Jenny [Nick’s wife and business partner] had done a Bachelor of Fashion Design and was working in the industry for some really cool labels. I was in the skateboarding industry working in the distribution side - it was just a case of timing and when we wanted to do it. Then in 2000 we thought we would give it a crack. What was it about 2000? I don’t know we just were in a place where we wanted to do it and it seemed like a good time. So why do
you think that you guys have made such a success in the New Zealand fashion scene when not everybody manages to do so? Well I think that
for starters Jenny and I really work well together, so we compliment each other’s strengths, maybe that is part of it. Jenny is a really good designer, and the brand has managed to get a really good following; people really understand what it is about, what the ethos of the brand is, and we have got this hand-drawn kind of look, and cool graphics. People just kind of love what we are doing. I couldn’t tell you what our recipe for success is, or even if it is success. We just love what we are doing, and I think if you love what you are doing, that is success right there. We worked really hard for the first few years, and we were really careful with our growth, not trying to be too big too quick. We have a really good team and we learn what not to do and work it out along the way.So what did your first collection involve? Mainly womenswear. At the start, Jenny was designing both the mens and womens ranges, with a little bit of input from me. In the last two years, Drew (who does the graphics) and I have been designing the menswear; it has been really good to see the progression of it. The first collection was probably 70% womenswear, some tee’s and a lot of denim. There was this one skirt that just went mental. It wasn’t a massive collection, it was quite a tight little collection. So how has that evolved? You’ve obviously expanded on that range quite a lot. Well it got quite massive so we had to reign it in a bit, and now we do four seasons for New Zealand and two seasons for the northern hemisphere, which are similar to what we do for New Zealand. It has taken a while to figure out just what is the best way to do it, a bit of trial and error. How have you seen the New Zealand fashion industry change in the past 10 years? For us we have seen an increase in menswear, it has changed quite dramatically. We are probably doing more men’s than women’s at the moment. Do you think that is because the kiwi male has taken more of an interest in that sort of thing over the last decade? I think that it is a combination of that and I think that it might be some of the other kind of mainstream menswear stores getting a jump on things. On the retail side of things, we’ve also seen a few stores go up and down and you’ve definitely got to work a bit harder and a bit smarter to win the game now. Internationally we have seen a lot of growth; New Zealand is still the most important market, but we are kind of happy with where it is at. We just want to keep and maintain the brand. What are some of the most memorable moments in growing Federation in the past 10 years? Our first fashion week show, which was a
new generation show, with the skateboarders on the catwalk. We were picked up by Selfridges, which was pretty cool cause we didn’t even know what Selfridges was. We were quite naive. Trade New Zealand came to us and said ‘Selfridges want to see you’, and we were like ‘oh cool, yeah’, and they were like ‘no, SELFRIDGES want to see you’, and they did a massive order. We didn’t know how big a deal that was at the time. We stocked them for two years, in London and Manchester. What year was that? That was in ’02, so we were just part of the group in the NEWGEN show. Then we got nominated for best streetwear by Sportswear International, which was really cool because that was one of the magazines that we really looked up to, and thought we would love to be in there one day. Then we ended up becoming really good friends with Marvin who owns Nylon magazine we are supposed to be doing a collection with him this year actually, like a Marvin/ Federation collection. You’ve had quite a bit of international growth. Is that a focus for you? We have done a few trade shows this year, we wanted to get onto that circuit. We targeted Europe first; we have got stores in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, then a lot of stores in Denmark and Italy where we have picked up a really good distributor, and we just picked up some in Canada as well. We’re off to Las Vegas on Saturday to have a play in the U.S market and see what happens. But we are just taking it slowly and getting the right alignments for the brand as far as the distributors are concerned. What are
some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced over the past 10 years? Any particular hurdles? There is always a challenge with managing your
cash flow and staff, and dealing with that whole business side of things. You just learn as you go. And the day-to-day issues with having three kids and running a business. That’s a big challenge! It’s the biggest challenge right now. They are amazing but it is hard work having three kids under five. So where do you see Federation in another 10 years from now? We just want to continue building up internationally, and maybe open a few more stores. It’s probably going to be the same, just really focusing on the brand, keeping that strong. At the end of the day there is so much stuff out there you just have to have a strong brand presence, to know what you’re doing with your brand and how it should look, or if you need to water it down. So has your brand image changed in any way from when you started then? It’s probably a little bit less skate. When we started it was streetwear, and that always had a certain connotation to it that we didn’t really like, but it seems to have evolved from that and now it’s more fashion street culture, which is kind of where our brand fits. When we started out we where inside the Cheapskates stores as a skate brand that had a bit of fashion and more womenwear in it. We have evolved a long way from there, but we still have that heritage, it’s just moved more into that street culture along with fashion and music. You can see that with the collaborations that we have done, with Steve Aoki and the likes. So how are you celebrating your 10th anniversary? Are you doing anything special? Yeah I think that we need to - it’s in November so we are contemplating doing a big party…
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10 ... years of
...FASHION WEEK PIETER & MYKEN STEWART ARE THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND NEW ZEALAND’S MOST ANTICIPATED ANNUAL FASHION EVENT What were you doing 10 years ago that inspired you to begin New Zealand Fashion Week? Pieter:I was producing the Wella Fashion Collections,
the week. It is a happy place to be – the shows just get better and better, and it makes me very proud of our designers and others in the industry who step up to the mark each year. What have been the greatest challenges? Pieter: Probably achieving the level of sponsorship required to make it work each year. We are lucky to have a very stable and loyal group of sponsors who support the event, and work hard to make sure their investment in the industry is worthwhile. Without them we all know the event could not exist. Where do you see NZFW in another 10 years from now? Pieter:It could go many ways. I think the size of the core event is about right for the size of our industry. To make it longer or bigger would probably mean compromising the quality of those showing, which we won’t do. Myken: We envisage NZFW as an event that is fully integrated into New Zealand society and supported by the government. In an ideal world NZFW would be run like London fashion week where the British Council put a lot of money in to make it work and everything is decided by a board and worked on collectively. Having government funding makes all the difference and realistically 20 years of working on one gig is a long time. Are you celebrating this milestone birthday in any special way? Pieter: We are having a special Celebrating 10 Years Retrospective Show at the end of the trade week – which will pull in garments and footage over the last 10 years to show just how far we have come. It will be fun and exciting, and we are offering a limited number of tickets to be sold to the public. What are the lessons you’ve learnt over the past 10 years running NZFW? 1. Stick to the core business. 2. Look after your sponsors – we try to go that extra mile by holding regular leveraging meetings, a special leveraging seminar with an international sponsorship guru. 3. Always stick with quality not quantity – a niche classy event is better than a large ordinary event 4. Communicate well with the industry – even though it is notoriously difficult to get them to read anything 5. Be inclusive not exclusive – working alongside different factions of the industry adds strength 6. Build a strong team of experts around you. Working with the same people each year means we can all develop together, also working on the bits you’re are good at and leaving the bits you aren’t. 7. Debrief realistically and invite constructive criticism from all stakeholders – analysing what worked and what didn’t is the only way to make the event better each year. 8. Acknowledge the hard work and creativity put in by the designers – each time they show they are putting themselves on the line, and they take it very seriously.
a magazine style fashion programme that screened quarterly on TVNZ, when the programme was axed and I essentially no longer had a business. After some time out and discussion with key fashion industry players, some of whom had recently taken part in the NZ Four at London Fashion Week, it was decided to hold a Fashion Week in NZ – so I took it on. In what ways do you think NZFW has been a successful venture over the past decade? Pieter: It has achieved in a number of ways: firstly, the industry has matured hugely over this time, with designers much more savvy and realistic both internationally and locally. They understand from the start what is required to make it in international markets, and have learnt a lot from the experience of some of our well-established designers. Secondly, a huge number of support industries and infrastructure has grown up around it with the need for fashion PR’s, stylists, fashion showrooms, international standard models and agencies, makeup artists and hair stylists. All have to operate to international standards because they know their work will be seen and judged everywhere in the world. For the most part this infrastructure did not exist 10 years ago. Thirdly, the publicity generated for the industry has become huge – both nationally and internationally. The event has always looked for ways to get our designers and the industry noticed internationally, for example the Amuse show last year, which alone generated over 100 international stories in the two weeks following Fashion Week. The value of media coverage has gone from $1.9M in 2001 to a whopping $64M for 2009. Tell us about the very first event. How has it changed/grown over the decade? Pieter: While the focus of the first event was the same as now, the NZ fashion industry was not well known and many internationals approached to attend didn’t know where NZ was. However, the first event in 2001 was overtaken by the 9/11 World Trade Centre disaster with all our confirmed international guests withdrawing just weeks prior to the event because their companies no longer felt it safe for them to fly. With encouragement from the designers we held the first event with a large contingent of buyers and media from Australia and NZ – and everyone put on a good and positive show. Looking back even though we were green when it came to putting on a Fashion Week, it was very good. What have been highlights for you in the 10 years of NZFW? Pieter: There have been many – in fact every year creates its own highlights. For me it is seeing all the hard work of a year come together at the end and seeing so many smiling faces and people enjoying themselves over
TRELISE COOPER RUNWAY IMAGE BY MICHAEL NG
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DR. MARTENS 50TH GOLDEN GIVEAWAY BUY ANY FULL PRICED PAIR OF DR. MARTENS RECEIVE A COMPETITION CARD FILL IT OUT AND SEND BACk TO DR. MARTENS BE IN THE RUNNING TO WIN SOME GREAT PRIzES!
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Competition runs from 1 September to 31 October 2010. For full Terms and Conditions visit www.dm50goldengiveaway.co.nz
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10 ... years of
...our:house Tim Phin began OUR:HOUSE as a small Saturday night clubnight at a K’Rd venue. The parties are now held quarterly at the largest venues in the country and attract the best DJs in the world. Photo: Brook Ready
What were you doing 10 years ago that lead to the birth of Our House? What was the catalyst? I was going out clubbing and also DJing a
So when you started out what was the popular dance genre you were playing then? It started out mostly with deep house, and then
lot, and I noticed there were quite a few high profile DJs in Auckland like Greg Churchill, Angela Fisken, Emerson Todd and myself who had never had any club residencies. So I thought, ‘why don’t we get these wandering DJs and put them into one place and call it Our House?’, so that’s exactly what I did. Why do you think that the Our House brand has been so successful? I think that we’ve just kept moving with the times, opened up to different genres of dance music. We have also always guaranteed a good time! Tell me about your first party… It was at Bed nightclub on K’Rd on a Saturday night. It ended up becoming a weekly Saturday night clubnight for about three months. Then I went to Ibiza and came back all inspired and released a CD, which was the first Our House music CD. To coincide with the launch of the CD we threw a party at Centro which got over 1000 people, and that was awesome. The whole idea behind that gig was to get all the best DJs in New Zealand to play at it. Then it really took off and we moved to Coast Bar and then the St James – a lot of our crew and patrons really miss those two venues in particular. They were the background to a lot of memorable nights. Well a lot of those old venues have closed down now… Yeah, 10 years is a long time in club land and no club has lasted that long, even three years for a club is good going, which is a shame. How have you seen the dance music industry change in New Zealand over the past 10 years? I think it’s really only that the music styles have changed over the past 10 years. You can see that over the ten OUR:HOUSE CDs that we’ve produced over the years. In fact we’ll actually be putting another CD out just before the event showcasing the future sounds of OUR:HOUSE, mixed by myself.
what they call U.S house. Then it went into more big room tunes and electro house - now it’s changed again and the kids are all wanting dubstep... Did
you ever think that you would see dubstep being played at Our House when it first started? If someone heard a dubstep track back then they wouldn’t have even known what they were hearing (laughs)... How are you celebrating this 10 year milestone? We have some of the hottest
acts in the world coming over for it! Calvin Harris, Afrojack and Caspa among others! We’re having a big Our House 10th anniversary gig on the 26th November at Ellerslie Event Centre, tickets have already gone crazy, but if it’s not sold out by the time this mag is on sale, you should be able to get them from www.iticket. co.nz What are some of the biggest challenges that you have faced in the past 10 years of dance party promotion? There was an event about three years ago at the Logan Campbell Centre in Greenlane which was shut down due to loss of control. That was really hard for all involved – all we really want is for all our punters to have a good time and they were let down that night. We put on a massive free gig to make up for it, to apologize and to keep everyone happy, but it was a big learning curve. It was really a case of our events had outgrown their infrastructure, but since then we had established very solid systems. Having said that, one bad party out of 10 years and over 100 gigs is not a bad run. Where do you see Our House in 10 years from now? We just want to keep growing, moving with the times, changing with the environment, adapting so that we can still be delivering the ultimate dance party experience and attracting those big international acts while showcasing our talent in New Zealand and creating a platform for our own up and coming DJs.
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Spring has well and truly sprung in fashion-land and the trends of the season are clear: cute crochet and shorty shorts for the ladies and pastel hues for the lads. Photographer Brook Ready Stylist Rebecca Flavell Models Gina & Louis @ Red 11. above: gina wears TOPSHOP @ The Department Store layered lace crop jacket $170, Bettina Liano Shorts $320.00
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photo: Fiona Quinn
www.annahstretton.co.nz
Matakana • Takapuna • Ponsonby Newmarket • Hamilton • Wellington Christchurch • Dunedin
In Store August
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cute Crochet
Crochet is no longer reserved for your nana. Whether chunky or fine, crochet adds a feminine touch to your Spring wardrobe. 1.
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1. Juliette Hogan dress $265.00 2. twentysevennames smock top $230.00 & Madame Hawke Marie shorts $229 3. Neverblack Rose dress $290.00 4. Ruby crochet dress $239 5. Ruby Penelope dress $259 6. TOPSHOP @ The Department Store blouse $135 & One Teaspoon shorts $149.90
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SHORTY SHORTS
If there’s one thing a girl absolutely must have this season, it’s a pair of cute, well-tailored shorts. 1.
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1. Stolen Girlfriends Club crop singlet worn throughout $85 & Ruby bedrock shorts $249 2. Ksubi lace up shorts $340 3. Blak Basics $159.00 4. Ruby Betty shorts $299 5. Maurie and Eve snoop shorts $155 6. CybÈle Vision shorts $239.00 7. Ksubi mesh shorts $255
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Where luxury brands are celebrated every day
*Excludes tobac *Excludes b co a and L Louis Vuitton Vuitto , Dior and Prada P ada Bouti Boutiques. ques.
Cnr Custo Customs ms & Albe Albert lbe b rt Street Str t eet eets, ts, s, Auc A kland kla and T Tel e 09 el 09 308 07 0700 00 or o 080 800 0 DUTY DUTY FR F EE (08 (0800 00 388 93 37)) Ope pen n ffrom rom 11 11am am - 9.30pm .30 30pm daily 30 da dai a ly ly for yo y ur c con onven venien ience ien ence REMIX 99
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Luxu Lu x ry R xu Ret etai aill an and d Du Duty ty F Fre ree re e Sh Shop oppi op ping pi ng g
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PASTEL BOYS
Guys, open your arms wide and embrace the many shades of pastel on offer this spring, your skin tone will love you for it. 1.
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1. Ksubi Tee $121 & model’s own jeans 2. Insight shirt $169.90 & Ksubi jeans $275.00 3. Vanishing Elephant jumper $225 & Levis shorts $89.90 4. Fistful of Bird tee & Levis shorts $89.90 5. Vanishing Elephant shirt $112 & Ksubi jeans $275.00, models own hat 6. Calvin Klein Jeans blue jumper $149.00 & Calvin Klein Jeans shorts $199.00 7. WeSC Tokyo tee $105.53 tee and Ksubi jeans $275.00
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just for kicks Attention sneaker freaks! The new season kicks have landed in store and we’ve rounded up the best of the bunch for you to begin your wishlist… 1. Puma Kreta $99.99 2. Kathryn Wilson Boat Shoe $299 3. Louis Vuitton Meteor Sneaker Boot $1070 4. Keds Red Jersey Champion CVO $100 5. Keds canvas Champion Chukka $100 6. Converse BLACK MONOCHROME ALL-STAR HI Leather $160 7. Louis Vuitton Brooklyn Sneaker $925 8. Puma First Round Mesh $180 9. Vans Authentic Classic Blue $99 10. adidas Originals Plimsole 2 Mid $120 11. Onitsuka Tiger Wrestling 81 $230 12. Converse Chuck Taylor All Star HI $90 13. Converse Chuck Taylors Slim Hi $100 14. PF Flyers Drake $190 15. Puma Post Up Hi $180 16. CONVERSE Jack Purcell LTT Yarn Ox $100 17. Nike Dunk High 08 $210 18. adidas Originals KAZUKI Bracken $350 Photography by Guy Coombes, Brook Ready & Clinton Tudor
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runway HEELS 23 of the sexiest Spring/Summer runway-inspired heels for you to lust after. 1. Chaos and Harmony Folklore wedges $419 2. Mi Piaci Rattle heels $250 3. Vivienne Westwood Nero Clog Sandals FROM JAIMIE BOUTIQUE $1210 4. Diane Von Furstenberg gold Luna heels from Runway $490 5. Mi Piaci Raku heels $280 6. Mi Piaci Rowdon heels $250 7. Louis Vuitton Open Toe Mule $1670 8. Lost Not Lonely FOXY VAL $405 9. Paco Gil Portia heels from Scarpa $490 10. Louis Vuitton crème Rosa Sandal $1900 11. Sergio Rossi Pelle Softy heels from Ashley Ardrey $1,395 12. Diane Von Furstenberg navy Zia heels from Runway $520 13. Mi Piaci Hamilton heels $270 14. Bally Aldea heels from Runway $1200 15. Acne Maya heels from Jaimie Boutique $945 16. Chie Mihara Alexa heels from Mei Mei $668 17. Gino Vaello Milan heels from Scarpa $450 18. Sergio Rossi Pelle San Francisco heels from Ashley Ardrey $1250 19. Chie Mihara Alexa heels from Mei Mei $668 20. Paco Gil Leila from Scarpa $470 21. Diane Von Furstenberg Alexandria heels from Runway $690 22. Pedro Garcia Piper-1 from Mei Mei $701 23. (background) Kathryn Wilson St Claire Wedge $299. Photography by Guy Coombes
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FASHION WEEK ESSENTIALS
Take a look inside the handbag of REMIX Editor Tina Moore and, over the page, REMIX Fashion Editor Atip W to see what they can’t live without during the madness of New Zealand Fashion Week. 1.
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1. Saben ‘Reese’ bag $450 2. Chanel opticals from OPSM 3. HP Mini notebook $699 4. Teza Feijoa & Limeblossom iced tea 5. Nixon watch 6. Charlie’s Honest Water 7. Jane Iredale LIP FIXATION $65 8. Moroccanoil 9. Moleskine notebook from The French Art Shop $45 10. Kikki K pen $6.95 11. Lancome Precious Cells Mascara $62 12. Lancome black eye kohl $46 13. Badgley Mischka perfume $224 14. Bounce Ball Cashew & Pecan Vitality Lift snack $3.80 15. Revitanail nail polish $21.90 16. Lucas Paw Paw Ointment $10.99 17. Smashbox Photo Op Undereye Brightener $44 18. Philips Swarovski crystal USB key 19. M.A.C Lightful foundation compact $75 20. Davines POLISHING COAT $44 21. iPhone 22. Vodem stick 23. Aesop facial mist $29 24. Ray Ban aviators $229.90 25. Flip Video recorder $299 26. M.A.C pocket mirror
For stockists go to www.sissy.co.nz REMIX 107
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FASHION WEEK ESSENTIALS INSIDE THE MANBAG OF REMIX FASHION EDITOR ATIPW W
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1. Karen Walker Escape sunglasses 2. 26000 Vodka MINI $7 3. Sennheiser MX300 earphones from Ubertec 4. Comme Des Garcons Wonderwood perfume from Fabric 5. Kiehls Facial Fuel 6. AROHA Elderflower Sparkle $4.50 7. Whittakers Milk Madagascar $3.70 8. WHITTAKERS K Bars 9. American Crew POMADE $42 10. Kikki K pencil 11. Moleskine notebook from The French Art Shop $45 12. iPhone 13. Converse keyring $7.99 14. Panasonic Lumix G2 $1499.99 15. Fistful of Bird T-shirt $129.50 16. Comme Des Garcons wallet from Fabric 17. Thanks Yo USB stick 18. Converse ALL STAR LOW leather monos $150 19. Mr SLEEPOVER bag BY Deadly Ponies $510 20. retro superfuture opticals $249
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Newmarket Superette, Shop 14, 2 Nuffield St, Newmarket, Auckland 1024 Ponsonby Superette, Shop 8, 282 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland 1011 Superette Online: www.superette.co.nz Ph: +64 9 360 2362
Shirt by Maurie & Eve, shorts by Mink Pink, sunglasses & earrings by Karen Walker
Photography Jessica Sim Fashion editior Atip W Hair Casey Roxburgh @ MODs Hair Makeup Stacy Lee-Ghin using M.A.C Models Emily, Georgia, Sophie & Andrea @ Clyne Models Caitlyn & Simon @ Nova Models Sophia and Hal @ Red Eleven Photo Assist Danielle Hopkinson fashion assist: krysta hardaker THANKS STEPHAN @ TWO HANDS TATTOO
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Dress by One Teaspoon, necklace by Karen Walker Jewellery & sunglasses by Retro Superfuture REMIX 111
T-shirt by Billabong, shirt by Company Of Strangers, shorts by Mink Pink, sunglasses by Stella MCcartney @ Sunglasses Hut
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T-shirt by Juid Fashion, vest by Ksubi, bandana by Stolen Girlfriends Club, sunglasses by Electric
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T-shirt by Guess, leather waistcoat by Company of Strangers, cropped denim vest by Ksubi, earrings by Deadly ponies, sunglasses by Ray Ban @ Sunglasses HUTT
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Shirt & bandana by Stolen Girlfriends Club, sunglasses by Retro Superfuture
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Crochet top by Roxy, blanket @ Fast and Loose, vintage shorts, Polar bear necklace by Kester Black, claw necklace by Deadly Ponies, stone by Company Of Strangers, sunglasses by Prada @ Sunglasses Hut
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Singlet by One Teaspoon, shirt by Company Of Strangers, sunglasses by Karen Walker Eyewear REMIX 118
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EVER DREAMED OF HAVING A
MAKEUP ARTIST AT YOUR DISPOSAL 24/7? WELL NOW YOU cAN WITH SMASHBOX cOSMeticS! We are offering all Remix readers a fantastic opportunity to look and feel fabulous with our Makeover card with 5x 25min makeovers for only $100.00!! Valued at over $250.00! Phone 0800 SMASHBOX or visit the store at 342 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland. ** Only available through Smashbox ponsonby concept store and must be purchased by the 15th of October, not redeemable for product or cash, bookings for make over’s essential.
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ABOUT FACE: hers
STYLIST DARYA BING EXPLAINS HOW TO ACHIEVE A FRESH, PREPPY HAIR & MAKEUP LOOK FOR SPRING STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
STEP 4
Step 1: Face is moisturised with Electric Body Skin Elixir and primed with M.A.C Prep + Prime skin base visage. Step 2: M.A.C Studio Mist foundation is buffed lightly into the skin and YSL Touche Eclat is used for under eye coverage and radiance. M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish shimmer powder highlights the cheekbones, bridge of the nose and top of the lips. Chanel bronzer is used for contouring. M.A.C Strada blush is applied on the lower part of the cheek. Step 3: Eyebrows groomed with Smashbox Brow Tech. Eyelid is washed lightly with DB Mineral cream eyeshadow and Revlon Satin eyeshadow is
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dusted above it. DB Beyond Amplifying Mascara is used generously on both top and bottom lashes. Step 4. Napoleon Lipliner in Pink Slip is used to create an even colour on the lips and layered with M.A.C Lipstick in Please Me. Step 5: Hair is straightened with ghd irons and pulled into a tidy ponytail, for smoothing and extra hold, use Fudge Membrane Gas. right: Jane wears Bettina Liano Ladder razor tank and Pandora Jewelry. Photography: Guy Coombes Model: Jane @ Clyne Makeup, hair, styling & text: Darya Bing @ Splinter
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ABOUT FACE: his grooming tips for the tousled geek chic look by darya bing STEP 1
STEP 2
Step 1: Face is moisturized using Primal Earth Aloe Hydrate Moisturiser. Step 2: Fudge Fat Hed firm hold volumising texture paste is applied lightly to clean, dry hair and then blow dried. Harrison wears Cheap Monday stripey T shirt, PAM beige pants, Beau grey shoes all from MADE, and Ksubi opticals. Jane wears Bettina Liano Ladder razor tank and Pandora Jewelry. Photography: Guy Coombes Model: harrison @ Clyne Makeup, hair, styling & text: Darya Bing @ Splinter
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Lovette
E L E C T R I C V I S U A L . C O M 09 415 5441
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SPRING BEAUTY Spring MAKEUP trends USING sothys
Photography: Garth Badger, Model: Jaimie Webster @ Red 11, Hair & MakeUp: Aimee Graham using sothys MAKEUP
 STEP 3: CHEEKS Get gorgeous blushing cheeks by dusting them with Sothys Sienne No. 2.
Step 1: SKIN Prep skin with Sothys Pore Refiner Complexion Perfector to achieve a flawless base and follow with Lift Defense foundation for a balanced complexion.
STEP 4: LIPS For luscious lips, line with Sothys Rose Boudoir pencil followed by Sothys Aqua Brilliant lip colour in Reflets de Corail No. 2
STEP 2: EYES Define eyebrows using Sothys Brun brow pencil. Add a fresh wash of colour to the eyelids with Sothys New Look eyeshadow in Feu No. 3. Add definition to the eyes by lining the upper and lower lash line with Sothys Intense Look eye pencil in Noisette No. 2 and blend. Fix lashes in place with a sweep of Sothys Waterproof Mascara in Noir.
STEP 5: NAILS Paint nails with pretty spring colour Ambre Rose No. 20
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UP & COMING ARTIST REMIX congratulates Samantha Holley, a recent graduate of The Makeup School and the artist behind this beauty shot, who was recently announced the winner of their Most Promising Fashion Makeup Artist award as judged by M.A.C’s senior artist Amber D. We look forward to seeing more work by Samantha in the future! To find out more about following in Samantha’s footsteps as a budding makeup artist, go to www.themakeupschool.co.nz
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hair by design
REMIX speaks to Danny Pato and Michael Sisaengrath of D&M Hair Design, Auckland, about their Salon Team of the Year nomination at the 2010 Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo.
The hugely talented team behind D&M Hair Design in Auckland have been recognized as the crème de la crème this year as the sole New Zealand finalist in the Salon of the Year category of the Australasian Schwarzkopf Professional Hair Expo Awards. Co-owned and operated by Danny Pato and Michael Sisaengrath, D&M has gone from strength to strength in the three years it has been open and is no stranger to awards. D&M was recognised as New Zealand salon of the year in our very own 2008-2009 Schwarzkopf Professional NZ Hairdressing Awards. We caught up with Danny and Michael to find out what sets them apart, inspires their work and keeps them pushing the boundaries.
Congratulations on your award! What a fantastic achievement for you and your salon. What do you think sets you apart from the rest and makes your salon world class? Thank you! This achievement
is testament to energy that’s created in our salon.. Each team member is highly skilled, abreast the latest trends and utterly unique, but it is our ability to thrive together that creates what is d&m. How does it feel to be the only New Zealand finalist in the Australasian competition? Flattering. Australia is, by comparison, such a huge market to be compared to. To be New Zealand’s first ever and only salon team to be recognised at this level feels amazing. What does the recognition mean for your business? It has been fantastic for raising awareness of our work to the people who hadn’t yet discovered us. We’ve been increasingly busy since we opened our doors four years ago, and we can definitely put some of this down to the buzz generated around each of our accolades. Tell us about the images that were
submitted to showcase you work for the competition, what was the theme behind the hair and styling in this collection? For this
collection, we decided to take pop-culture toward high fashion. We referenced current icons, such as Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Rhianna, as well as high fashion
heavyweights like [photographer] Helmut Newton and Gautier. We named each look before we created it, for example ‘Space Geisha Empress’, to give everyone on the team a direction. Who worked on this collection of images? How
do you go about choosing your team on such a significant entry?
unquestionable choice for us. We’ve collaborated with him exclusively for all of our salon collections – we think he is the most talented photographer based in New Zealand. Make-up artist Amy Fiebig had just returned from a great career stint in Australia, and we were delighted to be able to nab her for her first shoot back home. We also worked with Barry Betham on styling, whose ability to create Vogue cover looks using his bare hands, panty hose and double sided tape is magical! What trends have you noticed in hair this year? Are there any styles that become popular which surprise you? What’s important to us is our clients: their lifestyles, hair types, face shapes and personalities are all far more important than a fleeting trend. It really depends on the individual. For women, we’ve been doing a lot of cropped Twiggy cuts lately, as well as old Hollywood glamour looks. Sometimes going against a current trend and being anti-fashion is what expresses individuality. What is the philosophy behind
your business? What do you tell staff when they join your team?
Our salon philosophy is simple: to make every client look and feel as amazing as possible for as long as possible. Is the small size of your business crucial to your success? It feels big to us! It does help, though, when all 14 of us stand on the same floor every day. It’s easy for us to communicate.
What are your hopes for the future? Do you plan on opening branches of D & M in different locations? We’re really happy with the
way things are going right now. We’ve created something hugely successful, something we’re all really proud of. We love what we do, and it’s enough for us at this time. By Sylvia Varnham O’Regan, images by craig owen
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colour me REMIX explores the latest technological revolution in hair colour with L’Oréal Professionnel’s new ammonia-free permanent colour, INOA. Showcasing this hair colour of the future on six beautiful models with contrasting tones & unique hair types with gloriously shiny, brilliant results. Photography: Jessica Sim www.jessicasimphotography.com Hair direction (colour & styling): Hayley Pullyn for Servilles using L’Oréal Professionnel & INOA Makeup: Amber Haldane for Lancôme Models: Elly, Lauren, Kat, Ariel, Sofia & Hannah @ Red 11 Hair assistants: Jennifer Kwon and Lucy Hsieh @ Servilles
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opposite: Elly wears Meadowlark mini skull pendant, Lonely by Lonely hearts cut out bodysuit Hannah wears Lonely by Lonely hearts cut out bra
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Kat wears Blak Luxe ‘Ready for Battle’ tank, Lonely by Lonely hearts triangle frill bra and briefs
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Sophia wears Cybèle galaxy top
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Ariel wears Blak Luxe Daisies and Thorns dress and Nyne Tracer bra top
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Lauren wears Stitch Ministry leather icing bodice, Meadowlark mini spur pendant
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beauty news
Womanity
Brace yourself dear reader. The new fragrance Womanity by Thierry Mugler is a lot to get your head around. In launching the Womanity concept, Thierry Mugler expresses the contemporary idea of life in network, of a new form of humanity in action and interaction, of women in all their rich diversity and variety, and of women’s energy and the creative force within them. The result is www.womanity. com, a sort of social content platform inviting women around the world to network with one another. The actual fragrance is an extension of this. Mugler himself says, “Womanity is a perfume conceived as a link, a positive energy flowing through all types of femininity.” The creation of Womanity also saw a technological breakthrough, in that for the first time ever, this fragrance includes a sweet and savory note, an alchemy obtained by pairing fig and caviar. This really is a perfume for perfume fanatics. It is a warm fragrance, sharp and sweet. It really is something new and different, and that’s something we just can’t get enough of. Like! www.womanity.com
WHAT IS THE O?
TheO is a true revolution in heated hair tool technology. Consider your trusty old heated rollers obsolete! TheO uses a unique form of heat induction technology that heats each roller to 130 degrees in less than four seconds. You literally just pop a roller into the futuristic looking pod, wait for the beep, and roll it into your hair. Even better, the roller remains cool to the touch for long enough for you to roll it up without burning your fingers like the old school rollers. The roller then continues to rise in temperature once it’s in your hair, and the pod remains completely cool and ready for the next roller. There’s no need for pins to hold them in place, the rollers come in five different sizes, and each roller has an indicator to let you know when it’s time to take them out. Basically, TheO allows you to create big, voluminous hair easily and without all the palava of the old style rollers. A must-have!! TheO is priced at $380 and rollers $40 for a pack of four. Call 0800 252 530 for more info or go to www.cloudninehair.com
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www.dandm.co.nz
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photography by craig owen
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FACES OF Photography: Garth Badger Makeup: Neisha Henry for Smashbox Cosmetics Hair for Dai, Jay & Antonia: Bonnie Liu for Killer Hair using Davines Hair for Sam: Mobeen Bhikoo for Stephen Marr Interviews by Tina Moore
Sam wears Stolen Girlfriends Club jacket & shorts, Jonathan Kelsey heels from Karen Walker. REMIX 140
fashion WHO BETTER TO SHOWCASE THE WORK OF OUR TALENTED DESIGNERS THAN A HANDFUL OF OUR FAVOURITE KIWI PERSONALITIES? REMIX ASKED SAMANTHA HAYES, ANTONIA PREBBLE, DAI HENWOOD AND JAY REEVE TO THROW TOGETHER SOME OUTFITS AND HAVE SOME FUN IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA. REMIX 141
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FACES OF fashion
sam hayes... SAMANTHA HAYES IS BEST KNOWN TO US AS THE POLISHED, PROFESSIONAL TV3 NEWS JOURNALIST. OFF SCREEN SAM PREFERS A MORE CASUAL APPROACH TO FASHION, EXCEPT WHEN SHE’S CHANNELLING FLORENCE… Talk me through the look you’ve gone for in this shoot. Well it has
been inspired by Florence and the Machine, which came about after I had my hair coloured recently and as I was walking across the street towards a friend he said, ‘hello Florence’. I decided that she would be a cool inspiration for this shoot. Well you do kind of have that look… Which is kind of funny ‘cause I had never thought about that, but he wasn’t the first person to say that to me and lots of other people have said it to me since. It’s just the bright copper coloured hair, and I have been listening to her album Lungs repetitively, in my car, in my home - whenever I hear one of her songs I start beaming, I just love her music. So I thought when REMIX asked me to be involved in this shoot, I thought that it would be a good place to start. When I started to think about New Zealand designers that I would like to wear I immediately thought Stolen Girlfriends Club. In particular, their signature piece from their summer 2010 collection, the Cape Dress, especially since that piece was inspired by a Florence and the Machine song. And then I decided I’d roll with the bright orange hair and work the whole look! I actually call it ‘morange’ though. If anyone else called it morange you would be devastated… Yeah I would be deeply upset (laughs). I have actually been dying my hair a shade of red or copper or orange since I was 14 years old. So it’s not natural then? No, it’s not natural. Scandalous!
Remix gets the scoop –Samantha Hayes’ red hair is not natural! Before the shoot today we held a little informal poll about it at the REMIX office - whether it was natural of not. I’m glad we have the answer.I get lots of hugs on ‘hug a ginger day’… How did you feel about that, given that you’re not technically a ginger? Well I have
always been open and honest about it, but I would say to young children that have orange hair to embrace it, and love it, because I wish my hair was that colour, I really do. I think that it is exquisite and I have noticed recently that more and more people are going towards that kind of colour and I think that’s fantastic. Since people like Florence from Florence and the Machine, La Roux and so on are making it popular, they are popularizing it. Have you always been into New Zealand fashion? I come from a small town in the South Island called Milton, population 2000 people. When I go home I do not wear any high heels, in fact, I once wore kitten heels down the road to the local Four Square and people looked at me like I was mental. In Milton they wear snap pants and track pants ,and skinny jeans are considered ‘dressing up’. I think that I didn’t even own a pair of heels until I moved to Welington in 2005. Fashion is something that I only really embraced in the last five years of my life, and I am really loving it. I think that was something that happened when I moved to Auckland to become the Nightline presenter. You get thrust into this world where people are wanting you to wear their clothes, be seen at their parties or be involved in what they do. So I kind of got involved by default, but I don’t think I would have if I wasn’t genuinely interested anyway. You learn your own aesthetic and I don’t claim to have any real knowledge of the fashion industry, I just know what I like and what I don’t like. So tell me, has there ever been anything you’ve worn that you really wish you hadn’t? Oh, some jackets that I have presented the news in have been regrettable… Do you have a choice in that? I shop with a stylist for those jackets, so yes I make those decisions with a stylist. But when it is every single night, five nights a week, that’s a lot of jackets! It’s not so much that I regret them, but sometimes I look back and go ‘that was lime
green or bright pink or YELLOW!!! What was I thinking??’ Tell me about your personal fashion highlights and lowlights. I used to wear jodhpurs quite a lot… Because I rode horses… Well that’s acceptable, they serve a purpose… Well the thing is, I didn’t take them off after I finished riding, I just kept them on because it was convenient. They are kind of like tights really. Oh, and I wore ‘sneans’! Not the dreaded sneakers and jeans!? Yes, that was a Milton thing - ‘jimmies and jeans’ is what we called that look. I thought they looked amazing. I thought if you had the right sneaker and the right jean you could get away with it. Looking back though it probably wasn’t all that cool. I stopped wearing jeans for about two years recently, now I am right back into them. I love wearing a simple pair of jeans and a plain t- shirt, that is one of my favourite things in the world to wear. I wish that it was perpetually summer so I could get away with it. do you have a favourite item of clothing? I don’t think that I am attached to any one piece, although perhaps my Company of Strangers crochet scarf that I recently bought when I was at iD Dunedin Fashion Week would be up there. It is extremely long, and it’s made of different sections of crochet. It is very delicate and I get it caught on all sorts of things. You can do all sorts of things with it, like wrap it around your neck three times and it still touches the floor. It is this beautiful crème colour and I wear it with everything. I guess that’s my one winter item that I am quite attached to. I am also really into jewellery at the moment; I used to believe that jewellery should only be gifted to you, but I’ve changed my mind recently. There are some New Zealand designers making some fantastic stuff; I started by buying a Karen Walker ring as a graduation gift to myself for finishing my degree, it’s the checker board one, you see quite a few people with it now, I have the topaz one. I also have my heart set on a Stolen Girlfriends Club double bow ring. How do your personal beliefs and your
role as an environmental reporter affect your fashion choices?
Well I am vegan, and often I have people ask me whether I wear leather and so on. Even my little sister harrasses me about it, pointing out that while I don’t eat animal products, my handbag is made of leather. Having researched the facts behind that, I am happy to use the by-products of the meat industry, in items like hand bags and shoes. The advantages of using leather for those items outweigh the disadvantages, although it is a point of contention for me. I will never wear snake skin, I will never wear alligator, I will never wear calf skin - there are definitely lines I will not cross. It can be tricky. I have to be a savvy consumer. I also have an ideological concern with people wearing vintage fur - I don’t like it. It perpetuates the idea of fur and it makes it cool again. It encourages people to potentially buy fur which isn’t vintage. Which New Zealand fashion brands are your favourites? I love the beauty and femininity of labels like Juliette Hogan and Karen Walker as well as the jackets and tailoring of Karen Walker. I recently had some trousers tailored by Crane Brothers that I never want to take off, they are just amazing I want to have them made in about 20 other colours, they are just beautiful. Twenty seven names is another label that I just love, they are doing some really beautiful stuff. At the same time I really like Huffer, which fits in with my ‘jeans and t-shirt’ feel. I like the collaborations they do and some of their jackets and things. I think New Zealand designers are turning out some amazing ranges and it’s top quality stuff, really on the international level. I’m really looking forward to seeing what they send down the runways at New Zealand Fashion Week!
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FACES OF FASHION
Antonia Prebble... ANTONIA IS MOST FAMOUS FOR HER ROLE AS LORETTA ON OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE, BUT HER PERSONAL STYLE IS A FAR CRY FROM THE TOMBOYISH LOOK OF HER ON-SCREEN PERSONA. Talk me through your fashion sense when you were a kid… I grew up in
Wellington, but my mother did most of my clothes buying and although she is very stylish, she was not really into the high-end designer stuff. I have a sister who is a couple of years older than me and Mum would dress us in matching dresses a lot of the time, so I guess my first ever fashion memories were of wearing the same thing as my sister. When I was allowed to start dressing myself, I was probably seven or eight years old, I don’t think that I had much of a sense of what was cool or not, I just put it on - pink lycra tights and slouch socks, probably those neon colored slouch socks in highlighter green or something like that, sneakers and probably a weird jumper. I was definitely a child of the ‘80s, and I really do love the ‘80s fashion now so maybe I am still influenced by my early choices. Everyone cringes when they think of the ‘80s so it’s interesting that it is so influential in current fashion. Having said that, I am probably going to look back at the things that I am wearing these days like the big shoulders, and shudder. But I just love the shoulders thing right now. And they are just so flattering as well, they give you such a lovely silhouette. But if you’d said to me two years ago ‘I want to shoot you wearing this padded shoulder monstrosity’ I’d be like, ‘Ah, no thank you!’ Have
you had any specific fashion lowlights or highlights that you can recall? I remember when I was about 12 I had my first ever TV job and that was
the first time I was ever really hanging around with adults on a daily basis, so I remember I desperately wanted to look cool. I was allowed to buy a pair of Levi’s with my earnings - I wanted Red Tabs but I was only allowed Orange Tabs - and I also bought a pair of Doc Martens. I think that’s when my fashion consciousness started to develop. But what was really fashionable at that time was petticoats over jeans. Do you remember that? Ohhhh yes, I went there. I totally went there but with no real awareness, at that stage I was still just copying other people and didn’t really have a sense of my own style. Looking back, I would say that was a lowlight. A couple of years later when I think I was starting to develop my own style I went through a bit of a bindi stage... That must have been around the time that Gwen Stefani was making it cool? Probably, I think it was around ’98 or ‘99. Yeah it must have been the No Doubt era. I think I was still wearing the petticoats over pants, but with the bindis as well. They weren’t even proper Indian bindis, they were literally just stickers on your face. I though they were amazing. I think I also used a lot of makeup back then. When I started putting on makeup I would have been about 15, I just remember thinking that more is more. Of course, now I realise that it isn’t. So I think that those are probably the worst moments in my fashion history. Any highlights then? Good question - I have this one dress that is my favourite just because it is so unique. I got it from Topshop in about 2002, it was on the vintage rack. I know it sounds weird but I feel like a giant silver bat in it - it is silver wool with a high neck and padded shoulders. It is such a signature piece and I have never seen anything
else remotely like it, so that’s probably why it’s my favourite. Let’s talk about
the two outfits you have worn for this shoot – what do you like about them? The pink Ruby jumpsuit is the one that most fits my own style, I
love jump suits and have loved them for the last five or six years. I was actually a little bit disappointed when they started to become fashionable because they were supposed to be my thing. I don’t really know why I like them, I guess I just love the way that they hang, and as I said before I do like the ‘80s style and I think the jumpsuit is very much that style. In fact, this pink outfit is very ‘I Dream of Jeannie’. And the red Cybele dress I chose because red is my favourite colour, it can actually lift your mood I think. If you are wearing bright colours on a drab day or feeling a bit tired, it can really make a difference and to other people as well - they will usually comment and say wow, that’s such a nice bright colour.
It is so nice to see people wearing colour in New Zealand, as a nation we really love our black and grey… We are! So yes it is good to
see a splash of colour. I love red lipstick as well, any opportunity to wear it I will.
You are most well-known for your role as Loretta on Outrageous Fortune, and you say her style is not really the style that you would wear yourself. How is your own style different? Well the
first incarnation of Loretta was when she was a tomboy and the clothes were purely functional, the more comfortable the better. She had absolutely no desire to express herself through her clothes at all. She was a real tomboy and wasn’t that comfortable with her body so the baggier the better. I am obviously very different to that; whilst I do totally love being comfortable and will slop around in clothes sometimes, I do also like to express myself through what I wear. Often the clothes that I like are quite unique. I know when something is me and when it isn’t. But Loretta wouldn’t have cared about that at all. But then she changed from the tomboy to this far more vampy character and her wardrobe became more based on Dita von Teese, it was all about the silhouette. So in a way that is closer to me, but still I don’t think that I would wear anything that Loretta wears. Are there any New Zealand labels that you particularly love to wear? I don’t have one particular favourite because I like such varied styles. I know what I like and what I don’t like. There is not one label that I would go and buy everything from, but I really like Cybele, Kate Sylvester, Hopetown, Miss Crabb, Sera Lilly and Trelise Cooper. I have found everybody to be really generous and really in it for the fun as well. You are probably a dream for a designer to dress
because you want to wear those bolder statement pieces and be more adventurous... Yeah maybe, and I guess I am still young enough to do
it, because after a while you have to realise that you can’t wear everything you want. Like the pink jumpsuit - maybe when I am 45 I will still want to wear the pink jumpsuit but will probably have to put a stop to that... So I am having all the fun that I can while I am still young enough to do it.
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Antonia wears Ruby jumpsuit, Karen Walker belt & crab necklace, Pandora bangles, rings and earrings. Chair by Dedon, available at Domo Luxury Furniture. REMIX 145
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celebs in fashion
“I am probably going to look back at the things that I am wearing these days like the big shoulders, and shudder. But I just love the shoulders thing right now.�
Antonia wears Cybele dress and leggings, Pandora bangles, necklaces & earrings.
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faces of fashion
dai henwood... COMEDIANS GENERALLY AREN’T WELL-REGARDED AS SNAPPY DRESSERS. DAI HENWOOD IS AN EXCEPTION TO THAT RULE. REMIX 148
Dai wears Federation t-shirt & cardigan. REMIX 149
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FACES OF FASHION
Dai wears Federation hoodie & Workshop jeans.
Were you into fashion as a youngster? Well having always been a bit of a
performer, I have always been way out there with my look. Like I was very much a skateboarder when I was younger, and I was obsessed with Vision streetwear. My parents would take me overseas once a year, and the one thing that they would do would buy me the whole kit. Vision streetwear shoes, socks, shirt and the iconic Vision streetwear hat. Looking back it looked a bit ludicrous. And then when I was 13 or 14 I really embraced the Origins jeans. I had every colour but the orange, maroon and blue ones. I embraced the excesses of bagginess, it actually got ridiculous. I stopped wearing jeans that baggy when I did an olly and my leg came off and the skate board went up my jean leg. If you can fit a skateboard up your jean leg then you know it’s too baggy… And also inappropriate to be wearing when you are skating. Then I went through a bit of a phase when I was about 15 when I think I’d read too many Esquire and GQ magazines and started wearing suits... Actually, looking back the suit worked quite well but I matched it with a mullet and steps in the side. Potentially not a good look… But I have always enjoyed fashion and clothing. I think I got that off my Mum, you know, having to sit in stores on trips overseas while she bought stuff. She always allowed me to spend a fifth of what she was spending on myself – her shout. So in terms of
New Zealand fashion nowadays, are you into any particular brands or labels that you love? When I first started out, I was very passionate
about supporting the people who supported me. The first people that got behind me in comedy were MoneyShot. They always hooked me up with t-shirts, and that was something that was really cool. I also really love Doosh and Crowded Elevator for the same reason. I suppose it’s quite similar to people’s like for comedy you don’t buy them just because they are special or from New Zealand, but just because it’s actually cool. Because I am in New Zealand comedy I am very aware of niche markets, and have seen the full growth of New Zealand fashion. The thing with NZ fashion brands is that you can be real grass roots but not look like it. Do
you have any fashion icons? Or anyone that inspires you in terms of a look? Well, you see it’s weird because I am really inspired by a look but don’t
actually wear that look, if that makes sense. I really like Russell Brand’s look, for instance, but he is like a foot taller than me and he’s a lunatic with long hair. But I suppose with people there is always that item of clothing that you wish you could wear but when you wear it, it never quite works, and that’s just down to your body shape. For me, that’s the lower neck t-shirt – I just can’t pull it off. Anyway, I’ve always liked mixing and grabbing. I really like a casual look, but still smart. I am not a big fan of logos, I really like plain garments. I think that when I am older, like about 60, I would want to dress like Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He really nails the smart casual look for a 60 year old. I don’t want to be as neurotic as him, but I will go his clothes… Have you ever worn something and thought, man, I wish I hadn’t worn that!? Ah yes! (laughs) There are a few things. Most recently I was dealing with a white denim jacket issue. Right, well that just sounds bad right off the bat… Yeah, I went to L.A, I got drunk, I got caught up in a bit of shopping hype. The drunken shop can often lead to a very expensive purchase that you wear only once, and in this case it was a white denim jacket. I thought I was all that walking around L.A, and then I came back and I have never been more mercilessly mocked in such a short span of time than when I walked down a road for maybe 300 hundred metres while I was wearing it, and I bumped into four people I knew. So that was definitely a low light in my fashion history. What about fashion highlights? One of my best friends Mark Crane (who runs Wunderkammer on Ponsonby Rd) convinced me to spend a lot of my hard-earned money on a full Comme De Garcons suit, with some beautiful grey boots. It cost me a lot but that was three years ago, and it is one of those timeless items where I can wear the jacket or the pants together or separately. It’s just one of those things that you look back on and think ‘that was a good purchase’, everything about it is sturdy, it’s real style. So finally, tell me about what you are wearing for today’s shoot? I haven’t really worn a lot of Federation stuff before, but I’m really loving this grey man-cardy cardigan. It’s a really light piece, sort of between a jacket and t-shirt. Also a Federation shirt and hoodie, and some Workshop jeans. Smart casual all the way.
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faces of fashion
Stolen Girlfriends Club ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Jacket, Lower ‘Dang’ Shirt, Insight Jeans & Wild Rhino Boat Shoes REMIX 152
jay reeve... JAY REEVE HAS FINGERS IN MANY PIES. AN MTV PRESENTER, RADIO DJ, WRITER, SURFER AND ALL ROUND GOOD GUY, JAY IS ALWAYS LOOKING SHARP IN KIWI FASHION, often MADE BY OWN MATES. REMIX 153
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FACES OF FASHION
Claude Maus Trench, Huffer Stretch Cardi, Huffer Tee, Lower Leaner JeanS, Stolen Girlfriends Club Boots & Skull Pick Necklace & Toby Jones Long Lost Necklace
Let’s begin by talking about your fashion sense as a kid. Well, being a dairy farmer’s son, fashion was more of a function than fashion. Growing up around Mount Egmont it was really, really cold. We would be given, on occasion, something pretty flash, maybe a pair of Billabong pants and then Mum would unpick the label off the pants and re-sew them onto other pants so we wouldn’t get picked on at school. Then when I was older, I followed the fashion stylings of a guy called Tim Kirkpatrick who was a kid at my school... He always used to wear Origin shorts in a multitude of colours like mustard, oxblood, the originals, everything... and he would match it up with a white skivvy underneath a different colour t-shirt. He set a craze which absolutely ripped through Te Puna Primary School. I’ve never been one to try set any trends, I see bits and pieces that I like and try make them work more than anything. However my older sister has always been keyed in, she was always really talented with designing clothes and use to design for Moochi and now runs Lower. She’s always been really influential and I’ve always liked her stuff, I see what she wears and try to buy the same stuff really. It’s cool to have someone like that in the family that you can look to for inspiration…Yeah and she has no hesitation in telling me if I look like a critter! And I’m lucky that the Mount Mafia are all based in Auckland now - there’s Justin at Huffer and Brian and Mark who work through Stem, Insight and Black Box, we’re quite infiltrated which is great. You’ve got some good friends in some high fashion places! I do, I’m really really lucky. Also, Jae Mills [designer of Commoners Alike] is my stylist for MTV, so I’m quite lucky to have them help me pull it all together and they hook me up cause they’re good mates. They’ve all got really cool stuff too which is a bonus. So tell me, is there any outfit in your life that you really wish you’d never worn?
I think one that really sticks out is the first MTV music awards that I ever went to. I had just got the job, it was a high end red carpet event, and I wore some acid wash, stretch denim Lower jeans, which are really nice when worn by themselves, with high top shoes, which I never wear, and then a Vanilla Ice vs. Ice T Lower t-shirt. All of this was finished off with a vintage marching band jacket which I got at the Ngatia Antique store. Jared Leto [who was at the MTV awards] was rocking that military jacket look at the time and had lost his one, and my one was exactly the same, so he took it off me and left me at this really quite flash event in the
green room with all these celebrities and I’m just wearing jeans and a t-shirt… I felt slightly out of place but I wasn’t overly embarrassed, cause I like the gear, but there’s a time and a place and that wasn’t it. So Jared Leto has your jacket from the Ngatia Antique Store? I wonder if he’s still got it...Well I’m hoping he brings it back, cause I reckon it’ll be worth a bit now that he’s doing alright. We twitter each other on occasion, so I’m hoping when he comes over he’ll bring it and there’ll be a bit of a reunion. Are there any celebs who inspire you fashion-wise? I like a real random mix. I like nicely put together bespoke stuff and then I like a bit of that mash-up look too, like Pharell and Kanye. I like a lot of what happens in New Zealand too, I like how my friends put themselves together and how they dress. I always like what the Stolen Girlfriends Club guys are wearing, and also a good friend of mine Ryan who works at Black Box... he’s a trendy dick. Jae Mills too, he’s a bit of a hipster. I like how they can put some really nicely tailored pieces together with some other more low key things. I don’t think you have to spend a lot of money to look good either. It’s just about making investments for some decent pieces. What’s the biggest investment you’ve made in an item of clothing? Probably the Stolen Girlfriends Club boots that I got this year, also a Huffer leather jacket, which is something that gets worn time and time again. And definitely the Lower black jeans which I can wear both as a formal suit set up or wear them just everyday to the radio, TV or whatever. I also really like the basic Huffer tee range, they’ve got a nice lazy scoop and a huge range of colours which you can layer and just chuck on with a black cardy over top. Oh and beanies, cause that way you don’t have to do your hair, which is great. What is your involvement with New Zealand Fashion Week this year? We’re covering it both on MTV and ZM and I’ll definitely head along and support my friends at the Huffer and Stolen Girlfriends Club shows. I’d like to see what World and Zambesi are up to as well. It’s just a fun time ‘cause all my friends are part of the industry and they have the best parties - the fashion week parties are just mental. I really like how we don’t look to others as well when it comes to New Zealand fashion, just like New Zealand music... we’re doing our own thing and we’re really doing great stuff and it’s the international audiences who are now looking to us for inspiration, which is awesome.
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the lovely rose Rose McIver is one of New Zealand’s most promising talents. She’s already starred alongside Rachel Weisz and Mark Wahlberg in The Lovely Bones and she picked up a role in the new Kiwi film The Predicament. Not bad for someone who’s only recently celebrated her 22ND birthday. Photography: Louise Hatton Makeup: Michelle Perry using Smashbox Hair: Bex Brent @ Willis York Styling: Cameron Lee Putt
Researching for an interview with Rose McIver is refreshingly interesting. Think less archived interviews and IMDB credit lists, more ask your mates’ mate who knows her from that time in Europe. Thank you two degrees of separation. So what do her mates say? She’s great, she’s lovely, she’s this that and the other. Everything you would expect to hear from her friends really. But one thing that kept coming up was her humble and down to earth attitude in an industry that’s infamous for breeding the opposite. A mutual friend told me about the time she was on a Contiki bus trip in Europe when Rose got a call confirming she had landed a dream role in The Lovely Bones. Rose, the friend explained, got up when they had to introduce themselves and told the group that she was an actress and that she had just got some good news. She had just been offered a part in some movie based on some book which was being directed by Peter Jackson. Peter Jackson? That’s pretty cool the people on the bus thought.’What’s the movie?’ The eager crowd asked her. ‘Ummmm, The Lovely Bones?’ Rose told them. And what was Rose’s response to their cries of amazement and congratulations? ‘Hmmm, I should probably go and read the book.’ When I spoke to Rose she was in Wellington having just done her REMIX shoot. I wanted to find out if this abundant modesty was just her Contiki persona or a fundamental part of her personality. ‘I think that you have been talking to liars, I am a horrible person’, she jokes. So yes, she’s humble, and apparently funny too. Rose puts it into perspective. ‘I’m not a scientist or a life changing doctor or anything, you know?’ She is of course an actress and given her young age, just 21, an incredibly prolific one. At just two years old Rose was appearing in television commercials, at three years old she was in The Piano and by age four she was on the set of Hercules. ‘The thing with acting is that one minute you are getting work and the next minute you’re not so you just enjoy it when it’s around.’ Wise
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words, luckily for Rose work has always been around. She’s grown up in the industry, grown up on screen. Rose learnt her craft on the set; she’s never been to acting school. She was too busy acting. ‘My work means I end up being surrounded by people I would be learning from anyway. I learn a lot on the job,’ she says. Rose has played a wide range of characters. From a Power Ranger to manipulative girl named Constance who drew comparisons with Antonia Prebble’s Loretta West (on Outrageous Fortune). ‘I’ve been really fortunate and I’ve been able to play a variety of different [roles] which is always what you look for when you’re developing yourself as an actor.’ Rose grew up in Auckland; her mother is an artist and her father a photographer. While she got involved in acting early on, her Mum was a bit hesitant. She was never allowed to take too much time off school, which is normally the main reason kids sign up willingly to extra-curricular activities. But not Rose, she avoided home school and kept a healthy balance of acting and education. Being around the camera from an early aged helped her to become comfortable with seeing herself on the telly, a process terrifying for some. ‘You have to comfortable with yourself on screen. You definitely have to be comfortable with people watching you and humiliating yourself!’ Humiliation can also come in the form of rejection. ‘You can’t take it all too personally. Sometimes it’s because you’re not good enough and sometimes you’re not what they’re looking for. Sometimes it’s purely physical.’ Rose says the result of rejection is that you learn how to cope with the good and the bad. ‘You just have to have a thicker skin. You just have to be aware it’s not a personal attack or anything.’ Easier said than done, unless of course you’ve got 19 years worth of experience. Rose lives in Wellington, which is where she is right now, taking time out while babysitting to talk to me. ‘I’m looking after a friend’s son today, so that’s what the noise is about,’ she mentions casually.
Dress by Lonely Hearts, Shoes by Martinez Valero from Ultra Shoes, Necklace & Charm Bracelet by Deadly Ponies, Ring & Bracelet (worn on ankle) by Kester Black
REVIEW By TINA MOORE
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After making her proper big screen debut last year in The Lovely Bones (she was only three when she appeared in The Piano) Rose has followed up with a role in a Kiwi film. Appearing alongside Jermaine Clement and Heath Franklin in Predicament, based on the novel by Ronald Hugh Morrieson. Set in 1930’s New Zealand, Predicament is about a nerdy and awkward boy who makes some sinister new friends and gets himself into, well, a predicament. ‘I had a lot of fun on it, I wasn’t doing any of the darker or laborious stuff. The only bad part was wearing minimal costumes in the middle of the Taranaki winter,’ says Rose. From the sounds of it that was one of the few downsides to the Predicament set, Rose says she thoroughly enjoyed working with Kiwis again. ‘I love working in New Zealand because we’re all so laid back. We had a lot of the same people from the Wellington leg of the Lovely Bones shoot. It was still familiar and nice, and because everyone was away from home in Hawera we socialised a lot and had a great time!’ Says Rose. The Predicament shoot must have felt like a world away from the American location of The Lovely Bones set, and it was. Shooting took place in Philadelphia for three months. ‘We were filming in the suburbs between Amish communities and Philadelphia town centre so on either side of us there were very, very different social environments.’ Picture
a horse-drawn buggy pulling into a Walmart. Then there were the big names, the heavy hitters. The Lovely Bones starred Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon before breaking a sweat. ‘They were obviously very experienced and had a lot to offer but they never really made you feel inferior at all or that your contributions were any less than theirs,’ she recalls. While Rose is happy to take their advice she’s less inclined to chase after their celebrity status, happy with keeping a low profile. ‘It’s not like I can’t go down to the shop or anything like that. I’m far too small scale!’ she says. Whether you view fame as a reward or a consequence, becoming a celebrity is a by-product of acting. But Rose is taking steps to take to keep things under control. ‘I think you are able to make the choice to keep your personal life personal and certainly do as much as you can to keep away from that side of things,’ she says. Right now Rose mixes her acting with academics, she’s studying psychology and linguistics at university. A seemingly perfect fit for an actor. ‘Linguistics, it’s the social side of things, they way we communicate. But with psychology it’s the human mind, the way we interact and develop, which is something that has always interested me. ‘Possibly from acting, that desire to get into other peoples’ heads which may have been my inspiration.’ Actor, student and now model? This is her first
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Dress by Lonely Hearts, Slip by Nyne, Necklace by Deadly Ponies, Ring by Company of Strangers
left to right. 1.Slip by Annah Stretton, Sweater by Neverblack, Necklace by Welfe, Rose quarz ring by D-luxe, Charm Bracelet by Deadly Ponies, Shoes by Parker Roche from Ultra Shoes. 2.Dress by Lonely Hearts, Sweater by Neverblack, Necklace by Meadowlark, Ring by Stolen Girlfriends Club, Rabbit Tie Pin by Deadly Ponies. 3. Dress by Lonely Hearts, Slip by Nyne, Necklace by Deadly Ponies, Ring by Company of Strangers
shoot for REMIX. ‘Fashion is great for conveying images and ideas. I like the story telling side of it, where you have something you are working towards.’ She enjoyed it, a lot. ‘We were shooting in a house in Thorndon (Wellington), which is a place I don’t know very well. ‘I was really intrigued by the historical buildings. Based on the outside, you wouldn’t believe what was on the inside. It was a massive, sprawling place.’ So what’s next? More television. ‘Right now I’m doing a TV series up in Auckland called Supercity which is Madeline Sami’s new show. It’s a comedy-ish kind of thing.’ With enough television and movie credits for multiple careers, the only thing left is theatre. Well, it was the only thing left. ‘At the start of the year I did That Face which is a play at the Silo theatre. It was really cool, written by an English playwright called Polly Stenham. So I’m keen to do a bit more theatre actually.’ For now Rose is more than happy to stay in the nation’s capital, applying and auditioning for roles anywhere in the world is no longer a challenge. However she hasn’t ruled out switching up her location if the right job comes along and given her track record, I quite fancy her chances. By Tim Lambourne
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REMIX 67_PROFILE
L.A.LA GIRL Photographed in los angeles by Steve King Styling Thuy Nguyen & Michelle Belegrin Makeup JUles sebastian Hair Jerry Park photo Assist Erin Katz Special thanks to Joey Bernheimer, Darren Tieste & Linzy Davidson
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Sequin dress by Elaine Kim, stylist’s own Cuff, Paul Smith Snakeskin Sunglasses, Alexander Wang Frankie Creeper boots
darling new zealand songbird brooke fraser’s third album flags is out this month. remix caught up with the jetsetting babe in sunny l.a. for an exclusive shoot.
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Dress by Hermes, beaded elastic belt by Ronald, gold bird necklace by Boh Runga & Hat Stylist’s own.
‘It’s still my voice and the warm, organic arrangements people would be used to from me, but with more of a raw sensibility - a little less spit and polish’
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Stella & Jamie Phoenix strapless jumpsuit, Pink calf leather Ditta shoes by LaRare, Tiger ring by Boh Runga, Brooke’s own Bracelets
‘From beautiful theatres in NZ to tacky strip mall sports bars in Missouri, if there was a sound system and punters, I probably played there’
You have a new album, Flags, out on October 12. Tell us a little about what sort of sound we can expect to hear. It’s still my voice and
the warm, organic arrangements people would be used to from me, but with more of a raw sensibility - a little less spit and polish (not that there’s anything wrong with spit and polish). There’s also more of a community emphasis. I wanted the recording to reflect my favourite musical moments of the past few years, which have all involved sharing music with others, like a good meal. This is reflected by the inclusion of lots of my musical friends, from small contributions to large, whether that be co-written songs, or people contributing their voices/whistling/ knee slapping/cello playing/whatever. Is there a story behind this album or any of the songs in particular? This album is called Flags because many of the narratives in the songs are inspired by people I met or imagined whilst travelling in some of the more remote parts of America and chewing on the idea of a land and it’s people and how they interact with one another. The image of people’s lives on the land being like flags really stuck with me. It has been
a few years since your last album, that’s quite a hiatus. Why the wait? What have you been up to in the meantime? I had the opportunity to release my last album Albertine in NZ, Australia and the U.S./Canada. We tackled
NZ in 2006, Australia in 2007 and North America in 2008. So there was no hiatus involved I’m afraid, just really hard work. From beautiful theatres in NZ to tacky strip mall sports bars in Missouri, if there was a sound system and punters, I probably played there. I’m sure many artists would dream of being able to tour the same record for three years running, so even though I was completely exhausted
by the end of it I’m aware of what a great opportunity I had, and all that touring built a really strong base from which to launch this new album. So I’m grateful and good to go another round now! You moved to LA six months ago, which
is the setting for our very beautiful shoot with you. How have you found it so far living there? Since the shoot we’ve actually packed up our apartment and gone back to gypsy suitcase living as we travel between NZ, Aus, the US & Europe for the rest of this year to promote and tour the record. It’ll be the same story next year, so I’m not quite sure of when I’ll be in one place again, but I don’t mind that. If there’s any time to be a nomad, it’s now before the kids come along (that won’t be for a while, I might add). You have a pretty hectic tour
schedule lined up following the albums release. Is there anywhere in particular you are looking forward to playing? Touring at home is
always really special. I’m always a bit shocked that people remember me and still want to hear me play. I wouldn’t have played in any of these other countries if Kiwis hadn’t supported me from the start and that sense of gratitude hasn’t dulled over the years. I’m hoping to tour many more places, but I’ll always come home.
You have produced this album yourself as well. Why did you choose to do that and how did you find the process? The process of producing
the album was liberating, terrifying, rewarding and really fun. I’m still buzzing from it to be honest. To have the freedom to try things I’ve always wanted to try, make a mistake and then go back to the drawing board... the riskiness of it all was exhilirating. I haven’t made a perfect record, but I’ve made an honest, interesting and generous one and I think that’s much more important.
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Remix #67_You heard it here first!
welcome to
Designer
Discussions With the 10th annual New Zealand Fashion Week just around the corner, REMIX decided it was high time we caught up with those designers who have been round the traps long enough to tell us a decent yarn. Helene Ravlich caught up for lengthy chats with Karen Walker & Mikhail Gherman, Helen Cherry, Cybele Wiren, Kate Sylvester, Murray Crane, Trelise Cooper, Benny Castles & Francis Hooper of World, Liz & Neville Findlay of Zambesi, & Margi Robertson of Nom*D
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PHOTO BY STEVE KING
‘Design is a weird kind of conversation. We don’t actually sit at a desk and draw, but you could say that we design throughout the day, continually evolving our point of view’
PHOTO BY STEVE KING
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions
karen walker & mikhail gherman Helene: So I was talking to Francis Hooper about your official ‘launch’ of sorts at Club Roma all those years ago… Karen Walker: Oh God yeah, what was that called? H: Hooray, Ole! I remember it well… K: Oh God. Mikhail: The poster had a photo of a guy called Kurt H: Yeah, I was going out with him at the time so got dragged along. K: Small town (laughs) H: So I was trying to work it out, how long have you been in the industry in some shape or form now? K: Um, I started fashion school at the beginning of 1988 and it was the end of 1988 - or the beginning of 1989 when I made that first shirt. That was the time I consider the beginning of my time in fashion. M: You were commissioned by Tony to make that shirt I think? K: Yeah, it was for Tony Drumm. A Liberty print, floral shirt. H: Murray Crane has those in at the moment. Beautiful Liberty print shirts. K: I actually got a really great pair of Liberty print pants for my daughter Valentina when we were in Paris a few months ago. I was just looking at them the other day thinking their just such a great print. H: Why did you start with men’s shirts? Because most designers start off with womenswear, then give menswear a go as a sideline. K: You know I think it’s just because I got that first commission and I liked the way it came out. Our signature – which has never been intentional – is a sort of throwing together of extremes, and I think you can see it in those very first shirts. It’s a man’s shirt with sort of feminine fabric, and it’s about the play with scale within the print. I think that concept, almost 23 years later, was there in that first one. H: You were very young when you started your business, would you say that you were quite naïve to think I’m going to do a label? K: It was all my ideas and energy. I wouldn’t have said that. It would have been something more like: ‘it was all driven my naivety and energy’ H: I mean even putting on a show; a lot of people wouldn’t do a show that quickly either. K: Yeah, but it wasn’t really like a show, it wasn’t you know, Paris! It wasn’t a show, it was just a few friends… H: Even back then that was quite rare? K: I think you look at fashion through the ages and millions of designers have started of with that homemade, naïve kind of approach where it’s kind of making things
for a few friends and sticking it out there… if something happens, it happens. M: Look at Vivienne Westwood, she made clothes for the Sex Pistols you know. K: It is all kind of homemade. Funny little happenings. I think fashion often has that sort of very basic, sort of rock n’ roll … H: Organic? M: Look at Steven Sprouse. He’s done so many great things you know, like clothes with bands. A lot of our friends were in bands, and Karen would do a shirt for them. K: I think that’s perhaps the most traditional entré into the fashion industry for a lot of designers while they are at college. Just kind of cobbling it together for friends and maybe finding a little following or falling in love with it that way. Not many people walk straight into being head designer at Balenciaga. H: Yeah, I’d like to meet somebody that has but… (laughs) M: But also isn’t that more about the idea of thinking about yourself as a designer rather than waiting to be given a certificate to become one. H: Or given that you’re not handed the title, you give it to yourself. K: Yeah, totally. You can start in that way - organically - and grow it through a community and become something out of that. You don’t have to wait and get a certificate, and then wait to be asked to do something. Just get out there and do it. M: A lot of people start by making their own clothes. hey don’t sort of decide to become designers and by the time they are they don’t actually have anything to say (laughs) K: Or they wait until they get a backer and then go off and do it and maybe that ends in tears. There are a lot of different ways into this business and all creative businesses. I think that the way that we got into it was by doing things bit by bit. Starting with $100 and going for it… H: And that was the most natural way for you to get into the business. M: I think if you want to do it in New Zealand, it is. If you wanted to do something at that time, something unique and original. You had to do it on your own. K: I think you still kind of do? M: At that time it was still kind of… K: It was a pretty barren landscape. When we started, it was 1988, it was like a million years ago. It was a very different world to how it is in 2010, there was no internet. H: There were very few chain clothing stores. K: Exactly, there weren’t any good ones.
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M: You couldn’t buy fashion magazines on the shelves then. K: You may have wanted something cool and modern but you kind of had to do it for yourself, unless you could wait six months for it to come via mail order from somewhere. So it was a very different landscape. Now I think if people are interested and creative they are just going to do it anyway, and now it’s so much easier. No matter where you live you can get anything you want. You can get any information you want, you can get any product you want, only three days away. But having said that, there are still thousands of people waking up everyday thinking there are things that haven’t been done in the fashion industry. The inclination is still there. H: Do you think a lot of those people that want to be in the fashion industry just see it as something glamorous? They wake up one day and think I love dressing up so I’m going to work in fashion? K: Yeah, there are a lot of people that come to it with a different point of view. M: For some people it’s about ideas while for some people it’s a ticket to a party, and those people get separated quite early on. Fashion is an exciting industry, but you need to put in the hard work. H: There is a lot of hard work. K: It’s hard work still, the work’s hard (laughs). H: You have always surrounded yourself with quite a loyal team. You have always worked with Heathermary Jackson and you have worked for a long time with Lucy Vincent-Marr as well. K: We’ve worked for a longtime with Katie Lockhart, too. Katie came to us when she was still at university and said ‘I don’t know anything about fashion and have been studying textiles, but would really like to work for you…’ and we love her, she’s amazing. Murray Bevan started working for us when he was 14. You know this year we have had six people celebrating working ten years for us. H: Do you think that’s part of the key to your success? Being surrounded by the right people? K: I think that’s part of it, although fashion is built on change. I want the change in terms of what we create, but I like to create a very stable platform of workers ( I wouldn’t have said workers here. I think it was ‘…a very stable platform.’ Can you adjust? ) to make that happen. When I look at our sales and press showroom in Australia, I see people we have worked with for 15 years. They are the only people we have worked with in Australia. Japan same thing, we have worked with them for 12 years. Our store in Newmarket we have had for fifteen years and never changed location. H: Fifteen years? Wow. K: I like to just put those really important, really key
building blocks in place and then just … H: Watch them take care of themselves? K: Yeah, and if it works, it works. No need to change it. I like being at the stage where we have got really stable, really long-term relationships. H: So how much time in the week would you say that you spend actually designing? K: Probably on average about three to four hours a day? M: Design is a weird kind of conversation. We don’t actually sit at a desk and draw, but you could say that we design throughout the day, continually evolving our point of view. You may have a point of view about a silhouette in the morning, but you have changed your mind by the afternoon. K: You never stop thinking about it but yeah, the time dedication differs. M: From the moment you wake up it’s like a conversation. That’s what creativity is, it’s a conversation. You don’t just sit around thinking all the time. H: Is that how you juggle things all the things you do? You’ve got paints, jewellery, you’ve got all sorts of things on the go. Do you personally work with all those things or have you got designers, assistant designers that help you? K: We have teams that work with all of those things. M: I’m sure Marc Jacobs doesn’t sit around figuring out every single part … H: Choosing every button? M: Choosing every single button. You know at this stage in Karen’s career she’s running like a racing team. It’s like what you were saying before about the key to her success being surrounding yourself with people who get it. H: And people you can trust? M: And people you can trust, you can just look across the room and they know what you mean. You know because you’re kind of in surgery here, you don’t want to be explaining to somebody ‘Oh can you pass me that brown bit with the silver bit on the end’ You want them just to know what’s going on. H: They work like a well oiled machine. M: Totally. H: And you always have very strong advertising, which is where you come in, Mikhail. A lot of New Zealand labels seem to bypass advertising these days. Do you think that’s a mistake? K: We don’t ever really advertise the Karen Walker line because we never have any images (laughs) M: Except for catwalk. H: But I remember even years ago you had a Lorraine Downes image and all of that kind of thing going on, and it’s always been really strong. M: There are lots of different reasons for doing ads. One is to stand by what you’re doing. You know, even artists market their stuff, gallery spaces make ads. You know you need to find ways for your ads to say what they need to say. We haven’t done any main line advertising for Karen in years because we do this one show in New York that goes on Style.com and does the talking for you. I would prefer to have a review from Tim Blanks than buy an ad in that case. H: But you advertise things like jewellery and eyewear, the affordable category. M: That’s right. H: Even if someone can’t afford to buy the entire catalogue of Karen Walker they can buy the sunglasses and have some. Like Terry Richardson. M: And his dog. H: And his dog. M: When we first did those ads we didn’t know any of this. Karen was just eighteen years old when she started and it was just sort of image making … H: And also confidence would you say? Like a confidence to do an ad even if there’s naysayers out there who say, ‘What are you putting an ad in for?’ K: You know the fashion business is built on confidence. You have to be confident to put a collection out and say
this is what you will be wearing in six months. H: Whether you like it or not! (laughs) M: Yeah, I mean the thing is you musn’t forget why Tom Ford can make movies now. Aside from being a great designer he understands a thing called image. For people who want to fashion design what you have to deal with every day is image. And the best fashion designers like what’s his name Hedi…? H: Hedi Slimane? M: Yeah, he can do both. You have got to be able to visualise your product as an image because fundamentally, that’s what you’re selling to the public. Whether it’s physical or emotional, that’s what you’re selling. You’re in the business of image. H: You mentioned getting a positive review from Tim Blanks before. Is the media still important to you now? Not necessarily getting pictures up on Style.com but written reviews? K: Depends who it is. Style.com is very much more important than everybody else. Everybody else just copies them! That’s the one I wake up the morning after the show and look for! M: For us it’s been like put it out there for the harshest critics and the harshest buyers. New York, Milan, Paris, that’s where the harshest critics and the harshest buyers are. You can’t say that we live in anybody’s pockets there. H: And that they are just saying nice things so you’ll advertise. M: It’s different you know, it’s risky because you have no control over it except for the quality of your products and that’s what it all boils down to. H: You show in New York, are you going to be showing in Europe? K: No. H: No plans? M: Well you know it’s not a travelling circus! K: There are only three fashion weeks that matter. When we chose New York we weighed all three of them up and New York was the one that felt right. It had so much more for us than Paris or Milan. M: We were showing in London for eight seasons. K: Yeah but you know that was kind of like training wheels, and now I don’t see why we would probably go anywhere other than New York. H: It’s a matter of kind of finding your home and staying? K: Yeah… you know it’s emotional and it’s the right fit for us. And then there were a whole bunch of other things like that is where Heathermary lives. It really comes down to the fit. H: Do you think the New Zealand industry is healthy right now? K: Yeah, I think it is, there are so many interesting little things going on. When I first came into this industry there was like three labels, and unless you were in one of those you weren’t in the business. Now there’s like a million different interesting things going on. It’s easy to find a niche within a niche within a niche in which you can work. I think that’s what’s really fascinating about the fashion industry right now. M: If you’re talking about financially, we can’t tell because we don’t know how the industry is doing. H: And you’re dealing internationally. K: But in terms of being a consumer who lives here and is in the community, it feels really healthy. It feels exciting, it feels like there is stuff going on all the time. H: Do you think that since you started New Zealanders have kind of overcome that cultural cringe of wearing local? M: I don’t think that anyone that’s fashion conscious would wake up in the morning and think about whether they are going to wear a New Zealand label or a French label. Today they might be wearing Karen Walker, tomorrow they might be wearing Yves Saint Laurent. You don’t go, ‘You know what, I’m going to wear a French designer today’. You just don’t. I don’t think anyone who’s interested in fashion should. You know it’s
about I’m wearing a designer that I love. K: I don’t think that anybody at anytime, anywhere has really cared, have they? They just want to wear a dress that they love, who cares where it’s from. H: Do you care about the whole Made in New Zealand issue? K: We have probably made more in New Zealand than most New Zealand labels. M: Absolutely. K: I’m not saying we make everything in China because we don’t. We probably keep more CMTs in business than anyone else in the country. But in saying that, who really cares who its made by, or where it’s designed? Good designers design pieces that I keep in my wardrobe and that speak to me. H: Do you think New Zealanders dress well? K: Some New Zealanders do and some don’t. It’s a matter of taste really isn’t it? I think they dress well, but it’s not my business what people put on when they leave the house. Having said that, in Paris or New York or Tokyo it does go up a notch. It depends on the neighbourhood. M: You can put a certain amount of clothes into the market and when people wear your clothes you go ‘thank you for your choice, for choosing to look good’. We appreciate that, it’s as simple as that. You could kind of do the headcount of good dressers versus bad dressers, but the only way to evaluate is if you see a person walking down the street and think they look good. You know I have seen some badly dressed people in London even though London produces some of the best fashion designers in the world. I’ve seen daggy people in America, I’ve also seen some amazingly dressed people in America. K: There are always people with taste and people with no taste, it’s all just a matter of what works. M: It’s also the fact that the business that Karen and you and I are in is a place where people love aesthetics. If people in this world choose to sit in a chair, they don’t just want to sit in any kind of chair. They think about the aesthetics of it and that’s the way of the civilized world. There’s always a group of people interested in aesthetics, that’s what makes it civilized. They don’t eat with their hands they eat with knives and forks. If people didn’t have taste it would be pretty difficult to make a living here. H: Have you ever been tempted to move overseas? K: Yeah, millions of times. Today when I woke up and thought ‘oh god, it’s going to be one of those days, I bet it’s not like this on the Amalfi Coast’! (Laughs). I guess everybody has those moments. But never enough to actually pack up and do it. I’ve lived in Auckland all my life, I’ve never lived anywhere else and I think probably one of the reasons why I’m here is that from a very early age and very early stage in my career, I started travelling a lot. I can live in Auckland and be really happy living in Auckland because I’m fortunate in that I can get out anytime I want and see something else. H: And when you go away you do start to appreciate what you’ve got at home a lot of the time. K: Totally, absolutely. H: And probably the last question would be, if you could go back to you at eighteen, knowing what you know now, would you do it all again? K: Knowing what I know now? God yeah, I’d do it all again but a million times better. I wouldn’t make all the mistakes! (Laughs) M: There wouldn’t be all the failures. H: And hair torn out (laughs). K: God, I’d love to go back and do it all again. M: It would take seven years out of our jobs. H: It would be done a lot quicker. K: Exactly!
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions
helen cherry
HELENE: Probably the first question is, how long have you been involved in the business of fashion in some shape or form? HELEN CHERRY: Well, I’ve only ever been in the business of fashion. So, since I graduated from Polytech, which was the end of 1980. So, however long that is. H: And you went to work for Zambesi straight away or? HC: Pretty much. I started working for them around August, September of 1981. And I had actually had three jobs before then but they were just little bits and pieces. H: Contracts here and there? HC: Well yeah, it’s a bit more complicated than that. Basically, I’m an Aucklander, went to Wellington to study, came back to Auckland after I received my diploma. The first job that I got was with Anne Barlow on Swanson St in the city. She was pretty much just a dressmaker, really. She made gorgeous gowns, mostly silk … for Remuera ladies. Not my ideal job, but it was the first job that I got and I needed to work. Funnily enough, my now-husband Chris had Streetlife across the road. He used to work in the shop and hang outside talking to Greg Main, who had Monsoon opposite. Then I got a job in Hamilton at Elle Boutique, as the assistant pattern maker, which was essentially what I wanted to do. I was merrily working away and thinking it was quite good but the company hadn’t told me they were in liquidation. H: Oh, no. HC: So I packed up, came back home and found a job working for Fidgets, which was a funny little boutique in Darby Street. Again, a pattern making job, which was just what I wanted to do. I also made contact with Marilyn Sainty because ideally I wanted to work with a designer and she was the only designer I was aware of in New Zealand at that time. So I pretty much just rocked up to her store in Scotties on Queen Street to see if they had anything. I met her, and she was wonderful and helpful like she is. She sort of sent me off in different directions. Through her I met Elizabeth Findlay. They hadn’t long opened the Zambesi store on Lorne Street and she was looking for somebody. So I went for an interview and was offered the job. As soon as I met Liz and saw the store and the clothes, I knew that this was what I wanted to do. There’s just no question about that. So I left my job at Fidgets, much to my supervisor or my boss at the time’s horror! Off I merrily went to Zambesi. They had Cachet in Takapuna and had recently opened
their Lorne Street store, and Liz was pretty much doing everything herself. She did have a girl working for her called Sue, who ran off to Sydney. Hence, they were replacing her with me. So, I go to work for Liz and Neville and all I hear about is Sue this, Sue that and how fabulous she is. Within a few months, Sue hightails back to New Zealand because it all fell apart. And so, I’m standing there thinking, okay well that’s me out of here! H: You had hell of a lot of jobs in a year. HC: Exactly. Anyway, they made the decision to keep me and take Sue back again. In a way, that’s what really set things moving in the manufacturing side of things for Liz because all of a sudden she had two of us to keep busy. I was patternmaking and Sue was making samples. We were off and running and that was that really. I was there for about four and a half years in the end and there was enormous growth in the time that I was there. I was patternmaking for about a year, a year and a half, and then I was involved in a lot of aspects. I was working part-time in stores and helping Liz with buying fabric. I was doing all sorts of things. Within those two years, we finally got a workroom and moved out of the house. We made the decision to bring in a full-time pattern maker, and that is when I stopped making the patterns and became Liz’s design assistant. I didn’t really have any official titles. I travelled to Japan a couple of times with her to buy fabric, get ideas and things. I loved working there, Liz and I had a wonderful rapport right from day one. We worked along similar lines, similar work ethics. I would probably still be there if I hadn’t met Chris and that whole part of my life developed. Although having said that, I don’t think I would still be there because I was already starting to get my own ideas and starting to see I could do things for myself on my own. And Liz and Neville are it, and no matter how many design assistants she has, the buck stops with her. But as I say, it was a great time. H: Was it invaluable having that whole experience and watching a brand grow around you? HC: Totally. H: You learnt a lot more than you had ever learnt at Polytech? HC: Absolutely. We did everything. We sourced the fabric, we did the production, we did the costing, and we did the photo shoots. I was the model and Neville was the photographer. I actually still laugh about the look books! I did the wholesale selling. I was involved in opening the Wellington store for the first time - which REMIX 172
is not the store where they are now - and setting up the workroom with them when they moved out of the house. It was invaluable. They don’t get that experience. There is so much more to running a fashion business than designing clothes or drawing pretty frocks. H: And you have always had staff that you have employed for years and years. I’m thinking of people like Chris Snell and Annamae Marshall. Zambesi have amazing staff retention, too. Do you think finding those people and holding onto them is key to being as successful as you are? HC: I think it definitely plays a big part, yes. I guess it’s a testament to us but also to those people, as well. We do try and encourage our staff to progress with us but it depends on the person. As I say, when I was working with Liz and Neville, I was treating it like my own business. It’s a two-way relationship, and as an employer you have to be able to recognise those things in your employees. H: And you started out at a time when New Zealand fashion - the fashion that we know now was pretty much at a boom time. There were a lot of labels coming up that had a lot of freedom to do what they wanted to do. HC: It was an interesting time. The great thing about doing the Te Papa fashion book was we had to really go back and look at all that stuff. The good thing about it was seeing what it was like and how much things have changed. How much we have progressed. If you want to call it progression, I guess that was it. It was just different. There were a lot bigger manufacturers like Fidgets, Jag, Hullabaloo, Thornton Hall, Peppertree and Love Story. It was just a different thing. H: Do you think they have been replaced now by chain stores that are doing on trend, fast fashion instead? HC: I guess so, there was definitely never a Topshop as we know it now. No nothing. To be honest I would have said the prices were higher and quality was better. But it’s hard to say. There weren’t all the little individual designers. As I say, when I was in Wellington, the only New Zealand designer that had her own brand was Marilyn Sainty. It seems like today they do come straight out of tech and say ‘I want to start my own business’. Good luck to them, there wasn’t that kind of confidence or arrogance back then. It was just the way it was. It has changed a lot. When we started Helen Cherry in 1997, I was resistant to that at first. I quite liked designing for Streetlife. The anonymity of it not being my name.
‘I love clothes. I love fashion. I love dressing people. I love that whole creative outlet. I think that’s what keeps me going’
PHOTO BY guy coombes REMIX 173
Remix #67_Designer Discussions
Chris had to really push me to do that. It was the right thing to do and I did know that, but I resisted it at first. H: So, are you used to it now? Seeing your name on a label? HC: I have. I mean, to me it’s a separate entity though. H: Because I though it must be odd as a designer and suddenly talking about yourself in the third person almost? HC: As I say, I obviously see it as separate things. Even though, it is intrinsically me. It does tickle me sometimes when I go to catch the ferry to Waiheke and go to pick up my ticket and say my name and the girl might say ‘are you The Helen Cherry?’ (laughs) H: Or when you see someone carrying a bag with your name on it? HC: Yeah, it’s just one of those things really. H: Do you think it’s essential for a designer to really put their personality out there? Or do you think you can just sit back and let your work speak for itself? Because some designers do go out there and open up their homes, they turn up at the right parties every second night of the week. HC: Put it this way, it probably helps but I’m not that kind of person. I understand that’s part of the job and I have come around to that the older I have become. But I am a very private person and quite modest to some degree. So, that’s just not me. I understand to be professional you have to do that, but I only do it to a certain degree. But that’s just me, everyone’s different. And it probably does help. H: I know a lot of designers have branched out to do sunglasses or shoe ranges, or Karen Walker has paints. Have you ever done anything like that? I was wracking my brain trying to think if you had? HC: Not sunglasses. We did do some shoes at one stage with an Italian company for two or three seasons, but I was having a lot of difficulty with quality issues and in the end I gave up basically. Because anything that we decide to do, to put our brand on, it is very important that the quality is to the expectations of what we require. If we can’t get that then I just don’t want to do it. So we look at opportunities as they come along. H: You’ve got your hands full with what you’re doing now? HC: Yes, we could do that stuff I guess but it does come down to us having our hands full to a certain degree. H: Do you think retail has been essential to your business? Having your own store? HC: Totally. H: I was talking to Murray Crane about that and he said it has always been his thing. Having great retail to tell the brand story. He thinks that just going through life, having a few different stores around New Zealand and maybe a few stores in Australia isn’t really the way to have longevity in the business. Do you agree? HC: Totally. We started in retail and we believe retail is one of our strengths. I have to agree with everything that he says. That’s why we made the decision to open our store in Ponsonby last year. We see our stores representing our brand the way it should be represented. We wholesale successfully to quite a few stores but it’s just a whole different thing. You don’t have control and basically its up to them what they buy from you each season, how they sell it, how they market it and so on. A lot of them do a good job, some of them not such a great job. H: But it’s out of your control. HC: Yeah it is, I mean, retail is the core of our business;
it’s what keeps us going. H: Do you think that retailing means that also you keep an ear to the ground to what the customers want? I know a lot of designers who are just wholesaling; they don’t really have an idea of who is wearing their clothes. They have in their mind who they want to see wearing their clothes… HC: That’s so true. We spend a lot of time every season looking at what’s working and what’s not working, and talking to our staff because they are the ones that are dealing with the customers every day. H: You’ve got great advertising campaigns that have been happening for years and years, too. You have always had quite a strong brand identity. Do you think that advertising is still an important thing for designers to do? HC: We do actually. It’s always a tough one because it costs us a huge amount of money. It is one of those things we are always questioning but like all advertising, if you don’t do it then you’re in trouble. It’s important to be constantly reminding people that you are there and reinforcing the brand. I think it is definitely important. Obviously, we rely on marketing and editorial as much as we can get in other ways as well, but we do still advertise. As I say, it’s just sort of what we do. H: Watching the evolution of the Helen Cherry ‘woman’ in your campaigns, do you think that the women who first started buying your label are the same kind of women who do now? Have you got someone in mind, that you think is the kind of person that buys your clothes? Because it is quite a broad age range isn’t it? I know when I use to work for you there were 18-year-ar old girls that would come in and buy pieces and women that had been buying Streetlife. HC: I don’t have a particular customer, no. I guess I’m essentially designing for myself. However, I’m constantly aware, as I am ageing, to design clothes that appeal to women of all ages. Particularly women that are my age or older but still have a young attitude. It’s important that you look and still feel beautiful and sexy. That’s the most important thing. I try all the clothes on myself, and I fit everything on myself To check the fit, proportion and comfort. I think about women and what they do during the day, whether they are corporate people or whatever. A lot of my clothes are quite tailored and structured, but I don’t necessarily wear those in my daily life because I can wear whatever I want. I don’t have to front up to an office or have a corporate wardrobe. But at the same time I am aware of that market and part of that comes from retail. Women want to have a smart jacket in their wardrobe or a nice fitting pair of trousers. Great dresses for the daytime as well as essential knits. I look at it from that point of view. H: Yours is one of the few brands that still does suits for women. Why is that? Is the demand still there? HC: Yes, the demand is there. Our suits aren’t the best selling things we do, but at the same time there is a demand for them. I just really like tailored and structured clothes. I think it’s important to have a great jacket or in winter, a great coat. To me, that’s just part of an essential wardrobe. I guess people don’t do suits because it is quite hard to produce tailored clothes these days to the quality we require for the price. H: Do you think New Zealand women dress better now than when you first started in the business? HC: Yes, I think New Zealand women in general dress very well. I think that’s why we have so many designers
in New Zealand. I think the public are generally very discerning. H: Do you think they support New Zealand designers? HC: Definitely, we actually have customers who aren’t interested in imports, which is really heartening. We have a lot of people who are very loyal to our own brands, and that’s all they want. H: In terms of the imports over the years, are there some labels you admire? That you look up to and think, ‘I really like the way they did that’? HC: I guess I think about that when we are looking at imports for our stores. We have always done imports right back to Cutler & Gross sunglasses in the 80s and Palladiums. Anyway, the idea with the imports is we’re offering our customer the retail experience and choice when they enter our store; they have a huge amount to choose from. So I’m looking for something I like, something we have a market for and that is going to work in the New Zealand market. Because the fact that it works overseas doesn’t mean it necessarily works here. And the quality has to be of a certain standard. And even though some of the imports that we do are second lines like Marc by Marc Jacobs, its still of an international standard and the quality is amazing. It’s not the designer brand but for the price it’s very good. We never have any problems with it. I’m not trying to blow my own trumpet but I put a lot of effort into the buying of our imports. I travel twice a year and spend a lot of time in the showrooms editing the collections. If possible I bring selections back and work with retail staff and spend time thinking about what we are going to buy, and how it’s all going to come together. Mostly, I’m very happy with what we select and we get great feedback on it. So I feel like I’m doing some good shopping. I know most of them do appreciate it. H: And probably my last question – the one I have asked everyone – is that if you could go back all of those years to when you started your business, would you do it all again? HC: Yes I would, because I love it. I mean there are things that I don’t like - I don’t like the stress of meeting the deadlines and managing staff is not my thing. There are things about running a business that are really hard. But I love clothes. I love fashion. I love dressing people. I love that whole creative outlet. I think that’s what keeps me going. And when you start to feel a little stressed, the next sample comes in from the new collection or something works like you would hope it would, and that’s what inspires you to keep doing it. That’s what it is and that’s fashion. It’s constantly fresh and new. H: There is always a reason to keep going back for more. HC: Exactly. To me that’s exciting. In some ways I regret not working overseas. But that’s because I was working for Liz and Neville and I loved my job so I didn’t go off and travel. If I had my time again I would have loved to have a couple of years working for example, Marc Jacobs in New York. Maybe I wouldn’t have got that opportunity, but it would have been fun! I guess the answer to your question is yes, I would do it all over again if I could. As crazy as that would be! H: Do you think now that a lot of labels are popping up and a lot of designers are coming out of the woodwork with no background in the industry and zero experience? HC: Like leaving AUT and going ‘right, I’m going to open up a t-shirt brand’? Quite probably. I don’t know.
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cybèle wiren Helene: Probably the first thing is - how long have you been in the industry, in fashion? Cybele: Well when I was studying at Unitec for my Fine Arts degree I was working vaguely in fashion. Doing screen printing, working for little labels doing things. I guess it depends how you define fashion, as in some ways my upbringing was connected to sort of craft and a little bit of fashion. My dad was a weaver and built up quite an amazing business, a boutique little business from the Coromandel. He was spinning and weaving his own things. H: Actual garments? C: Yeah, some of it was garments and that was kind of exciting. He was involved in the industry and would have machinists working for him. He worked from home so I was always quite involved in what he was doing. H: Did anyone else in your family get involved? C: My mother taught me to sew. My grandmother also had a machine, and I did some projects with her. So yeah it wasn’t really fashion, more childhood craft fascination. I didn’t really do anything in the fashion industry until I briefly worked for Silk Road putting together a collection for Australian Fashion Week in what must have been 1999.
H: I forgot about Silk Road. I used to love that shop. C: Yeah, I just did a summer working for them before I moved to Melbourne. Then when I moved to Melbourne I just got these amazing jobs through luck, like good luck. The main one I had was working for an independent designer label that was really cool in Melbourne at the time. The head designer was quite an inspiring woman. H: What did you do for her? Production or …? C: Initially it was such a small team that it was really only her and a sample machinist in the workroom, and a few other people that did freelance work. So initially I was just helping putting sample collections together. I kind of did lots of things because the business was so small. I got to experience every aspect of production from counting trims to you know, putting together sales sheets and eventually, I moved into making patterns with her. I took to that quite quickly. H: How did you end up doing that from doing a Fine Arts degree? C: Actually to correct myself on that, it was a Visual Communications degree. I think of it as Fine Arts because of the painting, but the main bit was Visual Communications. H: So how from painting to …
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C: I guess any creative pursuit really has the same fundamentals. H: It’s a bit of a different skill set. C: Yeah, it’s a different skill set, but having a creative process and working through ideas is the same no matter what you’re doing. So I think when I look back on things it makes perfect sense to have followed that path and to go into painting because it’s such a free discipline. In the way that it’s taught anyway in tertiary, I don’t know if it’s still the same. I didn’t actually always paint, I was doing lots of different things from installation work to fabric projects. Yeah, so I actually did quite a lot of dressmaking as well as part of the degree. H: Do you think that early experience, with that label in Melbourne doing all these little things, meant that you really well prepared when you decided to do your own label? C: I still didn’t know about lots of things! It definitely did teach me a lot about what the industry’s like, the way the timelines work, and wholesaling. But I guess nothing ever completely prepares you for doing it yourself. H: When did you decide that the time was right to do your own thing? C: I was in Melbourne for two years. I came back here
PHOTOs BY oliver rose
and pretty soon after I came back I started doing my own label. But I started on quite a small scale and that was very manageable, it wasn’t really a big launch. It was just a small exploration, I guess, of ideas. I put together a small collection just to see how it would go, test the waters. Just grew from there. H: Do you think that a lot of New Zealand designers - and I guess internationals too - make the mistake of running before they can walk by not testing the waters? By suddenly launching with a full collection of 40 garments? C: Yeah, but I guess it depends what your experience is and what your skill set is. Some people are just naturally … I mean there’s a lot that goes into running any business, I guess. There’s a lot of business aspects that have to be covered and I guess you can’t really isolate any one thing. I think a lot of fashion businesses are smaller than you think they are and there is one person managing quite a lot, and if that’s the case, that person will have to be quite multi-talented, quite capable. H: Do you think you actually have quite a good business head as well as in an aesthetic sense? C: I’m not sure really. I do in that I’ve run the business to date. H: Would you say you’re a careful businessperson? Rather than kind of going out and making big grandiose moves? C: Definitely, I think that to me my business is run on sort of fundamentals that are important to me personally. The whole business is sort of an extension of my life and who I am as a person. I think that that’s a good thing, but it has limitations in terms of being really corporate because I’m not really corporate and some people might perceive that as a bad thing, but I’m fine with it. It suits me.
H: Your end goal is not to go out there and make millions? C: Not really, not at the moment. It’s not to be a massive corporation, never really has been. But I guess when a business is an extension of yourself it does change all the time, as people do. H: You seem like quite a private person but you named your label after yourself. Was it always going to be that way? C: I thought about that quite a lot at times. I think if I’d found another name that I liked you know, that worked, I might not have. I did think about both options. H: I remember once talking to Kathryn Wilson and I asked her if in the beginning if it was quite strange to see her name written on things all the time. Kind of like a third person. C: Yeah I guess it is, but I’ve gotten used to it now and I do think of the two as separate, except that they are like one. I’m really glad that that’s the decision that I made because that was really personal to me and I’m really proud of what I do, and I think that having your name on your work is just an extra endorsement of that. The only good thing about when you name it something else is if you want to sell it or get out. H: Absolutely. The last time I talked to you, you were talking about how it was really important to have a really good team working with you who you have stuck with over the years. C: I do have really good, longstanding relationships with people like Chris Lorimer, who has done my PR and styling and been quite a mentor as well. I have other key people too, the Stephen Marr team, the M.A.C team. H: Do you think that’s been sort of integral to helping your business to grow, to getting the brand out there? REMIX 177
C: Absolutely, yeah definitely. H: Kind of having people you can trust, who after all these years can do it for you? C: Yeah, we have really good people in place in those key areas and also a really good in-house team, as well. H: Have you always worked out of your workroom on K’Road? C: I started working from home from a flat in Grey Lynn for sort of the first maybe two or three years, and then moved to a new house in Avondale which had a bit of a workroom attached to it. That worked for years and years and then we just outgrew that and had to move into town, which was really good. H: Again continuing on from that sort of private and personal aspect of your business, you have never been one of those designers who puts themselves out there all the time, the ones that are always at parties and aligning themselves with this brand or that brand, face everywhere. Do you think that is key to building a profile, or is that a really personal thing? C: I think it’s really important to be genuine to who you are, and I don’t feel the need to put myself out there in any way that isn’t… H: True to you? C: Yeah, that I’m not comfortable with. So I think that’s … Yeah, I’m fine with that. H: Do you think that sort of hype generation can damage a designer? C: I think if it’s not true to who you are, people can probably see through it. H: In terms of the clothes you make, how would you describe them? C: I hate that question. (Laughs) H: Kind of your aesthetic, how would you describe
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it? C: It’s been a bit of a key phrase for quite a number of years, but I do kind of like that play of the feminine with a more bold and graphic sort of edge. eah I think that that’s been longstanding. H: You have always had quite a signature look, like you don’t change your look dramatically every season. Do you think that that is another mistake that a lot of designers make, or are some labels meant to be reinvented all the time? C: I don’t know, again I think it comes back down to what comes naturally to you. I personally feel like I do have a fresh, like a new start each season, but having said that, I know my aesthetic comes through every season, too. H: And your pieces are very recognizable pieces as well, even though they could be from four or five seasons ago. Do you think you have kind of got a rhythm to what you do? Like a light and shade? C: I think so, yeah. I don’t really think about it a whole lot. Like it is quite an intuitive thing, the design process for me is quite an organic process. So I don’t really start out with a huge plan, it is quite an intuitive thing. H: And you don’t follow trends? C: Not intentionally or consciously in a big way. I mean I’m sure that everything that you see around you has influenced you in some way, but I like to get quite immersed in my own process. H: Do you look at what other designers are doing? Like I know some designers will just be like on the net all the time, looking at style.com, looking at new collections. C: Yeah, no, that’s not really me. I prefer not to, I like to look at sources outside of fashion as well to be inspired by like the art world, various aspects of history. Different people inspire me. I also start with prints, and that’s one way to start at the beginning of the design process on your own tangent, being able to control that process right from the beginning. H: Who are some brands you look up to? C: I don’t know, I don’t really have any in particular. I don’t really have any… H: So you don’t kind of look at the way someone has gone about building their brand and taking it to the world and think ‘I like the way they have done that’? C: I’m sure I do, I mean I admire the success of lots of successful brands. I can’t think of them off the top of my head. Anyone that is doing well and that is still going. (Laughs). H: Anyone that is still paying their bills, means their doing something right. On that note, with things like the GFC happening last year, have you ever had low moments where you have just thought this is too hard, I’m going to move back to the Coromandel? C: Never seriously. Never any serious thoughts like that. I think it’s good to test yourself on those kind of ideas. You only live once so you have got to make life fulfilling and exciting in as many ways as possible. Test those theories. I think I have been lucky because the business is at a scale that it is quite manageable and the big global financial crisis hasn’t really had an effect. I mean we have had stores close down and that sort of thing, but it hasn’t really had a huge impact. H: And is there a woman out there that buys your clothes that you think of as the woman that you design for, or do you design for yourself? C: I design for myself. I mean I always enjoy seeing different women wearing my clothes. Bringing their own attitude and style to the way they wear them. It’s really exciting to see. I often have a bit of a muse for one
collection. H: And where do you find them? C: I don’t know. I kind of conjure them up I guess, it’s different every season. H: Your brand representation - like your look books and campaigns - has always been strong. Has that always been really important to you from the beginning? You’ve never kind of just done an ad, you think about it and work with it? C: Imagery is really, really important. I think it’s really important because it gives a piece of clothing or a collection a longer life or what’s the word … H: Kind of gives it a personality? C: Yeah, it’s like doing shows. It’s that one time that you get to tell a full story with a collection. So imagery, doing campaign imagery or lookbooks. I mean lookbooks are also a selling tool so it is really important. H: So you have got your online shop now, how has that been going? C: Really good, it’s going really well. H: And I hear that you been doing capsule collections specifically for the online store? C: Yeah, it’s been a really exciting development. It was just an idea to promote the online store to let people know that it’s there. It was fun, that’s the one good thing about having our own outlet now, even though it is only online. The industry only has two seasons, and if you can have an injection part way through that’s new and fun it helps. H: And you have been doing accessories too, how long have you been doing that for? C: We have been doing the jewellery now for a couple of seasons. H: And you have had belts for a while and that sort of thing. Belts, bags and shoes, are the shoes going really well? C: Shoes are good. I mean their mainly made for shows but there is always a lot of interest in them. It’s not a huge part of what we do. I guess I’m quite focused on New Zealand made and shoes always present that dilemma because there is no New Zealand manufacturer anymore. It’s exciting to have shoes but it’s not the focus. H: You’re not going to start doing a shoe line or anything like that? C: No, it’s just part of it so we can have the whole look. H: And what about plans for a retail store. You were talking about wanting to do something like that. Is that anywhere near closer? C: Not in the immediate future but the online store is going really well. We don’t have any plans in the immediate future. H: But that’s definitely a direction you kind of want to go in or is just too something that’s too much to think about right now? C: Yeah I think it’s just one step at a time. I know it’s been a long time coming, but one day. I’m quite happy with the key retailers that we work with and that’s really working well. H: And since you have had your daughter how have you restructured your time? Has it changed a lot? C: It has changed a lot actually. I don’t have the same number of hours to be working away and I have learned to delegate a little bit better. I do have an amazing team who take care of a lot of the day-to-day things that need doing, I’m really lucky in that respect. I definitely couldn’t have done that in the early days. Although I guess people do, but it just would have taken a different direction. H: Has it meant that you allocate your time differently? Because I know from having a child I have become much more productive in the time I REMIX 178
do work. A lot less mucking around. C: I’d love to say that that’s the case. People told me that that is what would happen but I can’t say I feel at that point yet. (Laughs). H: Because I know you put on a show at fashion week and you were what, seven months pregnant at the time? C: Six months at fashion week. And then when Phebe was three months old the next year she was down there at the venue. H: How did you stay kind of calm and collected with that situation happening? C: Being pregnant and doing a show was fine… and then with having a little baby, well I’ve just got such a great support team. So she was really well looked after. It’s only really a small extra push aside from the normal kind of hours that have to go in anyway. H: Would you say that you are quite calm and collected in general? C: Yeah, pretty calm. H: You don’t let it fluster you too much? C: Not really, no. I’m quite calm. H: And you have always done big shows at Fashion Week, a few in The Tent. For a lot of designers that sort of freaks them out because it is such a massive operation. Is that again just relying on a great team to get it done? C: Yeah, definitely. I mean we started off in Shed One, Contemporary Salon. New Gen before that. H: Does that seating plan thing ever kind of freak you out a little bit, or do you just leave that to Chris? C: Emma has always done it in the past. But she’s no longer with me so in the back of my mind I’m slightly worried about it as I know how many hours she used to put into it and I’m hoping that it’s not going to fall on my head. I mean you want people to be happy so it’s slightly stressful, but I’m not too worried about it. Yeah, it should be alright. (Laughs). H: You can’t please everyone! If you could go back to when you did your first collection and decided to embark on this journey, would you do it differently knowing what you know now? C: No, I don’t think so. Every decision was made with the best of intentions and with my knowledge at the time, so I don’t have any regrets and I wouldn’t change anything. But then I guess knowing what I know now I’m sure there are things that I would change but I can’t really think what they would be! H: It’s kind of a different industry now isn’t it, to what it was a few years ago? C: I don’t really know, is it? H: It seems to me to be, I mean there’s the growth of things like showrooms and PR. C: Yeah that’s true. H: Which 10 years ago were unheard of, I mean there’s this whole hype generation. Where as before New Zealand labels just kind of came along, made a few things. The ones that succeeded, succeeded, other ones fell by the wayside. Do you think it’s a healthy industry to be in at the moment? C: I think it’s … I mean I feel fine about it. But I think it probably does destroy people, it’s definitely a burn out industry. People work pretty hard for not much return for a lot of the time. But yeah I guess it depends who you are and what your circles are. I feel like it’s a healthy industry for me and I was saying you know, I try to stay true to myself so yeah I don’t really compromise in that way. H: Do you think you have got it locked down now? C: Oh no, never. I’m always learning, always learning everyday. Learning something new.
info@stem.co.nz for retailer enquiries
Remix #67_Designer Discussions
kate sylvester H: Probably the first thing I’ve asked everyone is: how long have you been in the industry? K: Well forever really, considering I was selling shoes I made at 14. H: Were you really? At 14? K: Yeah, I have literally made and sold clothes since I was 14. We started Sister in 1993 but even before that I was doing market stalls and things like that. H: You worked in Europe as well, didn’t you? K: Yes, I started off by doing a year selling at Cook St Markets straight out of school. I was just 16 when I did that. Then I did a couple of years at Wakefield Markets straight after tech - after I had trained - and then I travelled to Europe to work. So that brings us to 1993, when I started Sister. H: You started out selling things at markets, which is not really done these days is it? K: No. I don’t know how I would do if I was 17 now. I mean the thing is I just sewed, I made my own clothes. I guess nowadays people are interning and working, maybe I would have done something like that for that year instead of doing 7th form. It would have taught me more than a market did, but it was good fun. H: That fact that you can actually sew is a rarity these days. K: Yeah. H: Do you think these days a lot of young designers just put a few pieces together and then get everyone to take care of the back end? Do you think they have got as much strength as designers as someone who knows the strength of fabric and how to put things together? K: I don’t know, I mean there’s just so many different ways that you can work and certainly if you’re producing things out of China then you don’t have to pick up a needle and thread ever… so certainly yeah, the industry has completely changed in that way. I think that’s something you can only really do by trial and error at the end of the day, learning about how the fabrics feel and what works for different shapes. You have to learn that’s through experience. But all that matters really is that you have an instinct and a love of clothes, because every designer is so different. H: You mentioned the Made in China issue. Do you think that’s the way all New Zealand designers are going to go within the next few years? K: I don’t know, I mean we are certainly trying to keep our productions onshore and trying really hard to sustain that, but it’s incredibly difficult. I can’t actually make the call on whether we can sustain it in the industry here or
not. I mean we would love it if we could, but things are changing so much, I don’t know. We’ll just keep doing it as long as we can. H: I was talking to another designer who has everything made here and she said that now as a designer you almost have to have this moral compass as well as thinking about clothes and who’s going to wear them and what you like. Now you have to think about morals and ethics more than you have ever had before. Do you agree with that? That it’s always going to be that topic that people bring up? K: I think that the whole moral compass thing, for me, is just about how you live your life, really. So that was very much what we have done in the area of sustainability, I’ve been extending how I think about the rest of my life and bringing that into my work. Everybody needs to stop and think about those issues no matter what you are doing or whether you are at home or at work. I think that’s just a part of life. H: Do you think your customers gravitate towards your collections because you do think about things like that? K: Well we have definitely got intelligent customers and get great feedback, so it certainly comes across as something that our customers value about the brand. H: Have you got a team that you have worked with for a long time? K: Well I was thinking about that the other day, and my stylist Karen Inderbitzen Waller is probably the one I’ve worked most with for the longest. So my team is a mix of new and old. H: And you’ve always had your husband Wayne on board, haven’t you? Would you say that he’s kind of key to your business? Was that always part of the plan? K: Always, yes. When we started Sister, he was Creative Director even back then. Totally on board with it and I can’t imagine doing it without him. It’s as much his as it is mine. H: And you’ve always had great ads. You put a lot a lot of time and energy into creating beautiful ads and that’s all Wayne. Creating beautiful look books. K: And he’s the sole Creative Director for our shows. H: Oh, I didn’t know that. K: Yeah, like with Diamond Dogs, he found that location. It was the environment that he wanted. H: Oh wow. K: He created all that lighting and how the show started REMIX 180
with the lights moving through. He creates all the lighting for the shows, too. All the misty lighting and lights outside, and the water that they walked through for Stop Your Sobbing. I totally wouldn’t know what a Kate Sylvester show would look like actually, without him. He creates the environments that are so important to making the shows work. We work on soundtracks together but he has huge input into that as well. Basically, his creative input is in all the shops, too. Like all the non clothes stuff. H: Does he ever get his fingers stuck into the clothes aspect as well? K: Yup, clothes as well of course. He’s a control freak! (Laughs). H: You have always done great ads in magazines and always placed ads around town. A lot of younger designers coming up seem to be treating advertising as a luxury and they don’t necessarily do it. Do you think it’s been integral to growing your brand? K: Yes, absolutely. And we have the luxury of having Wayne, this amazing Art Director on board. When I think of a lot of other brands, I can’t even visualize their campaigns. For us it’s a really important part of storytelling, creating a story that’s communicated through the ads and the catalogues. The whole issue of advertising is a real trick when you’re starting out, but for us it’s about communicating with our audience. H: You’ve never gone down the PR showroom route. Is there any reason for that? Because young designers are now investing their money in that rather than ads. K: Well again, when we started out showrooms didn’t exist here, although we have always worked with one in Sydney. We had to do it all ourselves here - networking and getting people on board - and now there’s no reason to change that. I guess the whole PR thing has become so sophisticated; it’s quite different to when we first started. I think we just called people up and they came and got stuff ? That connection is really nice. We had to write our own press releases and we kind of just knew how to do them. Again, just depends on your skill sets. If you cant write to save yourself, or you’re not proactive, you need help. It’s essential you need that kind of dialogue with press. We’re so lucky that we have really good relationships from having to start from scratch. H: And on the topic of press, when you do a show, are reviews still important to you? K: Yes! Absolutely! Why would you do it otherwise? H: Some designers treat their shows as branding exercise aren’t concerned as much with a review
‘When you do a show, you really care about and love what you have just done, so it’s impossible not to care about reviews’
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in Viva or on a website or a blog. I remember the last time I saw you; you were scanning all the ones from Sydney and having a look. So, it’s very still important to you? K: Yeah, absolutely. I mean when you put yourself out there it’s just like an actor in a play or a band performing. When you do a show, you really care about and love what you have just done, so it’s impossible not to care about those reviews. You want your work validated, it really matters. There is nothing better than a great review. The flipside is you can get bad ones, but it’s just the nature of the process. But I don’t know whether they make or break a season, though. H: Yeah, if someone loves them as a designer, they’re going to buy their clothes anyway. K: I’ve never got a bad review but yeah, it’s still important. H: Your customers, the ones that I personally know are very loyal. Do you think you instill a lot of loyalty in your customers? Or is there something about the way you have done things over the years that has fostered long time relationships? K: Yes certainly, there is amazing loyalty. Loyal customers are our most precious asset, absolutely. I think it’s a brand that’s really nice to buy into, and because it’s got a really strong identity there is something to hold onto there. They are great clothes and if they are working for you, then they really work for you. H: And you’ve never been very trend driven, either. I have got pieces of yours now that I bought when I worked for you and thank god they still fit! It’s never really been a real trend driven label because you don’t need that. K: It’s just not what I want to do. It really matters to me that I create clothes for people. I’m just not interested in making disposable clothes. So it’s really important that the pieces are pieces that people will love and wear. I’m just not interested, I just see it as it’s a really junkie part of the industry that’s not very satisfying for designers or consumers. H: How long ago has it been since the Sylvester label launched? Was it three years ago? K: Oh no, way longer than that. Wow, I think it is seven years now. H: Really? K: Yeah. H: So, is that a brand that you think is entry level to what you do, for younger customers who aren’t able to buy into the mainline? K: Yeah. I mean it’s very much that and just something else I can have. Because Kate Sylvester is so tightly themed and so concept driven, Sylvester is where we can have some fun. Certainly, with our retail, we need to offer a broader product so we can just sort of have some fun with it and do things. H: And Menswear. What’s happening with Menswear? K: Nothing much (laughs). There will be no Menswear in the show. H: Is that just on hiatus or? K: Don’t know. H: Not sure yet? K: Yeah. H: Was that a tough market to crack? K: Yes. Basically, Womenswear is a good patch for us. I just think boys shmoys. So, we didn’t do a Menswear collection for Summer, we just did a second Summer instead. The response was just so great that it’s quite hard to justify putting the time into Menswear. H: And you do a few other things, you’ve got your
sunglasses and you’ve got shoes. K: Yep, and the accessories. We do bags belts and all sorts. H: So do you design for all of those? K: Yep. H: You don’t farm it out? K: I’ve got designers and girls working with me and across all of it, but I just love doing all those accessories myself too much. H: So you don’t see it just as something you feel you have to do? K: No, no. They just come about because I just love creating that complete package. I completely love it and they are not a separate thing. They are totally tied into the collection to work with the collection, so it’s just a natural extension of the design process. H: So, how much time do you think you would actually spend designing as such? K: Not enough time, that’s for sure. I think that’s a frustration for anybody in the industry as most of us are so hands on with managing the business. So a huge part of my time is being caught up with just business and the business side of things and the PR side of things. But yeah, it fits in somehow. H: So you’ve just been in Sydney, taking Kate Sylvester internationally has always been a big focus for you, hasn’t it? K: Yeah, our main focus is completely on Australia at the moment because of the retail. We are really pushing the business because we are looking at doing another store over there as well. So yeah, that’s our plan for next year. H: Would that be Melbourne? K: Yeah, that is our what we want to do. So, our focus is very much on there at the moment. It’s a great market. H: Any farther field than that? K: Oh we sort of keep our fingers in pies further out, but at the moment our really active drive is Australia. H: Any plans to show at any other fashion weeks? K: It’s always in the air and something we are always looking at. We will probably be doing another trip in either late January or February I think, to check things out. For me at the moment, I just want to focus on getting that second store rolled into Australia before we can begin other stuff. H: Is the Australian market very different to the New Zealand market? K: Yes. It’s different but similar enough that our products work very well over there and we can’t survive without it. You literally can’t survive without Australia if you are a New Zealand brand, to really keep a sustainable business. You really have to think about that market and because we have been in that market for a quite a while now, it’s just natural for me. The extreme of what products sell in Wellington and what products sell in Sydney is just unbelievable. You have to think about that market when you are designing to really make that product work over there. H: Do you think Australian women shop very differently to New Zealand women? Do they dress very differently? Because the Australian woman I know shop a lot. They are always spending money. They always want more. K: I guess it’s more urban there and shopping is a big part of an urban lifestyle. But yeah, they shop more often but I was talking about it with our PR agent over there and saying that there isn’t that much brand loyalty. That doesn’t exist like it does here. H: That top to toe look? K: Yeah, they are more… H: Cherry pickers? REMIX 182
K: Yeah, because of that whole thing that they will shop more and just will be generally shopping. That’s different to us. H: You’re travelling overseas a lot, where are some of your favourite places to go? K: I don’t travel overseas enough actually. My favourite really is Paris. Absolutely. H: Because you lived in Paris for how long? K: Close to a year. H: Just a year? K: Yeah, I just love that city. Huge sentimental attachment to it. And I love New York as well. My two favourite cities. H: Would you say that New Zealanders are well dressed, having travelled quite a bit? K: They could do better. H: Yeah? K: Yeah. Could do a lot better, yeah. H: You see poorly dressed people in general? K: I mean we could definitely make more of an effort as a nation I think. H: Do you think the growth here in chain stores and D.I.Y kind of designers out there are meaning New Zealanders are dressing better or worse? K: I know when I was 17, 18, there weren’t a lot of chain stores at all. It was kind of market shopping like Victoria Park Market. As you got a bit more money, you would start spending your money on shops that were big around that time, the Workshop’s and the Zambesi’s. They kind of started popping up. Now there is so much on offer. It’s more predictable how people dress now, I think New Zealanders are self-conscious about dressing up and that would be my gripe with them. We just don’t put enough effort in and people want to be too casual all the time. When you get an invitation to something, and it says ‘dress Cocktail’, we just have no idea. H: The one I hate is ‘smart casual’. K: Yeah, it’s like when it’s ‘cocktail’ it means to throw on a pair of clumpy shoes? I think we are scared of sophistication I guess, as a nation. Scared even more of the criticism. H: With your policies on sustainability, do you think you agree with that international trend of ‘buying less buying better’? To spend a lot more money to get some really special pieces? Do you think it’s hard for the consumer to get that? When they can go into Topshop and buy five pairs of trousers for what it would cost to buy a pair of your trousers. Do you think the message is starting to get through to people? K: Yeah I think a few intelligent people can work it out. People will do what they will do. You have to do your own thing and our business is working, so there are enough people around us who work the same way and respond to the same things. That’s good enough. That’s what matters for me. H: Probably the last question, if you could go back those years and do it all again, what would you do differently from when you first started Sister? Would you do it all the same way? Forget about the boys this time? K: They were fun while they lasted! (Laughs). I don’t know, I guess I wouldn’t change anything. H: You were pretty young. K: Yeah, I’m really happy with where we are now, and what we’ve achieved. We had to go along the journey to get here and it’s been a pretty good journey. It’s been incredibly hard work but no, I can’t think of anything I would change. But if I could clone me and Wayne, that would be a great thing!
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions
murray crane
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PHOTO BY oliver rose REMIX 185
Remix #67_Designer Discussions
H: Probably the first thing is, due to the nature of what you do and the tailoring involved, would you would you consider yourself in the business of fashion? M: Kind of… H: Cause its kind of a little bit of a grey area really, isn’t it? M: Yeah well I have toyed with it. I remember when we first started out I never really kind of considered myself as a designer you know, because the focus was more on the retail side of what we did. But yeah, I think with Little Brother when we were doing that and with the shows that we put on definitely. We kind of sit on that fence between retail and design. H: What about the concept of tailoring, how does that relate? M: Well with tailoring you’re kind of designing oneoff garments for people all the time. The thought processes are all the same. And even though we design lots of individual garments for individual people, we’re sourcing fabrics and selecting colours. I mean a lot of people come to us with an absolute blank canvas, like they don’t come in going ‘I want a navy pinstripe suit with this color lining and this kind of, whatever’. H: They come in asking advice? M: They come in saying ‘your guys are the experts so what do you think I should get?’ That is where the boys in the store are really good. They are working within a framework that is kind of established by me because I am the one that is traveling and selecting the cloth and the trims and the detailing. What we probably don’t do is follow the fashion calendar quite so much, like we have started doing ready-to-wear again now so we can do it, but not in the same way that you would look at some one like Karen Walker or Kate Sylvester. H: Would you say that your customer now is the same customer that you had at the beginning? M: Yep. H: Have you got loyal customers? M: Absolutely, yeah. H: Who have been with you since day one? M: Yeah, lots of them. Which is great, and the profile of the company and customer is the same. We still have young people that shop with us, but not so much since we moved little brother into Barkers. Our older customers have very much grown up with us. That’s what I like about the business. A lot of our customers are the same age as me, and as I get older my tastes have changed and they grow with me. H: So how long have you been in the industry? M: 25 years H: What are the various roles that you have played? M: Always in retail, like always kind of front facing. I guess that’s always been my kind of passion I guess. I mean the industry is so small here you just need to be able to do all things. That’s how I kind of feel about all the things that I am doing now. A lot of things I don’t do on a daily basis but there is no real aspect of the business that I don’t understand, or know how to do myself so, yeah. I obviously worked for Zambesi before, and I have been doing this for 12 years now. H: Your guys are known for being incredible retail
assistants, you’d want to give them a better title than that for what they do. Do you think that New Zealand lacks in that area? M: Yep, absolutely. H: I think that it has improved a lot though. M: Yeah, but it’s still got a long way to go. I used to say that you got a lot better service overseas but I don’t know if that is the case any more. If you go to some places in Tokyo maybe you do and some places in Italy I think, but there are a lot rude surly people out there. H: It seems to be polar opposites: either rude and surly or opening the changing room doors and trying to sell you something you don’t want, nor need. Which I really hate. M: I hate that too! None of our guys would push in on you, but yeah, it’s hard to find good people. H: So do you think your fabulous retail staff have been key to your longevity? M: Yep definitely. I mean having that culture within the company is so important. I mean everyone that works with us - even the machinists and our cutters – knows that we are a retail company and not a designer label, so it is all about the customer for us. H: Do you think the fashion industry in New Zealand is a healthy place? M: What? To work in? H: Well yeah, just in general? M: Ummmm… H: There’s always a lot of young designers coming up? M: When the economy is good there is. H: But then again there are a lot of young designers out there that are doing half arsed t shirt brands and calling themselves the future of New Zealand fashion, too. M: Yeah there has been a lot of that (laughs). I think that it is easier to see it here, because like it’s a smaller scale. H: Yeah, you could be right. M: And I think that the rise of the PR agents have had a bit to do with that. There is almost like a series of default settings that you can go through to get publicity. Like whether it’s being with a PR agent… H: Or product placement? M: Yeah, and that has been quite a new thing. I think the growth of blogging and social media has meant that it’s a lot easier to kind of be published or famous for five minutes. H: You can get your name out there and very, very quickly… M: Yeah, and not necessarily have much substance behind it. No one seems prepared to really kind of just work away at it and chip away at it. And I think that also now there are a lot of people that don’t just understand the nature of growing a business. I mean I kind of grew up and worked with companies that were established and did everything. I mean working for Neville at Zambesi, they were still quite a traditional workroom environment, like everything was done in house and mostly still is. It has changed so much now and if you’ve got enough money you can just source something from overseas and make it. You don’t need to know how a garment is made if you have a good eye, you just pull something off a website and have it made. REMIX 186
H: Do you think that is to the detriment of New Zealand fashion? M: I actually think that it will be the saviour, in a way. It has made a lot of companies have to really re assess the way that they design their products. 10 years ago the likes of some quite well known companies here were probably going overseas, buying samples and blatantly copying them, and because there was only a small handful of people that actually traveled most people were actually… H: Oblivious? M: Totally in the dark about where it had come from. H: And now it pops up on Style.com and they are thoroughly busted. M: Yeah, it’s so instant. What we found with Little Brother when we were designing that collection was that we were pulling things out because we were finding other things that were so similar online. Everything that we have ever done has always come out of processes that are really important to us, and I think that as ‘Made in China’ becomes more prevalent it’s the one thing that a good company can have as its point of difference. It’s about owning that intellectual property and that’s the thing that you can’t really compromise on. So if you have a good creative process I think that you will always be ok. H: You’ve had your ups and downs in the business, have you ever been tempted in those 12 years to chuck it all in and put it in the too hard basket? When Little Brother went to Barkers, for instance? M: Nah. H: Never? M: Nah! H: What’s kind of kept you going do you think? M: Well that’s funny you mention the Barkers thing, cause that was quite a positive thing in the end. I think if you (pauses). If you have too much ego in this kind of business you’re always going to be afraid of making mistakes, so you’re not going to try and try new things. H: Yeah. M: Or you are going to end up hating it because its gonna kind of mess with you too much. I mean I just treat it like any other business, what your selling is irrelevant almost. You know what I mean? H: Having said that, do you take your work home with you? M: Ah well, yeah. H: You can’t help it? M: Well I work, and I love what I do. I mean I get up everyday and go to work and I love it, you just have to ask the people around me. It’s the single most important thing to me. I think if I stopped loving what I do, I wouldn’t do it. H: Could you see yourself in another industry? M: Maybe like the ad industry, something creative. That is what I always wanted to do when I left school. I love graphic art and art direction. I think that the advertising industry has a lot of parallels with the fashion industry. H: In that it suffers somewhat? M: Yeah, and I think that in the ad industry you got to be quite good at lots of things. My grandfather and my great uncle were both ad men and the kind of guys that could just turn their hand to anything, they could draw,
they could write. They just came from that kind of era when if you were a creative person you would just never say no. If someone said ‘could you write this?’ you would just give it a stab. H: How long can you see yourself turning up to work at Crane Bros? M: I don’t see any end to it really. Which is what I love about it, it’s not like we’re selling t shirts to 15 year olds. I could still be doing it when I am 80 if I wanted to. As long as you’ve got young people coming through that kind of keep everything fresh. That is one of the big things that I learnt working at Zambesi, and why they survive. H: Bringing a fresh eye to what you do is important? M: Yeah, and that’s what we kind of want to do for as long as we’re around. I mean we did that with Des Rusk, and now we’ve got Glenn working for us. There is always someone new in there, someone young in there, working that creative process. H: How do you find them? You are a notoriously tough employer, how do they get through the net? M: Well we’ve got some quite good contacts at AUT, which is good. And generally there is only one or two a year that want to do menswear and they tend to approach us, which is great. Sometimes we just find them. We’ve got a guy that’s trialing with us this week and he just came to the store and was wanting to get a shirt made. The way he communicated what he wanted and talked about it and the way he spoke about the cloth he obviously… H: Knew his stuff? M: Yeah, and he was pretty passionate about it. That was enough for me to kind of just go, ‘this guy’s kind of got something’, and it is nothing to do with his training or what courses he had done or anything. He just had the right kind of feel, you know. H: So, it has to be asked: do you think that New Zealanders dress well? M: I think some do. And I think that once again, it’s that small town kind of thing. If you look at the percentage of people that dress well in New Zealand it’s probably the same percentage of people that dress well in Paris, or Melbourne. I have seen some really badly dressed people in Paris. H: You travel a lot, I guess it’s where you go and who you know. M: Unfortunately here it’s just a bit more apparent. Dressing badly and also inappropriate dressing. During the day it’s freezing here and people are wearing like shorts and a t shirt. That just does my head in. H: Traveling internationally, do you have favourite places that you go? Was it Berlin that you were in recently? M: Brussels. I love going to Paris, even though that sounds so kind of clichéd. H: There is a reason why so many people love Paris. M: Yeah well that’s the thing, it’s a fantastic city. I do really enjoy going to London as well. A lot of people don’t really like London but I always have a great time when I go there. I think that’s just because of the love of tailoring and that love or retailing kind of thing. Once upon a time London was the nation of shopkeepers, and
there are still some really good retail stores there. H: And you’re sourcing a lot of your fabric out of Europe, yeah? M: All of our fabrics are sourced from European countries. Mainly Italy and little bit out of the U.K. H: That was a conscious decision you made quite recently, wasn’t it? M: Yeah we are doing more out of there. We are also starting to develop a relationship with a company over there with a view to manufacturing in Europe, which is something that I am quite keen on. H: Would that be an expensive outing? M: It is pretty expensive, but it’s things that we just can’t get done here. H: I suppose you got a certain number of customers that are willing to pay that little bit extra? M: Yeah, and we can do most things here but just their level of craftsmanship has been kind of lost here a little bit. If we want to compete internationally that’s what we need to do. It’s my pet project at the moment. H: Do you think that’s also key to your longevity, diversification and having the courage to try things? You know try Gubb & Mackie, try Little Brother… M: Yeah, I am not afraid of failing. I know a lot of people think that working in the fashion industry is quite an easy job. I know you go to the odd event and stuff, but if you are really going to work in this industry, you are going to have to work pretty hard. There are very few people that don’t have other strings to their bows, like most of successful designers own their own businesses and there are a lot of other things that they do that have nothing to do with design. I probably spend about two hours a week on design, it’s like an afterthought, the thing that I do after I have done everything else. I hear people say ‘I want to own my own business because I want to have a great lifestyle’, and I think ‘have you got rocks in your head?’ If you want a lifestyle go and work for someone else, so that you can leave at five o’clock and go home and not have to worry about it. H: Who are some brand and designers that you look at and really respect maybe their business sense or design sensibilities? M: Locally or internationally? H: Either. M: More and more now I am starting to appreciate small businesses that have an optimum size. The businesses that I really like are small businesses that are quite passionate about their product, and don’t compromise on what they do. H: I have been following Alexandra Owen’s rise closely, and the way she does business. She has a dress coming in for summer that is $1300 and has something like eight metres of fabric in it, which is insane. But it’s beautiful. M: But she might sell it, so good on her. I think that she is one of the few designers that I have seen recently that kind of looks like she’s got guts, you know. There seems to be a whole lot of designers that are just falling by the wayside and haven’t gone to the next level. The other thing that really surprises me is the number of designers that don’t have opening a retail business as part of their business plan, they think that can just wholesale REMIX 187
to other stores, and make a living out of it, and… you can’t. You really do need to have enough belief in your product and your brand to be able to put your name on it and open a store. Then it becomes so much more about the environment and the people and almost lastly, the product. H: I suppose having a store is a way of exposing people to the whole ethos of the brand, and the lifestyle surrounding your brand. M: Aesop is a brand that really springs to mind when I think about that. They are a brand that have gone from being a kind of a wholesale, beautiful product that could have just stayed under the radar, to one that has really broken through with great success because they really believe in what they are doing and have a really good product. H: Does good or bad press matter to you still? M: Not really, I mean it’s always good to have stories about you and I think its good to remind people of the things that you do. The one thing that has been really good for us is the website, it has been really successful for us. I mean I try and write something every day, and I people follow that - people that know the brand and follow what we do. Recently we have started advertising, after 10 years of not doing any ads at all. There were a couple of reasons why we did that, we felt it was a good opportunity to do it while the economy was quite tight, and put a positive foot forward and say this is what we are doing. Also because in New Zealand there are very few avenues out there for menswear placement, it’s ridiculous. You might be lucky if you have six editorials a year. H: Have you ever been tempted into womenswear? M: Yeah, we toy with it. We do it kind of unofficially, under the radar. It’s more that they come to us. H: If you could go back 25 years and do it all again, do you think that you would still be in the industry that you’re in now? Knowing what you know now? M: I think so. I know where I have ended up, and where I want to be in terms of what I am doing. It’s got nothing to do with money, it’s just doing something that you are really passionate about. At the end of the day I think that is what is important. It is a lot of struggle, and time working for other people going, ‘am I doing the right thing?’ I always had in the back of my mind that it is leading somewhere and it’s all just going to fall into place. I remember when we first started Rob and I were standing in the shop and it was 3pm and no one had even come in. We always manage to pull it out of the bag though, and seem to do more turnover than we used to. Everyone morning I wake up and know that we are going to have people come in, it never goes away. H: It keeps you getting up in the morning? M: Totally, you never know what is going to happen and it is pretty fickle. We have tried to make it as unfickle as we can by what we do. We may as well be really well known for doing one thing and doing that really well. It makes perfect sense to me.
Remix #67_Designer Discussions
trelise cooper
HELENE: How long would you say you have been in the business of fashion, as in really a part of the industry? Trelise: That might have been when I first went into some companies to work as a house model-slashreceptionist; I would have been 18 or 19 years old. I worked for Amco Jeans in 1979, did some work for Walter Hart, and was a house model at Marler Shoes. Even though that was modeling shoes it was always in the fashion colours of the time. I would get sample pairs of shoes because I was sample size and then I would go shopping for the garments to go with them. That was probably my real beginning in the fashion industry. My husband has always been in the rag trade so it was in my home everyday, and I began designing in 1984 for the first time. H: Can you remember the first piece you designed to completion? Was it something that you designed for yourself? T: I don’t specifically remember - that’s weird isn’t it? (Laughs). But I remember the collection well. The collection that I really was passionate about was a sailor collection. There was a navy dress with a really long white collar down the back and I also did suiting in this sort of 1920s nautical theme – white linen with navy piping or navy linen with white piping. I loved that collection and still think about it often. H: Was fashion always the only career option for you? Was that always what you wanted to do? T: No, I didn’t realise you could have so much fun working! I thought I was going to be a shorthand typist, but once I got in and around that industry I went ‘wow… this is so cool! I love this!’ I really had no idea what the fashion industry was about except that I shopped a great deal. As a teenager my dad would take me shopping whenever I wanted and buy me anything I wanted because he loved clothes too, so we would stack piles of clothes on the counters and he would say ‘she’s having all of that!’ So I knew about fashion from that angle, from buying it, but I never really connected the dots as to how it got there and it wasn’t really until I started working in fashion that I realized that it would be a cool thing to do. H: Do you think it’s a shame these days that students are coming out of universities and polytechs that have been taught how to design, but haven’t had that kind of background in the industry – haven’t seen the ins and outs, the dirty
back end of the industry – and they think it’s just a matter of designing a collection and people will buy it? T: That sort of thing can’t be taught, and I believe that when you go to any sort of educational institution, you always get only a theoretical viewpoint. You’re always going to come out with just theory and that’ll get rubbed off real quick and there’ll be disheartened and disillusioned students littering workrooms all over the place. They’ll find themselves actually unpicking things, making coffee… and that can only be learned through working in a workroom. H: Were you taught? T: No, self-taught, and I guess my ‘university’ was my own business. I wanted my own shop and I sold a house I owned to do it – back then that was a really big deal, a big, big deal. But I’d decided that in order to have this dream, to achieve it, I needed to risk all – sink or swim – and learn it fast. And I made lots of mistakes and I cost myself a great deal of money, but because it was my own money I learned very quickly not to make those same mistakes twice. People’s aspirations for their children these days are not to have them sitting behind a sewing machine, but traditionally that was how you learned the trade – you entered the industry at the bottom and progressed through the ranks. Now they enter an educational institution and they learn in a different way, but what we do is have as many work experience opportunities - internships and so on – available as possible. If anyone writes to us expressing interest in doing some work experience, we take all of them on, and they do all sorts. They come in and we tell them ‘you just have to be prepared to do whatever is requested of you, whatever that may be’. That might be working on data entry, stuffing goodie bags, finding lace and tea dyeing it, helping photograph something for a book. Anything and everything, across all aspects of the business, and we generally have very lovely feedback. It is all about trying to give them as much of an overview as possible. H: How many people do you have working here? It seems like you have hundreds! T: In this building we might have 60, but overall we have 11 stores so we have maybe 120 staff ? H: Is it a very close-knit bunch? It seems to be in here… T: Yeah it’s very family-oriented and I guess a lot of people have worked here a really long time, some of REMIX 188
them right from the beginning when I started this version of the business in 1997. I like that because I do this because I love it, it doesn’t seem like work to me. To be able to integrate friendship into my daily life, spending it with people I want to spend it with, is fantastic. We go away together, we see each other outside of work, and we do a lot as a team. We all spend a lot of time in here and you don’t want to do that with people you don’t gel with. H: Do you find it hard to stop working then, surrounded in your down time by your staff? T: Sometimes, yes. But it’s hard to know where work starts and stops and sometimes I have to go ‘right, I’m not going to talk any work at all’. But it’s what we all love to do, so it’s not really like we’re working, we’re literally just kind of shooting the breeze. H: You travel a lot – where are some of your favourite places to travel to? T: Definitely France – I love France. I especially love Paris, but Paris is so totally different to the rest of France. I do also love rural France, I love living in little villages, visiting the little antique fairs… I love Italy, Tokyo, China, Beijing, America … I like lots of places… H: And with all the travel that you do, would you say that New Zealand women dress well, or whether they have a particular way of dressing? T: Yeah I do think New Zealand women dress well, I think we’re really fashion savvy and quite discerning and put looks together really well. H: A lot of your customers are very loyal, and they will do a top to toe Trelise look, which you don’t see everywhere. Is that one of the reasons you did a younger diffusion line – to appeal to the younger women in order to introduce them to your line and have them sort of grow up with the label? T: The diffusion line came about because the main line is quite a dressed up look, for a lot of people it’s special occasion only. I mean, here we wear it every day but for other people it’s quite dressy, and so we did the diffusion line to offer a more casual approach to the Trelise Cooper look if you like. Having done that it has picked up a more contemporary, younger feel to it. We have picked up another client base as well. H: You’ve got your fingers in so many pies – do you have different design teams devoted to each of those design projects? T: No, I have myself plus Shona and Kate, who’ve worked for me right from the beginnings. We’ve grown
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions
up with each other and they work on the design team with me. And then we have our pattern makers etc – but no, our design team on everything is just the three of us, about to be four actually. H: That’s really small considering how much you do! T: Yeah I must say we do feel very stretched, we’re a bit overwhelmed with the workload and that’s why we’re adding to the team. We have lots of exciting things coming up but it seems like we have less time than we’ve ever had. H: You have a lot of special events for your loyal VIP customers – do you think that’s really integral to your success? Do you design with them in mind rather than just make a collection and think ‘yes, people will buy these’? T: Mine is a much more emotionally involved process, and I like to be emotionally involved with the people I work with, so I’m a bit like that with my customers as well. And I think about what they’ll do in these clothes and how they’ll be worn, and so I look at it from the viewpoint of my customers. It’s not just about selling it; it’s about how it will appeal to a woman to solve a problem in her life. And the sales come as a result of that. I never make a collection to try and hit a target – that’s not how it works. I don’t function like that. H: Do you think that the growth of chain stores in New Zealand has impacted on designers like yourself? Do you think it’s throwing too much choice out there? T: Do you know – I haven’t had any decrease in my sales in the last four years, and that’s been over a recessionary time, so I would have to say no. But, I do think that chain stores coming in are good, because it does give more choice to women and it means that some basics – like singlets or tights - can be bought from a chain store. I made them they would be expensive, just because of the overheads that I incur, whereas a chain store can do a great job of those sorts of basics. The price point of some of the chain store garments also allows women to make some more risky, individual fashion choices – I like that you can do that. H: As a regular show-holder, does the press reaction to your collections still matter to you? T: The thing about the press is that they have the ability to cast you in a certain way or say something that really may only be their own opinion, and that’s what the public - the people who don’t get the chance to go to the shows and are otherwise uninformed about what’s happening - see. So if that particular journalist doesn’t like what you’ve done, no matter what everyone else at the show thought, that’s what people will read about – and it does bug me for a day. But I do think people are actually a little wiser about media these days, and they’re aware that sometimes things are just said in the quest for a sensational headline rather than honest reporting. When I read movie or restaurant reviews, I still make my own opinion of it, I don’t take it word for word. So I expect that people who care about Trelise will form
their own opinion as well. Flippant comments annoy me because when you put on a show it’s no small feat – you’re putting something of yourself out there and a lot of effort goes into it. It doesn’t always have to be favourable, but I do think sometimes it should be more accurate. H: So you prefer for the pictures to speak for themselves then? T: I do actually, fashion is a visual medium. H: Neville Findlay said to me he gets furious when he reads something about a Show that focuses on a model breaking a heel and not at all about how the actual collection was. T: Exactly – the sensationalism! It’s really true, the sensational headlines are often more important it seems than the review of the show, and the thoughts and creativity that have been put into it. H: Going back to the family aspect of your business, you’ve always had your husband on board, your son does the music for your shows – was that a conscious decision? T: No, my husband isn’t involved on a day-to-day basis; he only gets involved at Fashion Week time, when we need extra hands. He’s retired, but he’s involved daily with me and is incredibly supportive. And because he’s worked his whole life in this industry he has great understanding of it, which is great because it can be really demanding and time-consuming. As for my son, he really wasn’t into fashion until he was about 17 and then he had this huge shift to the complete opposite, but he has always loved music, of all genres. Whenever we meet, music is a big part of our ‘getting to know you again’ sort of thing, because he lives overseas. He’ll often listen to a piece of music and email it to me and say ‘Mum, this would be perfect to walk to’, and he’ll tell me the story behind the group or singer or whatever, and I like that. He lives in Europe so he has access to some quite different bands and musicians, he hears about things firsthand. I really like his choice of music. H: Your show music is always really upbeat and fun. I was interviewing Sasha from Bettjeman’s hair salon recently and he was saying how he loves working on your shows because everyone is always having such a good time. Is that something you try and encourage? T: Yeah, I’ve been backstage for group shows and shows for other designers sometimes, and they’re screaming and stressed out, tantrums are being thrown, it’s pandemonium! It’s really stressful and unpleasant. This was a while back, I don’t know if it still happens like that now, but I actually want my models to feel good about walking for me, so I’ll make sure they are comfortable. My shows are big, there are lots of changes and they’re fast. I expect a lot of them, but they always deliver. I think they do a fantastic job, so I want them to feel good about what they’ve done for me. It’s the same for the hair and make up teams. It’s a collaboration, and I don’t want to be living this life unless everyone is happy doing what they’re doing. REMIX 190
H: You do seem to use a lot of the same models over and over again, obviously favourites of yours. What are the criteria for being a model in your shows? T: They have to be nice to deal with, walk well and show off the clothes well, but they also have to be a bit of a chameleon. It’s also about the size of the industry here, we have a pool of models but it’s not a big pool, and when you’re putting on a show, especially at Fashion Week, if you use girls who don’t have a lot of experience you don’t get the shots that you need off the catwalk. And so I like the tried and true girls because I know I’m going to get a good shot of them every time. I like a mix of a few new and different and experienced girls. I also prefer tall girls, at least 5’10’, so while there are a lot of beautiful girls around, they’re often 5’7’ or 5’8’. I think it looks odd on stage when there are such different heights so I like all the girls to be all around the same height. H: You’ve never been shy about having close relationships with celebrities. Charlotte Dawson has walked in a few of your shows and just adores your clothes. Do you think that’s worked for your brand? Because not a lot of New Zealand brands have really done that. T: I guess I haven’t done that intentionally… How that has evolved is by me being asked by celebrities if they can borrow something and I’ve said ‘sure, you’re most welcome to,’ and from there they’ve become friends. Charlotte in particular looks lovely in the clothes… H: And she meets your height requirement! T: Yes, she meets the height requirement (laughs). She’s just gorgeous. So really I haven’t gone out celebrity seeking, it’s just because mostly they’ve come to me and asked to borrow something for an event. H: My last question would be, if you could go back to 1979 and knowing what you know now, would you do anything differently? T: I don’t think I would. I’ve had a blast; it’s been a really amazing ride. I started my own business in 1984 for about five years and that was really fantastic, it was a wild ride back them but in a different way. I didn’t wholesale but I still had lots of fun and loved every day and it was full on and crazy. And then when I started again in ’97, it was from the kitchen table, and I really thought I would be doing it from home, just a little thing to keep me busy (laughs)! But it’s been a fantastic ride too, and I really love coming to work everyday. The hardest thing in this job is to get time designing. It’s my most important role here, but probably the most difficult to do, the most neglected one. Because you have to put your owner’s hat on, you have to put you employer’s hat on, there’s lots of hats you need to wear and also if you’re the face of your own brand, there’s all the marketing and so on. So really the only thing I’d do differently is to be stricter about giving myself time to design. But I don’t think that would happen anyway!
blackboxboutique.com SPRING / SUMMER 2010 / 2011 now in store 35b Surrey Crescent, Grey Lynn & new store now open @ The Department Store, 10 Northcroft Street, Takapuna, Auckland.
Remix #67_Designer Discussions
Benny Castles & Francis Hooper H: How long have you been in the industry now Francis, really involved in fashion? F: Since 1984. I started in retail in London then, and also did a bit of freelance. At that time fashion wasn’t what it is like now, even the super brands didn’t think they were super, they were just starting to be brought up by the Bernard Arnault’s of the world . When I moved to London, Louis Vuitton was still owned by Louis Vuitton, there was no such thing as conglomerates. I worked in the workroom for Michiko Koshino and that gave me the opportunity to see the other side, rather than just selling. She was very much a struggling, London-based Japanese designer. H: That’s a name I remember from reading The Face when I was about sixteen. F: The Face loved her. And she did cool things like blow up clothes, she was really experimental. And if you actually go back and archive those people, they really influenced me. It’s all about innovation, all about avant garde, all about pushing the envelope. Your job as a designer isn’t just to supply a demand that’s already out there but to show something new. So I come from that genre. Then I worked for a while for Krizia, the Italian brand luxury brand. Oh my God, just rich bitches… it was fabulous. It taught me about luxury from day one. I was just a fabulous nobody who liked going out, just tragic. And so working at Krizia taught me to focus, it was all about the right marble and the right cashmere, and the right everything. And then when I was really good at selling that stuff I was kind of a bit bored, so they put me in the warehouse. And in the warehouse I stumbled across a brand they had bought… called John Galliano. I became his slave, basically. I worked part-time with John, who only worked with them for one year before they kicked him out for being too experimental. He was a genius; even then you could tell he was someone very special. But a very, very temperamental person. And so I started in 1984, and worked in many facets of the business, and then I got caught. Illegal! I was illegal! I got caught and kicked out of Europe. I wouldn’t have come back (to New Zealand), but I got deported (laughs). H: So ending up back in Auckland? F: Yeah, right in ’87. H: Was that a nightmare? F: Yeah, like suicide. H: Like being hit in the face with corrugated iron. F: Yeah, like with a wet, wet piece of dog shit. Um, so I came back here and worked for a company called California. California was in Vulcan Lane, next door to Zambesi. I worked in there, and I don’t how we survived. The first sale of the day, or the first sale of the week was
maybe Wednesday. Then Nigel Richards poached me, and I worked for him and Chris at Workshop. H: And that was when Workshop was in Century Arcade? F: Yeah. So I worked 50 per cent of the time at Century Arcade, and 50 per cent of the time at Parachute, which was where Wendy’s is now, opposite Smith and Caughey. H: Why did you start WORLD? What made you suddenly want to do your own thing? Was the time just right? F: To be blunt, because we were bored shitless. I don’t want to be arrogant but I could do retail with my eyes shut, with the people I was working with. It was boring, it was really boring. You know the big thing at the time in those stores was like, Japanese salvage denim from Levis. I wanted to leave the country straight away; I just wanted to get out. But I was deported so I couldn’t go back, I couldn’t go, okay, I’m going to save my money and go back to London. So I was kind of stuck and I guess it’s really in my DNA to be entrepreneurial, and I’m not scared of risks. So I just thought ‘oh, I’m so bored, this place is hideous. I’m not into marijuana, I’ve got to do something!’ And so what I went back to was music. Denise and I formed a partnership and we did one-nighters. And it sounds crazy but in those days there were no such things as one-nighter, you know, now there’s one-nighters at the local school. But we did onenighters in ’87. And that’s the beginning of WORLD as it was then. I had no money to start a business, and so did these one-nighters to raise cash. They were hugely successful. They were ridiculous. I knew that I didn’t want to do it as a profession, the music scene in New Zealand is really sleazy, the nightclub scene. And when I started to do one-nighters, I remembered why I didn’t like working in nightclubs. It’s druggy, it’s gang-related, it’s hideous. It was the only one time in my life it was all really calculated. So we went in, did I think six or seven shows, and finished. And that funded WORLD. And then it was just serendipity that a little shop came up in Century Arcade. It was a hole in the wall, and it was $100 a week rent. We took the lease and we just started selling. H: And when did you start designing your own ranges? F: A year later. So the first year was buying and selling. H: You opened with Tracey Collins… F: Yeah, in the beginning we opened with just our friends… so it was Tracey Collins, Mathew von Sturmer, the guy from Magazzino, Stuart Shepherd. He was just starting with Propaganda we said ‘why don’t you let us have those titles and we’ll sell them?’ And then Karen REMIX 192
Walker approached us. H: And she was only doing men’s shirts. F: Only men’s, she was a menswear designer. And so we said, ‘yeah why not?’ At that time we weren’t doing collections, we just did stuff, like, ‘let’s do lava lava print shirts for guys!’ H: Like a little capsule collection, which is what we call it these days. F: Yeah, yeah. We just made cool stuff. We made hats, we made ties, we didn’t even have a sewing machine. We just handmade things at night and then sold them the next day, it was truly hand to mouth. And you wouldn’t be able to survive like that now. In those days, there was no competition, because it was only a two-horse town – it was Zambesi and Workshop. So you either bought black or you bought denim. So it was just this wonderful void that we didn’t even realize. When we opened we literally, and I’m exaggerating a little bit, we would literally sell out every weekend. And so we did that and it took us a year to buy our first machine, we actually bought it off Feline. That was when we were able to do a collection. I’d say maybe 1991 was our first collection, and we did women’s only, because Karen did the men’s. Then in ’91, we moved to the sushi bar, 18a High Street. So that’s WORLD. H: And Benny, when did you become involved? B: In 2001. H: And you started off in the shop. B: Yeah, pretty much, I came straight out of high school, and started in the shop that January after. My first job was actually as a waiter at Prego. Okay not a waiter, I won’t say that because I wasn’t very good. H: A busboy? B: A busboy, and I cleaned the lettuce, which I felt was my most impressive role. WORLD was somewhere that I knew, and a friend of the family was managing the men’s store at that time. And so I kind of had an in and basically there was a position for me when I had made quite a conscious decision to work. And fashion was something I was very, very interested in but didn’t know much about. And I had no training at all. And so I started in the shop that year and worked pretty much full-time from then on with WORLD. I did a couple of acting projects, but that was only short-lived. I got to a position where the acting thing was something I enjoyed but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the fashion. So I made a decision, which am I going to follow, as a career. And it was an interesting time, around maybe 2004/ 2005, the company was bursting at the seams to expand, and WORLD has always been - and continues to be - a place where people are kind of promoted from within. A lot
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions of people don’t see retail that way. There are careers for people in retail, and a lot of people don’t see that or expect that. I saw there was a lot of opportunity and it was good timing because the menswear part of the business was not necessarily neglected, but it was very much still an afterthought from the women’s. F: Womenswear is more important, it’s still 80/20. And that’s relative to most of the world, only in Japan is it 50/50. H: And Francis, when Benny first came to work in the shop, did you recognize straight away that he was someone who would stick around? F: No, I didn’t talk to him for months. He was just a staff member, he was employed while I was overseas on business, so when I came back it was like ‘who’s that guy?’ But very quickly, I saw he was someone who had a lot more potential, he’s a natural leader. Plus, he likes different things. I wanted to see how much he could take in, so basically he became my assistant, my shadow. I made that a conscious choice, I didn’t tell him that. And basically, he kept up with my speed, and in many cases surpassed it. B: I think I was really lucky. It was sort of part my nagging, part there being an opportunity to expand the menswear. I was annoying Francis and going ‘you know we can do more, we should do this, we should do that’. Even to this day, I still work at least one day a week in the store, because it’s important to know what’s happening, what’s selling, what people are enjoying, who’s coming into the store. So after my niggling and, I guess youthful arrogance, Francis said, ‘you do it’. F: WORLD is a character brand, it’s all about the character, and I saw a great character. Now if you walk into a WORLD men’s store, you’re walking into Benny’s space. The clothes, the things, the eclecticness of the mix, it’s Benny. Maybe I guided it a little bit, but it’s Benny. It’s all about ‘onion boys’, layering it up, lots of layers and colours. It’s that X-factor that makes us stand out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. B: I think the good thing for me is that because the majority of my adult life, my relatively mature life, H: - work in progress – B: - yeah work in progress, I’ve been involved in WORLD. So really my personality has been in many ways cultured by the environment. H: So you’ve grown up with WORLD, and WORLD Man has grown up with you? B: Yeah, exactly. And for me the challenge was to turn my hands to design, that was a wonderful challenge. And what I enjoyed most about it is that I got the full gambit of, like Francis said, what fashion is. H: So you’ve seen it firsthand. B: Yeah, so what I enjoy most about the process is the whole process. Starting from the idea, working that through into something that we’re extremely happy with and excited by, and then the merchandising and presenting it. The way that it’s sold to a customer through the representatives in the store, the way it’s put into the bag and the way it’s delivered to the customer… the whole experience of the retail. That is the real pleasure. H: Do you think that’s sorely lacking still in New Zealand? F: I think so. H: When I was shopping in the weekend, I noticed the care was lacking. F: The lack of sophistication – H: - and finesseF: - yeah, that’s a great word. B: I think it’s also, and we talk about this with our team a lot, it’s about experience. A customer walking into the store must have an experience. It can’t just be about buying something functional, because what we’re trying to do is not sell someone a top or a skirt, the idea is to sell
them an idea. And that’s why WORLD has always sat outside the main trend lines of fashion in New Zealand, because it’s always really been about selling the idea. And when people talk about concept stores and stuff like that, WORLD naturally is that, it’s not trying to be a concept store. F: I used to be kind of freaked out in the beginning when we used to show, and people would say, ‘I don’t get it, I don’t get it’. But now I see it as a compliment. When you come into our stores, we can then find out who you are, and then we fit those big ideas into your life. So when people say, ‘ah my God, who would wear that, what are you doing?’, that is actually a compliment because for me as an older designer, my brief is to confound you, intrigue you, is to show you something new that you haven’t seen. It’s something different rather than, ‘ah, yeah I like that, I’ve seen that before’. B: The difficult thing is to put World into a box. It’s not a genre brand, it’s not a young woman’s brand, it’s not an older woman’s brand, it’s not a weekend brand, it’s not an evening brand, it’s not a formal brand, it’s not a business brand. And it’s not a cheap brand or an expensive brand. It’s very hard to put your finger on it. I was in the Ponsonby store, working a shift there last Sunday, and I had a young girl come in with her mum to buy a frock, you know a party frock, which was gorgeous. Then I had another woman come in and buy the same dress in a different colour who would have been forty years older. I’ve had that experience many times in WORLD when you’ve got people from very different walks of life, but what connects them all is this sense of personality. And that’s really the only way I can describe WORLD - it’s a personality brand. It really is about dressing that person’s mind, as opposed to her function. F: We’re not a tribal brand, we are definitely outsiders. It’s those eccentric people in the population that are different thinkers, live a different life, and so to be successful in shopping, they come to us. H: Going back to your shows, you were saying people say to you, ‘I just don’t get it’, do you think about your shows as a way to amplify that personality as a branding exercise, as opposed to something that someone sits there and goes, ‘oh yeah, I’ll make sure I have one of those’? F: Absolutely. We don’t put a show on to sell you clothes. It comes back to the same idea of selling the idea, capturing the moment. So in the end, you’re getting a great experience. But we don’t have an eftpos machine at the show, we’re not selling you clothes. B: It’s also about selling the spirit of the brand. Like when Tom Ford did the Gucci campaign shaving the ‘G’ into the woman’s pubic bush. He wasn’t selling pubic bushes, he was selling Gucci and selling sexy. F: And we’re not volume and we don’t want to be. We do not want to be a volume operator where it’s like 60,000 sweatshirts, with a butterfly on it. That doesn’t excite us. B: And I think what excites us is that very personal level of shopping. When someone has that fun experience and you go, ‘wow, I got something really special’. F: One thing that has really invigorated our brain in the past four years is the WORLDbeauty stores. That came out of fashion. B: WORLD was the first place to sell Dolce & Gabbana perfume in New Zealand. First place to sell Calvin Klein underwear, first place for Paul Smith perfume in New Zealand, Yohji Yamamoto! F: And this is crazy, the first store you could buy American baseball caps in the country, the first store you could buy fashion Doc Martens in the country, the first store you could buy a printed fucking fashion t-shirt in the country. And now, god, you can buy that at the bloody gas station. But getting back to the beauty stores, we just redefined it. We’ve always had it in that wonderful clutter of the REMIX 194
Deluxe store, but it was something we were neglecting so we extracted and gave it’s own life. B: We believe New Zealanders can handle and enjoy and want luxurious aspects in their life. And when I say luxurious, it doesn’t just mean expensive. There are things in the WORLDbeauty store which are $15, but it’s still a luxury. That’s what small luxuries are about. H: Do you think it’s opened you up to a whole new audience as well? For people who wouldn’t go into WORLD for the clothes. F: Oh, absolutely. And when you go to a beauty store, it’s still that eclectic mix that is a juxtaposition of lots of things, and it’s a real confusion and we did that on purpose. We do it to really blow your mind. If you go into the beauty stores, it’s like, ‘holy shit, this isn’t a beauty store, wait a minute, back the bus up!’ H: That’s what I find when I go into the Beauty store, it’s like sensory overload, it’s like too many smells, aaaarrrgh! F: Too many everything. You know it’s like crosses, beads, candles… It’s been a great time for us. H: And that was another question, you grew during the time of the recession. F: WORLD started in 1987 - 1989. H: So you emerged from a crash? F: And the worst year after that crash, was ’91. And that’s when we moved from the little shop, to High Street. So the time of boom, we’re actually quite quiet. B: During a recession people are more afraid to spend money and have less money to spend, and that’s natural for all of us. At the same time, people still do have money to spend. And people still want to feel good. And they’ve got those decisions in their life, you know, less people are travelling, less people are redoing the kitchen, less people are putting the deck on the back of the house, less people are buying a new car they’re just letting the one they’ve got carry on with the next few years. A lot of those big decisions have been taken out of their lives, but they’ve got money and they’ve got expendable income. And so they want to spend it on something that makes them feel good. H: I need something new… B: Yeah, we find a way in which we can give them a sense of happiness and enjoyment. The same way a wonderful piece of art would, or for a guy, a really coollooking car if that’s what you’re into. And it’s about those people finding WORLD and going, you know what, this is something that I’m into. These are ideas that I’m enjoying and thinking are beautiful. And that’s what we really talked about during the recession. F: One thing is that we’ve got to make what we do so special. So that people at the end of their week, when they get their pay cheque… B: ‘I’ve worked really hard, and I’ve made this money and I want to make myself feel good. What am I going to spend it on?’ We want to be in their top two or three choices for the people who really love what we’re doing. Because if we don’t make that experience special, people won’t come back, people won’t enjoy the ideas. And that’s why we do it so seriously and with such a passion. F: And we don’t sell basic stuff. Max, a hundred other stores are just clothes. But if you’re looking for fashion, or something to take you forward, okay let’s play. And that’s maybe one of my weaknesses, I assume what my customer is looking for is like that. B: It’s not arrogance, it’s saying you know, people aren’t stupid. Not everyone wants a t-shirt. I think in New Zealand people operate on a much more individual level. New Zealand hasn’t had the experience of 20 or 30 years of chain stores hammering them about what’s cool and what’s new. People have grown up and matured and experienced fashion, in a very individual way, with brands like WORLD, or say Zambesi and Workshop,
book club
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions
liz & neville findlay H: So first things first… when did you first start in the industry? L: I guess it depends on what you mean by start. I was doing some modeling when I was 16 in Dunedin because I just was drawn to the idea of dressing up and always had been. That of course did not go anywhere when I moved to Auckland at the age of 21, when I began working in the industry. I guess I entered through the back door. I was 21, so that must’ve been 1971. Maybe before that? What year did we get married? N: We got married in 1971. L: So, must’ve been 1969? H: And what were you doing? L: I went to work for a company called Derek Batts, who actually still exist. I started working in admin and asked to be transferred into production after some time. H: Had you trained? L: No, I just loved clothes and learned on the job. I did what our production manager here does which is organising all the cuts and component parts, ordering all the trims and all that kind of thing. It was all manual of course. It was hands on. I loved it. It gave me an insight into how the workroom works. That was where I learnt how to use the industrial machines. I had a sewing machine but it wasn’t an industrial machine. H: What was the first thing you made for yourself? L: Like for myself as a young person? H: Yeah, or something that you made that you were proud of? L: I use to make all sorts of things. I can’t remember any particular one thing. My mother was such an amazing seamstress and she used to help me and so it is hard to remember when I actually made something completely without her input. Probably not until I moved to Auckland. H: You can’t remember putting it on or wearing it out or…? L: Typical of my generation, we always made something new to wear out on Saturday night. There wasn’t anything in particular. We use to make really cool tent dresses. It was the Sixties and Seventies so it was all very simple shifts in crazy fabrics or hot pants and maxi coats. H: And when did you start designing and thinking that you wanted to do your own thing? L: From Derek Batts I moved on to working at a great boutique in K’Road called Fotheringay and then for a fabric importer, so I sort of educated myself about the industry, if you like. Then I worked for Walter Hart in his small workroom in Upper Queen St as a Girl Friday and Neville and I decided we would look for a small
store. So our idea was to get into retail and have a small boutique stocking some favorite brands. H: Was that on Lorne Street? L: No,this was pre-Zambesi and it was in Parnell Village. I started making a few things on the side. The first thing that I made was an eight gored skirt. I loved acquiring all these amazing fabrics like Biba of London to make these skirts in. H: Did you start making things to fill gaps in your shop, in essence? L: Yeah, yeah I did. H: Did you ever imagine having your own brand around that time? Was that ever in the plan? N: Not really. L: I just thought I would make things that I liked with fabric that inspired me. N: We just made them the shop brand; we had some labels made. L: It was more about experimenting I guess, and filling in gaps and doing things that I liked. There was no pressure for me to create a collection at all because I had these great brands that I was just filling in and around. H: Were you ever tempted to just do that? L: No, not after a while. You find out what is working for you and I starting honing a lot more and editing what I had, and thinking of the direction I wanted to go. So that was when I started looking into doing our own brand. We were selling Marilyn Sainty who then opened her own store and didn’t want to supply us anymore because she wanted her brand to be exclusive to her. So we realised the only security we had was designing our own brand. H: Because I was talking to Margi the other day and she said the same thing happened to her when Caroline Sills pulled out. L: Yeah, I think it is really looking at opportunities and taking them in the direction that you want to go. I just loved clothes; I just loved buying clothes and loved choosing things. H: Do you still love it when you go shopping for your stores? L: Yeah I still love choosing things. I love deciding on what we will buy and what we will put in the store. In the same kind of way I love choosing fabric. It is an intuitive, instinctive thing. It works together. It feels natural. It’s not quite planned. That’s probably the difference between me and someone who is trained. You’re taught how to go about things and what you should consider. When you’re self-educated you’re just using your common sense and instincts to do what feels right. REMIX 196
H: Do you think its hard for these young kids that go into courses and are told ‘this is what you do, now go and start a label’? N: There aren’t many options for them. They can go through the process of making their first collection and choosing the samples and everything, only to go out and find there is no one to sell them to. We have a number of young designers coming to us and we don’t have an interest in them because we’re doing our own thing. And you can see their disappointment because that’s what they’re aspiring to. L: Margi’s really great because she supports a few new young designers and we did in the very early days too, but now we have gone in a different direction. N: When you’ve got such a huge commitment like we have as a manufacturer, we have to look after that. And we already do buy imports. L: I think the thing with doing design courses and wanting to get into the industry, is that you actually have to be looking to other areas in the industry for work, and not just purely design. Especially in a small country like New Zealand where there are only so many positions available. N: It’s a tough industry. L: You can start off in other areas of the industry and either then branch out and do your own brand or work for a company that recognizes your talent and supports what you do and takes you under their wing. And that does happen. H: And what about retail as an option, because you started out with your own store? L: Retail is a fantastic sounding board for what you do because you are getting an immediate response. I worked in our own store but we weren’t in there long before I got pregnant. Neville worked in the store, too. You get so close to it because you want to be proud of what you’re doing so you’re always looking at improving it and making it the best it can be. H: Do you think that it’s a shame that not many labels have a retail presence so they can tell their own story? Because the only person I can think of is Alexandra Owen. She’s got her own retail store, and Jaimie. N: Yeah I think it’s essential. Those people came to us, especially during the first stages of their careers. L: I recognized Alexandra’s talent when I was a guest at a presentation she was doing in Wellington. She has a unique distinctive style. N: This girl has got it. But there was just no space within our store. So I think it’s essential that they aim for that
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions in some form. L: You’re lucky in New Zealand that you can open your own store. If you’ve got a little bit of money behind you, you don’t need a huge big space. H: Alexandra’s store here is a tiny little hole in the wall but it’s still somewhere she can sell. L: Yeah I think that’s the key. You also want some wholesale but need some capital behind you to do that, as so much is cash up front. N: Some states in Australia actually fund young designers. H: Really? That’s cool. L: Yeah, it’s amazing. They are very supportive of their fashion industry. H: They really are. They are so proud. L: I think it is still in the too hard basket here! You’ve just got to get on work hard and build your brand. N: You don’t really want to rely on hand outs H: How long have you been involved in the business Neville? You said you had worked in stores and I interviewed Helen Cherry the other day and she said you shot the look books and she was the model. Was it always in the plan for you to be involved? N: When did I start? L: When Marissa was 18 months old things were getting too much for me, and you decided to quit your job to become part of the venture. H: What were you doing? N: I was running an engineering company. I was quite young and it was quite a big decision to make to leave and go. And then suddenly I was working from home and it felt really strange not having a company car! I worked in the shop a lot. Did lots of running around, did the graphics and looked after the interiors. H: Have you had your finger in the design pie at all? N: No. H: Never wanted to? N: I like design and I guess I am quite happy to call myself an interior designer - for Zambesi - but I’ve never got into clothes. I believe design should be pure. I could comment on the collection but I don’t try and influence it. L: It’s quite hard in a way. Collaboration is fantastic but there has to a final decision made by someone. N: That’s been the essence of Zambesi. Liz takes a pure approach. We could look at the collection and say ‘that’s really risky’ or ‘that will never sell’, but I’ve learned that most of the time I’m wrong and she’s always right. H: Do the retail assistants have any say? L: No, not in the design process as such. We’re not market led and never go down the road of what the public expect. Because then Zambesi wouldn’t be Zambesi. What is amazing about our retail staff and all our staff in our workroom as well, is that they buy into the whole identity of Zambesi and what it stands for and it’s aesthetic. They believe in it and their response is always positive. Where our retail play a part is that they do all the orders for their respective stores. So they will order using their experience and intuition. Their input and feedback is very important to me, and inspirational. H: Are the people that buy your clothes in Sydney and Melbourne - especially Sydney - very different to from the people who buy here? Because I love the way your retail staff in Sydney dress. They put a whole new spin on it. It still looks very Zambesi, but very Australian, too. N: Melbourne’s similar to here but Sydney isn’t. H: You New Zealand customers are very loyal to you. They buy a lot from each range. L: Yeah, they are amazing. H: Do you think Australians are as loyal?
L: Yes I do! It is really lovely to be in the store when a customer from the early days happens to come in. It is quite humbling. N: Melbourne is very strong, despite the fact there is probably a lot more competition with the imports and other stores. H: Because they have a lot more money over there. L: There are also some amazing designers in Australia now. It’s changed a lot in recent times. H: And they really support them over there. The likes of Harpers Bazaar will just jump on a new designer and champion them. It takes a while here for a young designer to get a cover. N: And even for those of us who have been around a while! L: The Aussies look after their own, but we have amazing magazine support and lot of stuff goes in and out of the press office. H: You do shows here and shows in Sydney. Do you still read reviews? Do they still matter to you? N: Sometimes they just don’t get it. L: We don’t really have expectations of the reviews, because sometimes we will be reviewed and sometimes we won’t. We really do it for ourselves. You’ve got to have that attitude. N: I don’t have much respect for some journalists because they really just don’t know what they’re talking about. L: Some of them do. N: But some of them don’t. L: You just can’t let it matter. Maybe it matters a lot more than we think it does. H: When someone loves your clothes, their not going to read a review and think ‘oh, I’m not going to go in there any more’. L: Unfortunately, the media are often looking for the controversial. You know, the shoes breaking or someone falling over. H: They’re looking for news rather than fashion. L: Then you get someone like Suzy Menkes, who is right on the nail. When they love talking about fashion and know what they are talking about. N: Then there are the egocentrics who write these reviews where it’s all about them rather than the designs. H: So let the pictures speak for themselves rather than the words. L: We love doing shows. I think it completes your work each season. Whenever we don’t do one we always wish we had. H: And you have shown in London, are you tempted to do retail anywhere else except New Zealand and Australia? L: Yeah we are. We are just not sure where. Our focus is here in Australasia and we have an agent in London where we are putting some efforts in PR and sales. We talk about it a lot and think should we do that sometime. N: There’s a new interesting store opening in Paris, a New Zealander is doing it and it’s opening quite soon. She is representing several other New Zealand brands. L: So, that could be quite cool. And that could trigger something else happening. It is difficult in the Northern Hemisphere because we have significant obstacles, like the distance that incurs freight and duty of course, and places us in a high price bracket. For a relatively unknown brand this is not easy. H: I have asked Margi this as well. Would you be interested a diffusion sort of line? Because you have got a few basic pieces in there. L: We could separate it out. But then I just think, why separate it out? We may do something like that. H: Favourites that people could buy again, again and again. L: And that could work quite well. I know it’s the trend at the moment and I think there are a lot of diffusion lines REMIX 198
on the market right now because of the recession. And a lot of people are looking at keeping their sales up. I would still rather focus on what we do and how we do it. H: Do you think it’s because of the brand loyalty you have got? L: Yeah. N: I think it’s about consistency. L: Yeah, and consistency. We do think hard about what we’re doing, and I think about things like what I like to wear and what I would like to see and need to see in the collection each season. That it works with what we have done before. H: Because I have pieces that I bought 10 or 20 years ago that still work with things now. L: Yeah, and that’s the thing about the brand. It’s become its own muse and gained some momentum. It tells its own story. H: And you are just adding new chapters. L: I might sometimes think we should change mid stream to attract a different audience or do diffusion, but then I just wouldn’t because I feel it would be a mistake. Like starting all over again. So why would you do that? N: Well, you would do it if it wasn’t working. L: Yeah, I suppose if it was not working anymore. H: Your look books are so strong and your campaigns have been just beautiful. Has it always been a conscious decision from the beginning, not to just hang things from a mannequin? N: It’s about doing it the best way possible. I think that’s been one of the successes of this brand. Liz has always tried to do things at an international level. H: And your menswear is really strong. L: Yeah, it really is. Dayne is doing an amazing job with every collection. H: There aren’t many brands that give it a lot of thought, but you always have. Now probably, the last question that I have to ask, going back to when you started, knowing what you know now, would you have done it any differently? L: Probably not. You can always analyze what you do and think there is a better way. And I’m sure there is. I just think about the positive things that have come out of the thirty years. We grew slowly and steadily and maintained a good business. We’re happy. We love what we do. N: Sometimes I think that we don’t do ourselves justice. I think they’re great collections but we could have done more with it internationally. L: We could have done a few things differently, but you don’t know if you would be at the same place you are now. I think having a family has been really important to us and a great balance. A lot of decisions have been made around whether it suits us as a family. Its not just all been about Zambesi, I guess. It’s a huge part of our life but I don’t think we have ever let it take over. N: What I think is amazing is, it is always current. It’s not a label that is growing old. H: It’s current but not on trend, or trend driven. L: I don’t like the appearance of trying too hard. N: It’s never been that. L: I haven’t even started thinking about it. I don’t think about trying to dress a particular age group. I just think about dressing well. H: Just dress how you like. L: But if you think how young girls love dressing up in grown-up clothes and women love wearing youthful things, it suggests it is more about a state of mind or an emotional journey. In New Zealand women are constantly developing their personal style and I love seeing that. It’s not just about Zambesi. If we are a part of their wardrobe that’s pretty cool.
Fashion Design Awards Show Featuring performances by
J Williams, Annie Crummer, Sola Rosa, the Ladykillers, ReQuest and more! One night only 8pm, Friday 29 October TelstraClear Pacific Events Centre, Manukau
Tickets on sale now! $15 from Ticket Direct 0800 4 TICKET www.ticketdirect.co.nz
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www.manukau.govt.nz/cultcouture
Remix #67_Designer Discussions
margi robertson
H: How long have you been in the industry now Margi, and what capacity? M: Well the brand Nom*D has been in existence since 1986, but we have been in the industry since 1975. H: Was that as retailers? M: Yeah, as retailers. Our first store was Hang Ups boutique in Dunedin. H: Can you remember the first time that you actually created something for yourself? M: Yeah, it would have been probably when I was in 3rd form or even prior to that. H: Did you and your sister (Liz Findlay, of Zambesi fame) become interested in what you were wearing at the same time, or was one of you a bit more precocious when it came to fashion? M: Well the thing is there are five years between us, so when you’re 10 and she is 15 you don’t have much in common… apart from Mum possibly dressing us the same! When you get to about 15 and she is 20 you are a lot closer in terms of your aesthetic, and you do more together. That age gap shortens as you get older. She has always been a little more sophisticated than me, I will say that. H: Even now? M: Yep! (Laughs). She always had an interesting approach when it came to clothes, and definitely more sophisticated. H: Has it been hard working in the same industry? I’m sure you have probably been asked that quite a few times. M: No… mainly because we don’t live in the same city and we never have. H: So you’re not living in each other’s pockets. M: Ironically, we actually opened our shop a few months before Liz and Neville opened theirs in Parnell. It has it’s pluses too, because obviously Auckland is the city where you have the fabric merchants and the business side of things, and having a family connection in Auckland has been advantageous for us stuck down here in Dunedin. In saying that, we have always been quite independent, and our businesses are completely separate. There is no crossover of financial or intellectual interest in either of our companys. H: Your son plays quite a large part of Nom*D, did he have a choice in that? M: Yeah! (laughs). As things move along they just develop though, so there was no plan for Sam to join, it just happened.
H: So its’ just an organic kind of thing? M: Well he was going out with Sarah Aspinall, who had done the Otago Polytechnic Fashion course and they both moved to Wellington, where Sam was working in plastic fabrication. There was never any suggestion that he work with us, but when they decided to come back to Dunedin she naturally started working for us, and Sam had some great ideas for prints on t shirts. We thought, ‘ok then, well maybe that can become your job, designing the graphics for Nom*D and printing the t shirts’. And that’s what he does. He does them all by stencil they’re not screen prints. H: Oh really? M: Actually a stencil is quite hands on. For a start he has to design the image, then he has to create the stencil which isn’t as straightforward as some people might think. H: Its not just making a sketch on your computer and then kind of sending it to some one who then prints it on a t shirt? M: No, you actually have to think about the way that you make the stencil. There are positives and negatives to consider. It all has to hang together, and in some instances if you’ve got to print in the middle of a big gap those sections have to be pinned into place before they are sprayed. He sprays it with an air gun, you know so it’s quite involved. I quite like it because in lots of ways a lot of people do t shirts with screen prints, but the stencil tees that he does are quite unique. H: They feel like some thing crafted, rather than just manufactured. M: Yeah they are, they are. H: And you were saying that whole organic progression, with Sam coming into the business, is that how Nom*D kind of happened? You had your stores, and then one day you found there was a gap in what you were stocking, and thought ‘oh well we can do that’? M: Definitely. In our store we had quite an eclectic mix of garments that were defiantly not mainstream. We were buying from quite a few boutique brands. We had quite a good market with Caroline Sills knitwear and also with Private Collection, which were both quite boutique brands when they started. H: That’s interesting! M: Yeah, but both of them - obviously for growth reasons - wanted to become more mainstream, and decided that they didn’t want to be with Hang Ups, as it was then, REMIX 200
exclusively. We realized that we had the knitting factory in Dunedin and the Roslyn Knitting Mills over the hill in Mosgiel, so decided to give it a go! Liz was well into producing woven garments for Zambesi, so I thought we should do knitwear because we had the resources here in Dunedin and wouldn’t have to move. It allowed me to have some creative input into what we had in the stores, rather than purely buying in. H: Your label is still known for knitwear, and there are some people out there who still just see it as solely as that. Is that frustrating for you? M: Yeah… H: How long has it been since you diversified out of that? M: Since 2000. Well really ’98 I suppose, when we were invited to be part of the New Zealand Four at London Fashion Week. We wanted to present a collection in it’s entirety, and not just be doing knitwear. We used to team all our knitwear up with Zambesi, but the reality was that we were not Zambesi, and Zambesi weren’t us! So that’s when we started doing our own wovens and where the whole idea of using uniforms came into play. If you look at those images from London, all the wovens are very, very similar, like we did about four styles all based on each other. Then when New Zealand Fashion Week started in 2001, the woven part of the collection became much more relevant. Now the whole woven thing has taken off - and possibly taken over - from the knitwear. I think that people who still think we are a knitwear brand, they (laughs ) haven’t been around for a bit, or haven’t got their eyes open. H: Or haven’t shopped for about 10 years? M: Often they are still wearing those garments from 20 years ago. But what can I say? It’s fabulous. H: Exactly, knowing that they still hang together. M:(Laughs) Yeah, and that they still feel great in them. H: You have got your store down in Dunedin, and one in Melbourne, have you got any others? M: And one in Christchurch. H: Have you got plans to go anywhere else? M: Not really, no. We are not looking for like world domination or anything like that. Where the opportunity has arisen, we’ve picked up on the retail side of things there. We have a really good wholesale market in Australia, and I think in some ways the Melbourne store came about because there was an existing stockist who wanted to sell her store. It was an opportunity to open a store without too much ground work, in an established
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Remix #67_Designer Discussions market. But I am quite happy managing just Dunedin and Christchurch and then Melbourne, it is more than enough. H: You’ve also got to design clothes, which often gets forgotten! M: Yeah, sometimes I have to remember what hat I have got on, whether I am actually a buyer or you know a designer promoting our collection… who am I? At the moment I have three business cards (laughs). Its like, ‘hang on who am I today?’ If I am ringing someone I will have to think before I say ‘Hi it’s Margi from… Plume, or it’s Margi from Nom*D, or it’s Margi from Nom*D Inc’, which is the name of the store in Australia. H: Are stores essential for telling the story of your whole brand? When you opened in Melbourne it really gave you a place in Australia where people could walk in sort of go, ‘ah so this is what Nom*d is all about…’ M: Yeah, with any wholesale account they don’t normally buy the whole collection, like every single style. H: And you don’t get to decide how they display it or what they display it with… M: No, and I think that it is really great that we do have a base in Australia where any potential client could actually go and pretty much get any part of the collection that they want, which I think is quite important. H: Another way to do that whole telling the story thing is via your shows, and you have been really prolific in that area. The last time I was talking to you was about NZFW, and you never miss one. Would you say you thrive on putting them together? M: I don’t know if thrive is the right word (laughs). I mean it is always a challenge, and I think a challenge is good. You have to set yourself a few sort of obstacles in life cause then your sense of achievement is heightened, you never want it to be an easy road. I think challenging yourself is good, and also you have always got the experience of having done previous shows, and you know what you like about them and what you don’t like. H: I suppose you can’t always know what can go wrong? M: No, it keeps it interesting. When I have my buyer’s hat on in Paris I often find that there is no air of anticipation about the shows there, which is a shame. H: It’s a selling exercise rather than a show? M: Even with someone like Rick Owens, who I feel should be quite revered, there is often a lack of atmosphere or anticipation when people are waiting, for example. It’s like, sit down, oh who’s in the front row, are the important press here? Blah, blah... here’s the show, and 10 minutes later it’s all over and they’re rushing off to the next one. In some ways I kind of think that’s a bit sad, because each of those designers has actually put heaps of planning into the collection and what they are going to do for the show, and then it’s all over. I think that we are lucky in New Zealand in that we don’t have as much pressure and are able to perhaps do something a little bit different. I don’t know, I‘d like people to think that as far as our shows go, each one is a little bit different from the one before. H: For the New Zealand Fashion Week magazine I interviewed four journalists that had covered every year. I asked all of them pretty much the same questions, including ‘what has been your most memorable NZFW moment?’ No word of a lie, every single one of them talked about Die! Die! Die! playing at your afterparty at the St James theatre! M: Oh really? H: It was really bizarre, they were all interviewed separately and they all gave that show as really standing out in their minds.
M: That’s quite interesting because we got a bit slagged for that show! It was the first time that we really didn’t do the traditional catwalk presentation, that it was a little bit more theatrical. Well you must have been there? H: Yeah, I was there. I loved it! M: Yeah, we had moving film as a backdrop and the models walking across the stage, so there wasn’t really a lot of close up… H: Examination? M: Yeah, examination by the audience. It was more like a feeling , and we pretty much got slagged for that by the New Zealand media (laughs)! H: (laughs) Well obviously in retrospect, everyone loved it! M: Or at least thought it was something that was memorable. H: And so you travel for work, you travel to all sorts of places like Paris. Who are some labels that you would actually shell out money for yourself? M; Rick Owens, definitely. I mean I love Comme des Garcons. In the early ‘80s and ‘90s when we used to go to Japan I used to go to Comme des Garcons and Yojhi, they were the brands that I was really quite into. Yeah latterly, while I think that it is still quite incredible, Comme has become more and more arty. I think that you have to have strength to be able to create those garments and perhaps not take into account the commercialism of them. What a luxury, is all I can say. It’s interesting, I was in Japan earlier this month, and see that there are now about five other brands that Rei Kawakubo does for the local market. Every time we go to Japan there is another one. The latest is called Black, which still has all the ideal and trademarks of Comme des Garcons, but it is way simpler. I think for the brand to be commercial reality they have got to have these extensions. H: Have you ever been tempted to do a basics range that come under the Nom*D collections? M: Well the thing is, I think that producing a basics range in New Zealand it too expensive an exercise. I think if you are going to do a basics range you’d have to have it made off shore to make it compete in our market. One of the obstacles that we are always up against is that our garments come out to be, well, expensive from a New Zealand point of view. They are not luxury prices (as in Europe), but they can often be quite a stumbling block for a lot of people. H: Yeah people have to really want it. M: I think if you’re going to do a basics brand, the reality of it is that we would have to be doing it offshore, to make it at a price that… H: That is commercially viable? M: Yeah, it’s an interesting one. I think that we are quite sort of parochial in a lot of ways, we quite like that our garments are made in New Zealand. H: I bet your customers like that they are made in New Zealand, too. M: They do, well Australia and New Zealand like the fact that it is made in New Zealand. I don’t know if whether outside of our bubble people care. I notice that some of the Martin Margiela we stock at Plume that was always traditionally made in Italy is now being made in China and Turkey. Obviously those big Italian manufacturers are looking at the commercial feasibility of some styles and choosing to produce outside of Italy. H: It doesn’t seem to lower the price to the end user! (laughs) M: (laughs) Hell no, it still goes back to Italy to be distributed. It is something that you can see though in the way that the world is going. I think probably what will happen is that in those countries where labour is cheap, it will become more expensive because they will need skilled workers. H: Absolutely. REMIX 202
M: There is always that requirement of quality. To produce quality there has got to be some skill. H: You have got customers all over the world. What do you think is the one thing that they have in common, that makes them buy your clothes? Is it that quality aspect? M: I don’t know, I think that it’s the design. I think sometimes with the quality issue, you don’t know until you have got it how long lasting or whatever it’s going to be. We do a lot of test work inhouse before fabrics are made up because we have that whole sort of washing thing. We wash everything, we do a lot of testing, we test for shrinkage, you know. I think in the global market once a retailer starts to buy Nom*D and pick up customers that become attracted to it, it’s like they become hooked. H: I think the last time we spoke about the tribal aspect of Nom*D… M: Yeah well it is. You get the idea of it and find that you enjoy wearing it, and find that it is easy to wear. Also you can like build on your wardrobe from one collection to the next. That’s the difference. You would have to ask those people I guess, but that is what I think. H: There is a lot of loyalty. M: Absolutely, I don’t think they are loyal to Nom*D because of me, but they are loyal to the clothes. H: Yeah and the clothes work for them. Is what you’re doing now something that you could see yourself doing forever? M: (Laughs) Look, I have had to have the talks about succession and stuff like that, but at the moment I am feeling quite confident about where we are going. I think that the interesting thing for us is that we have always had a team. H: It’s almost like a family, isn’t it? M: It is, it is, there is a lot of collaborating and it doesn’t matter what place you are at in the workroom, you’re always included in the decision making and what we like and what we don’t like. We talk a lot about things. Possibly in the future we may actually start to produce some collections that would be under our umbrella, to promote somebody who has been working with us. They could work under their own name under Nom*D, it is something that I have considered. And we are lucky enough to have gotten to the stage where we are self sufficient and I know that there are a lot of young designers who fall over because they don’t have a business head. That can’t be taught at a polytech, or design school or university. I think that in some ways the design of a collection is the simple part. H: Yeah totally, and raising the money to produce it. M: Absolutely, I mean that is a way in which we could help a protégé. H: The last thing, if you could go back to when you first started the label, would you do it again the way that you have done it now, or would you go off and do something completely different? M: Well I don’t know if you could do it exactly the same because the world has changed so much in the last 30 years. I think that we’ve been incredibly lucky. We had a bit of a tough start at the beginning of our career and I still remember going into the bank to try and get a $500 overdraft and the bank manager sending me away telling me that we need to learn to walk before we ran. These days you can probably get a lot more support from your local councils, you can go for grants and get help, which in some ways I think it’s great but then on the other hand you don’t learn from the school of hard knocks. Which sounds a bit grannyish, but that is how we have got to where we are. By being self-sufficient and not relying on other people’s money.
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DESIGNER
collections Welcome to REMIX Magazine’s annual New Zealand Fashion Collections shoot, a showcase of our favourite top-to-toe looks from the Spring/Summer ranges of New Zealand’s top designers.
PhotographY Marissa Findlay Fashion editor Atip W Hair Greg Murrell @ Ryder for KMS California Make-up Margo Regan using M.A.C Photo assist Fadavi Hair assists Jannine Jones & Fraser James Foulagi Thanks to Kingsize Studios
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HELEN CHERRY REMIX 205
ANNAH S REMIX 206
CYBÈLE REMIX 207
RICOCHET
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turet knuefermann
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HUFFER
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KAREN WALKER
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KATE SYLVESTER
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STOLEN GIRLFRIENDS CLUB
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STANDARD ISSUE REMIX 216
hailwood REMIX 217
world
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zambesi
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WORKSHOP DENIM
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SISSY
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intimate spaces divine sounds distinct personality
Sale St and the Velvet Room. Both available for customised functions. Let’s play. 7 Sale St | Freemans Bay | Auckland
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RICHARD MOORE
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Michelle yvette
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trelise cooper
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THE ORIGINAL. HA ND W O V E N F RO M WEAT HER -R ESI STA N T D ED ON FI B R E.
DEDON Collection SEASHELL. Design by Jean-Marie Massaud. Domo Limited · Auckland Showroom · Cnr Churton & Farnham Streets Parnell · Auckland · Tel. (09) 921 5574 · Fax (09) 921 5575 · info@domo.co.nz Christchurch Showroom · 236 Tuam Street · Christchurch Tel. (03) 379 8818 · Fax (03) 379 8817 · christchurch@domo.co.nz www.domo.co.nz · www.dedon.de
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CRANE BROTHERS
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Genevieve wears Designer Brands Cosmetics Beyond Amplifying Mascara in Blackest Black $14.99, Multi-Tone Blush $13.99, Natural Ground Mineral Foundation in Medium $24.99, Whipped Mineral Eye Shadow Ivory $8.99, Kohl Pencil in Metallic Blue $8.99 and Lip Gloss in Sparkling Champagne $8.99. Designer Brands Cosmetics for the latest fashion looks at incredible prices.
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WORDS BY SYLVIA Varnham O’Regan portraits By OLIVER ROSE
FASHION INDUSTRY FOLKS There’s a lot more to fashion than just making the clothes. There are thousands of dedicated creatives and business people who work within the wider fashion industry to make it all tick. REMIX chats with five such industry insiders about their role in the New Zealand fashion scene.
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DAN Dan GOSLING Gosling FASHION RETAILER, DISTRIBUTOR & LABEL OWNER While talking to Dan Gosling I begin to wonder how he can stay organised when he has so many projects on the go at once. I don’t see any assistants floating around, and I certainly don’t see any signs of stress. Indeed, as I sit out the back of his retail store Black Box in Grey Lynn, I get the impression he’s pretty relaxed. The space we’re in houses the fashion PR company Public Library, run by his wife Emma Cruickshank, and Cruickshank sits at her desk during our interview, laughing as the couple’s dog runs excitedly across the hardwood floors. Gosling has made the trip from his nearby office, where he operates both Stem Distribution Limited and the label Stolen Girlfriends Club with business partners Marc Moore and Luke Harwood. On the retail side, as well as Black Box he also owns streetwear store Dead Modern on Ponsonby Road. Stem distributes skate, snow and lifestyle brands to over a hundred stores throughout New Zealand, and Gosling looks for brands that are at the forefront of their industry. ‘We don’t just get a brand for the sake of getting a brand. It has to be leading the way.’ The company was established in 2006, but Gosling had a long history in clothing distribution before then. He began in the industry at 18, after his friend Dave England, a professional snowboarder, launched the brand Silence Snowboards, and took Gosling on as the sole New Zealand distributor. ‘I had no idea what I was doing,’ he laughs. Later he and another friend formed Substance Distribution Limited, and after seven years Gosling decided to go it alone. He went on to become a household name in the New Zealand Fashion industry. Throughout his career, Gosling’s consistent focus has been streetwear: functional and unpretentious clothing that, he says, ‘you can dress up, you can dress down, and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg’. This passion for streetwear is obvious in the aesthetic of Stolen Girlfriends Club, which he describes as ‘rock and roll chic sportswear’. Moore, Harwood and he share a common admiration for androgenous style and versatility. ‘It’s the kind of stuff we want to wear, or see our girlfriends, our wives, our
friends wearing,’ he says. When producing collections, the trio focus on innovation and practicality. ‘People aren’t commenting on our technical displays – it’s more about functionality. But,’ he adds, ‘you have to be pushing the boundaries as well.’ Each of the partners has a separate role within the company, but they collaborate on brainstorming – ‘we just all throw ideas around’, direction and design. ‘We don’t have any background in design, never been to a course or done anything like that. It’s all just hands on.’ Gosling is quick to assert that there is a lot of planning and structure involved as well, and it ‘seems a lot more glamorous than it really is’. And he emphasises the importance of the sound friendship behind the company. ‘I’m in partnership with guys who have great vision. It’s cool working with two good friends. It’s a journey.’ Coming on board Stolen Girlfriends six months after the label was created in 2005, Gosling has had to adjust to being in the public eye. ‘It’s that whole putting yourself out there thing, doing interviews and photos, exposing yourself. Before that I was quite behind the scenes.’ Exposing yourself in this way can make you vulnerable to criticism, and when I ask him about the ‘tall poppy’ syndrome said to run rampant in New Zealand, he agrees. ‘There’s a lot. It hurts in the beginning – you think ‘that’s not very nice, they don’t even know me, or they’ve never met me, or whatever’.’ But he seems unruffled, bolstered by the success the label has enjoyed. Stolen Girlfriends Club recently debuted at Australian Fashion Week and is working towards becoming a global brand, its goal from day one. Next up for Gosling is a new concept store, White Box, a variation of Black Box, but with a lower price point and a street-wear focus, further work on the Stolen Girlfriends Club label, which is progressing each day – ‘it’s almost like seeing your baby grow up’ – and development of the Dead Modern concept. And his key to staying organised? ‘I have amazing people around me who look after different aspects of the business. It’s all about having great people around you.’
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LUCY MARR
HAIR STYLIST, SALON OWNER & SKINCARE ENTREPRENEUR Lucy Marr is one busy woman. Between overseeing her and husband Stephen Marr’s four brands - the Stephen Marr salons, Lucy and the Powder room, Marr Lab and their new skincare brand ‘Sans’, further developing her skincare line and being a working mother, she manages to squeeze a great many things into each day. Early on the Marr’s decided to make their hairdressing focus on session hair, meaning they work on lots of fashion editorials for magazines and work with different designers on their runway shows and lookbooks each season. ‘We saw a lot more exciting possibilities in the creative collaboration, working with different people across different media, so fashion, film, music and that’s where it created a lot of creative energy within the company,’ says Lucy. One of the things Lucy loves most about her work is the supportive working relationships and friendships she and Stephen have developed over their years in the New Zealand fashion industry. ‘We obviously have a really longstanding relationship with Karen and Mikhail (from Karen Walker) who are really fantastic, and also Margi from Nom*D, we’ve worked with her for years. I really value my relationship with her, she’s really clever and really inspirational actually, and I hope to be like her when I’m older.’ It was Lucy and Stephen’s longstanding relationship with Karen and Mikhail which led to their collaboration on the highly successful store ‘The Department Store’ which opened in Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore nearly a year ago. What started as a conversation between Lucy and Karen over tea while Lucy was styling Karen’s hair, quickly developed into a fully fledged business partnership with each company having a space within the massive three storey structure along with Black Box’s Dan Gosling. The Department Store has received fantastic reviews since it’s opening with world renowned Monocle magazine naming it the ‘top new retail destination in the world’. Lucy places great importance on nurturing young talent, both the young employees they hire at their business and the new young designers they work with. Lucy has worked with designers Cybele Wiren, Juliette Hogan and Adrian Hailwood since their first New Zealand Fashion Week shows and recently younger label Salasai. She enjoys working with so many different creative talents and loves developing ideas and concepts with each designer
for their shows. Having been involved with New Zealand Fashion Week since it’s birth 10 years ago, Lucy has worked with many different designers and counts one of Nom*D’s early shows for their ‘Red’ Collection as one of her favourites. Being involved in Fashion Week is something she is really passionate about and for New Zealand Fashion Week that involves a long collaborative process with each designer they’re working with. From the initial meeting with the designer where they look at the cuts and the fabrics, the moodboards and the essential inspiration for the collection, Lucy’s team then do their own research on the theme of the collection and create a moodboard of their own to take back to the designer. From there they will do a couple of hair tests with a makeup artist to work through and finalise the look, followed by a lookbook shoot from which things will be tweaked so that when it comes to the runway the hair look for the show will be 100% ready. The development of her skincare line ‘Sans’ is also a project close to her heart and has been a massive labour of love for Lucy over the past few years. A fascination with science and nutrition led her to want to create a new generation skincare product, something quite sustainable and natural but at the same time potent and effective. She began researching and doing in-house case studies on clients and found herself blown away at the possibilities of what could be achieved with highly active cosmeceutical products. With that in mind she started formulating with the help of a scientist and created a really simple product line. The positive feedback that followed led to the creation of the entire ‘Sans’ line which is now in use at her ‘Lucy and the Powder Room’ salons and for sale through her business. As for the future of the fashion and beauty industry in New Zealand, Lucy is optimistic. ‘I feel really positive. I think in any industry challenge can be really good, and I think in our country, in our industry, it is quite cut-throat and I think it does really challenge your business skills. If you’re good at delivering your product and you deliver it well then I think it ups the game across the board. I look at some of the new talent coming through within the fashion industry and it’s quite encouraging.’ words By Evelyn Ebrey
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ALANA TAYLOR
EYEWEAR DESIGNER
For many, sunglasses are the ultimate accessory, adding attitude, mystery and edge to every outfit. The woman behind the trends in shape, size and colour of many of our most beloved frames is Australian designer Alana Taylor, who works with labels such as Ksubi, Tigerlily and New Zealand’s own Karen Walker in her role as product development manager at Sunshades Eyewear. Taylor’s love of eyewear started early. ‘It’s not completely fashion,’ she says, ‘but it has a function component that I find interesting.’ Her first brand was Disney, with whom she worked seven years ago. She knows this sounds crazy, but it was ‘actually one of the best brands to start with as the design brief was very stringent.’ Taylor is now in her fifth season working with Karen Walker and says that, despite the geographical distance between her in Sydney and Auckland-based Walker, anything and everything to do with Karen Walker eyewear has been briefed, discussed and touched on by both Karen and her. The process involves collaboration on every detail. ‘Karen is Karen Walker and she is 100 percent hands-on in terms of eyewear, so I try and get as much information as possible from her as to where she wants to go. As a designer, I then interpret those ideas and make them into a cohesive collection. It works perfectly for both of us and I think it shows in the range’. Not surprisingly, the collections have attracted a cult following, testament to the fact the process works. Taylor stresses that the sunglasses produced under the label are independent of the clothing collections. ‘We create styles based on what Karen Walker would look like as a sunglass, not as an extension of the clothing. This is where a lot of brands get it wrong and we, I feel, have got it right as we are creating a whole new
brand.’ The approach is to have fun with eyewear, but still produce models that are amazing and have the best possible fit and quality. They also aim to keep the price point reasonable: ‘We don’t want anyone having to go sell a kidney to get a pair.’ The collections have an international following, which raises the question as to whether eyewear trends differ across the world. Taylor thinks they don’t, although, she says, the fit can vary greatly because of variations in the way faces and nose bridges are built. Working with designers involves a level of creative compromise, but are there particular difficulties if she is not a fan of a brand’s aesthetic? Taylor is diplomatic: ‘I haven’t yet had the problem of not being a fan of brands I have worked with, but I guess, like everything, you do have to have a certain enthusiasm about the brand to be inspired.’ Inspiration comes from a range of places. First and foremost, she says, it comes from the people you work with. ‘If you can see what the brand or designer is trying to create, and you can be a part of that, that’s where it gets exciting.’ The creative process is always fun, and she enjoys exploring old ideas and tweaking them according to new tastes. ‘I like looking at a lot of super old European frames from the ’20s to the ’50s. The way they made eyewear back then was very detailed and complicated, so I try and take looks and feels from those eras and make them modern – not trying to reinvent the wheel, just making the style new and fun.’ And how many pairs of sunglasses has Taylor herself acquired over the years? ‘Honestly, I don’t know, maybe 100 pairs at home.’ A perfect selection for those sunny Sydney days.
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MARTIN ANDREWS FASHION BUYER & RETAILER
As part-owner of Auckland stores Fabric and MRKT by Fabric, Martin Andrews has a diverse role that includes retail, buying, and management of his staff. But if you are looking for hierarchy, Fabric is not the place to find it. ‘As a buyer you need to be in store. You need to be talking to your staff, you need to be selling to people to know what they want to buy,’ Andrews says. He considers his staff integral to Fabric’s success and decisions are made with everyone’s opinion in mind. Before embarking on buying trips overseas ‘we sit down and talk about what we want, what we need, what we’re missing and where we’re going to go.’ Fabric was opened on High Street nearly ten years ago by Simon Miller, who is now based in LA and owner of the Simon Miller Jeans label. Andrews came on board at Miller’s request after a period of part-time work at Zambesi. Before that he had worked as a builder for fifteen years – a stark contrast to the fashion industry – owning and operating his own bricklaying business for eight of them. He left school at fifteen on a teacher’s recommendation. He’d always loved clothing, but ‘it just wasn’t even a thought that I could work for a business or go to university. I was leaving at fifteen, it was best that I got a job, an apprenticeship, so I did that.’ The people he worked with were ‘very real’ and made the job enjoyable, but, he says, ‘I always wanted to get out.’ His background in trade has given him a strong sense of practicality in his current role – ‘rather than getting on the whole hype of fashion’ – as well as a reluctance to schmooze, which he concedes is probably a bit of a downfall. Through his work on the shop floor, he has a certain idea of how he wants customers to experience Fabric and stresses the importance of customer service. ‘I always say to the staff that there are no egos in the store. You are what you are. You give the student as
much attention as you give the woman who’s going to spend $2000. Everybody gets service.’ His role as buyer sees him travelling throughout the year to Japan, Europe and the United States, finding constant sources of inspiration. He cites Paris store Merci-Merci and Japanese label 45rpm as favourites. Fabric stocks a range of international labels, including Acne and Comme Des Garçons, but how does he go about selecting new brands that will garner a following in New Zealand? ‘We like what we like,’ he says simply. But there are always surprises. ‘Sometimes the piece you think is the most awful piece and is not going to move, people love and it sells out. And the piece you think is a no-brainer, people don’t like.’ There are further difficulties in maintaining brands’ exclusivity. Brands often assume that, in a city of 1.5 million people, the market is bigger than it is, he says. ‘We try to explain that Auckland is small, and that the shopper who shops in Fabric will go to every other high-end shop in the same day.’ One recent development is that the economic downturn has had a humbling effect on the fashion industry, and brands and retailers are now, he says, working more closely together in the face of a difficult market. Next season, Fabric will stock Juliette Hogan, whose tailored, classic and feminine aesthetic complements the store’s classic yet quirky style. Andrews is also working on MRKT by Fabric, which opened this year and will, he says, have to ‘change its stripes to suit the environment in Newmarket’, and there are also hopes to expand the High Street store. With varied brands in stock, what is the identity of Fabric as a whole? Fabric shoppers, Andrews says, are individualistic. ‘They know their own sense of style. They don’t want to wear a uniform.’
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DES RUSK FASHION EDUCATOR
In a short space of time Des Rusk has built up a large CV in the fashion industry, and in a sense come full circle – except that now, rather than being a student at AUT University of Technology, he is a teacher. The 29 year old, well known for his work as menswear designer for Little Brother and his own eponymous label, which he launched in 2004, has taken a new direction after deciding to take a break last year. Rusk’s time as a student was short-lived. After completing a certificate year at AUT in 2000, the budding designer completed only the first year of a Bachelor of Fashion Design before leaving to take up full-time employment as a production assistant to designer Murray Crane at the Auckland-based Crane Brothers’ workroom. Now that he’s a teacher, does he try to veer away from what he didn’t like about the course when he was a student? ‘It wasn’t so much what I didn’t like about it,’ he says, ‘it was just that there was no specialist menswear option. And there is now.’ Making the decision to leave had been difficult, and at just 20 he had faced big challenges. ‘It was like a baptism of fire – I was thrown in the deep end.’ He was aware that securing a full-time position with Crane Brothers was a valuable opportunity, and so it was worth taking a risk. ‘Placements, opportunities in menswear, were very limited, which was part of my decision to leave.’ During his time at Crane Brothers, Rusk worked on the Little Brother, Karen Walker Menswear, Gubb and Mackie, and Crane Brothers labels, giving him much needed practical experience. ‘After only two years of study I was still very green. It was good to be able to put the skills I’d learnt into practice. The more I got into it and learned the craft, the more I realised that it was what I wanted to do.’ The decision to create his own label came at a time when he felt ready to branch out. By that time he had been in the industry for three years, ultimately working as a production manager and concentrating primarily on the Little Brother label. Was the move into his own venture premature? ‘It was possibly too early, looking back,’ he says ‘but I wouldn’t have learned what I have learned if I hadn’t done it.’ As owner of his own label he was thrown into an immediately demanding role as designer, patternmaker, bookkeeper
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and wholesaler, but ‘that’s how it has to be’. His technical skills and experience in designing gave him a leg up. ‘The more you can do yourself,’ he points out, ‘the fewer people you have to pay.’ In his current role at AUT, Rusk teaches first- and second-year students in three areas: creative process – ‘the design process through drawing’; studio – a whole day where students work to briefs; and patternmaking. Students range from those who are already making their own clothes to those who don’t know how to sew – which, Rusk adds, was his situation at that level. He revels in the chance to help students develop their skills and experiment creatively: ‘it’s a really inspiring place to be.’ But is fashion a skill that can be taught? Or is it instinctual? He believes it’s something people often have naturally, but it can also be taught. ‘When I came in, I didn’t know anything. I kind of thought I liked clothes and I followed a few fashion labels. But in terms of broader knowledge I didn’t know much. But if you put in the effort and you want to learn, absolutely it can be taught.’ How difficult is it teaching a student whose style goes against your own taste? ‘I almost enjoy it more,’ he says, ‘because it’s a chance for me to experience something I wouldn’t do myself.’ His students have a range of styles and ambitions, some wanting to be designers, others stylists, writers or buyers. What advice does he give to those who want to pursue their own label? ‘Without knowing exactly how they’re going to do it and what support they could or could not have, I would naturally advise them to be cautious,’ he says, ‘especially if they are studying here, because this is a real chance to experiment with designs. Quite often when you go into the industry you are going to be met with constraints and have to deal with compromises, so it’ll be more about putting all you can in here and seeing where it goes.’ Working with students has ignited inspiration for his own designs, and Rusk agrees that the experience has involved learning again. ‘At first I was happy having a break from designing, but the more I’ve stepped back from it the more I’ve realised how I want to go about it again.’ For now, however, he is happy where he is. ‘I plan on being here for a while,’ he says, ‘if they’ll have me.’
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ART TALK... REMIX 246
Left & right: works by Reuben Paterson
IN A TWIST ON THE TRADTITIONAL INTERVIEW, RENOWNED NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS REUBEN PATERSON & LONNIE HUTCHINSON TALK FRANKLY ABOUT THEIR WORK, THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING AS AN ARTIST IN A RECESSION & MAKING SOCIAL STATEMENTS THROUGH ART. Reuben: I’m Reuben Paterson, I’m primarily a painter but I also do installations. I’m interested in the potential of glitter as an art material and I am sitting here in the studio in Mount Albert with another incredible artist called Lonnie Hutchison. Lonnie: I’m Lonnie Hutchinson, I’m of Maori, Samoan and English decent. I work in installation and I trained in sculpture at art school, my signature medium is black builders paper which I make huge cut outs of. I also do a little bit of painting as well... and a bit of singing and cooking, just to add to the mix. R: So Lonnie, you just had a showing at Artstation as part of the Te Taumata Exhibition, where you had seven really large cut-outs that you had made by hand. How was making an exhibit for such an auspicious festival? Considering Matariki is quite new to Aotearoa and is starting to really kick off... L: I think the concept of Matariki has been celebrated since Maori came to New Zealand. When I was growing up as a child there wasn’t ever much mention of Matariki at all, my father was quite removed from his cultural roots as part of the process of colonization. And looking at the Matariki festival, it has been about eight years that Auckland city has been putting funding into celebrating the Maori new year, and every year that goes by, the funding increases and there is a larger awareness in the community about what it is, and what, to older
people, Matariki meant to them growing up. What is defined a lot in these stories is that its a place for planting, it’s a time where you plant crops for the rest of the season. For Matariki, making those cut-outs was quite a lot of work and a lot of people think they’re laser cut, and they’re not, they’re hand cut. My interests also lie in Te Kori, which is sort of a space of nothing but it’s a space where there’s a lot of potential and also, the Samoan Var, which is another spacial concern which involves relationships and how they work in space. R: Te Kori is really beautiful and I’ve also used a bit in my work too. The vastness of space is the beauty of black, and black is something you wear a lot and the material you use in your art a lot whether you animate it or hand cut it. What is black to you? L: There’s so many infinite ideas when it comes to the blackness or the darkness, the otherside. I wear a lot of black, but that’s probably because a lot of my favourite designers use black. R: Who are your favourite designers? L: I would say Nom*D, Zambesi but also designers like Miss Crabb. New Zealand is quite black, we’re down under, at the bottom of the globe and always considered quite gothic. I think also we’re outgoing but we also keep things close to the chest. We don’t like to really brag about ourselves, unlike places in the northern hemisphere like Americans and even Australians to some extent.
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R: Well I’ve considered this idea of why we like black so much and I remember really vividly growing up with fashion, when black came in, it hit the street like a glitter virus and it never seemed to go beyond that, it never changed. I think black also has incredible depth but also absorbs warmth and can keep us warm in this cold Polynesian climate within the Polynesian circuit. L: So when you talk about black, you talked about glittering with black and glitter is a dominate medium in your work - why do you paint with glitter? R: Well I first used glitter to honour the death of my father and I wanted to celebrate him. It was the first time I had really used the Kowhaiwhai pattern in the work as well, but its primary intent was to celebrate him, that’s why I really wanted to use it, but I too, like you, look for the potential, the potential of black and the potential of glitter. The new work is about looking at light as a mythological metaphor and symbol for the separation, and with that, the separation of all those things that embody being cultured in today’s contemporary society. In the art world you can also be very locked down to a material, as you may feel with your cut-outs or with the animations, it’s quite hard to move past because people want to see more of the same thing. So I’m happy to look for that potential and see what can happen with it. It’s limitless. L: Reuben when you’re working in your studio, is
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there a kind of environment in terms of music or sound that works well with you when you’re working with glitter? R: I love listening to music, and you were actually the person who inspired me to collect vinyl again, so we went off on our trip to Avondale to pick up our little sound system and that half a crate collection I had has now expanded to four crates in a space of a year. I’ve done really well, it’s become like my new passion I think. So there’s the record stuff, but I think I mostly just play the computer music, the mp3’s, because it’s constant and I think it has something to do with the company around me. I can find solace in my head, generating ideas or contemplating a mark easily, but I just need that comfort which I can get through music. What about you? L: Sometimes. Sometimes I do like to play music, usually in the afternoon but I’m actually an avid Radio New Zealand fan. R: I think also because we live in the Industrialist real estate we try to find solace in different ways, we both have to deal with so much noise that is generated around us. I know you like to work late at night too though, do you find it’s best to work in that quiet? In the quiet of the dark night? L: Sometimes, most of the time actually. Usually before I go to bed I go outside and look up at the stars in the Auckland night sky and I find solace in
that. For that five or six minutes I really embrace the skyline because those stars that I’m looking at are the same stars my ancestors would have been looking at. I find and feel the connection there. R: I think that’s how artists look at things. They see things, especially with Maori heritage, there’s a past, present and future type realm. L: Yeah definitely, I mean one thing I know, I work with a lot of indigenous artists from Australia and Canada and the United States, and we all share something in common in regards to referencing Whakapapa or genealogy, also verbally asking or calling for assistance from our ancestors with what we are doing, you don’t get that in the Western art world. R: Have you ever asked for assistance with money? L: All the time! Hahaha, no, I don’t all the time really, I probably say things like ‘I wish I would win lotto’ or wish that some millionaire would just come down the lane and be like ‘Here you go! Here’s some money’, but I don’t actually say ‘Aww Aunty, or Papa or Nana you really need to help me out, I really need some money’, I never say that... maybe I should? R: I think for all artists who have continued to work full time through the recession, as much as there has been to learn...I’m over it. L: Yeah it’s been quite rough, real rough. I mean for us, we sell works, that’s how we make a living and people say ‘My god! You got that amount of
money for the work? ‘ but the thing is we’ve got to run studios and pay for our living expenses, our studio isn’t just our material, our computers have to be up to date with the right systems, Photoshop, stuff like that. R: I think there are so many people in the same boat, so many people who are just affected by being creative in this country and there’s no support for it when it’s going to be the intelligible and culture representation of this country. I mean you’ve had works sold overseas to big galleries but still we struggle. Even knowing long gone are the days where artists are mad, alcoholics, drug heads, womanisers, ‘cause we’re all gay now. I think New Zealand, because it’s a lot smaller, we get given a lot more opportunities where as other artists have to fight for representation or even a plain old exhibit in places like America and that’s where I feel really, really lucky. There are so many things to feel lucky about to be born in a country like Aoteoroa . L: It’s a smaller fish bowl, it’s easier to be a bigger fish in a smaller bowl but when you go into the bigger bowls of places like the United States, Canada and Europe, it’s a bigger bowl and it’s more competition. Also what happens in countries like Iran, Afganistan and some extents Pakinstan, those artists out there, there’s no funding whatsoever, they actually have to make base in another country and a lot of the time because those countries have such strict rules of
Left: Lonnie’s signature style of cut-outs in black builders paper.
‘long gone are the days where artists are mad, alcoholics, drug heads, womanisers’
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‘art does have to be a voice. I wouldn’t say that I’m an activist artist, I’m probably more subtle’
representation, their work can be banned and they can be arrested and put into jail for some of the work that they produce. R: Art has to be a voice. L: Yeah, art does have to be a voice. I wouldn’t say that I’m an activist artist, I’m probably more subtle, I’m not making art that’s really in your face about political issues, but I sometimes wonder, if I were living in Iran or Afghanistan if I would make more art dealing with those issues, because you’re surrounded by it you have to talk about these things. As far you can see people and the rest of the world need to know what’s going on and this is the only way you can do it. R: But in your art you do talk about all those things. But I think in contrast with somewhere like Iran, your voice may not be so much a safe perspective, but still a perspective where your voice is heard. L: When I was in Chile in 2007 I was speaking at a conference about a work I had made in my final year in art school. It was the Tape Up series where my whole body is taped down to surfaces all round Auckland city, and that was probably the most political piece I did relating to woman’s rights. I made the whole thing about being restricted and having no freedom, the body had no freedom, I couldn’t move because I was taped down to the concrete. That was the only work I could talk about at this conference because everyone there was an activist and although my work talked about political issues in a sense, these people in Chile had had their families killed in front of them and I couldn’t
compare, but it doesn’t devalue what I was talking about either. R: Yeah, people say that there’s always others worse off than you and I think that’s really crass, but in justice, it’s really sort of human nature to think like that. There’s not one New Zealand artist that has really cracked that international scene whereas in Australia and Polynesia, it’s going off. There’s a big voice, there’s a really good voice. So now that the Matariki show is over, where do you want to go next? L: Matariki was my first play at instigating a threshold and that was by putting a red line down on the ground. People had to negotiate if they walk over it or stay behind it when viewing the works and that’s an area that I’m interested in, in regards to conceptual and physical thresholds. I have a couple of projects coming up that make thresholds the primary motivator, I’m putting more focus on those spaces. I’ve got a work coming up that uses digital interfaces, I’m looking at thresholds between the human, the digital and the screen, and making works for public artwork in Wellington that uses augmented and virtual reality. R: But this is the first public piece of artwork using digital isn’t it? L: Yeah and there’s only going to be snippets of this type of technology because of the conditions we are in, because we’re are outside and the weather changes. So we have to consider those options too. I’m also interested in Karanga and how when someone Karanga’s and calls out, they’re actually calling out to the ancestors as well. It’s a space
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where the physical and spiritual meet and the Karanga is architectural device. You cannot move until the caller moves, she is sanctifying the ground that you’re moving through. That’s an interesting threshold. You have all these things come in and meet in the centre and it’s called an interstitial. It’s the interstitial of cultures and generations and these are spiritual theories and ideas that are my primary motivators for my work coming up. R: As artists, a lot of great opportunities come to us... are there any opportunities you want to go to? L: I would love to do architecture, I love working with scales and work with large scales and I would like to enter the Australian market really with works that hold architectural applications in major buildings and public artwork. The problem in New Zealand is there’s not much funding, there’s only about 2 commissions that I know of in the past 5 years which have been around the $240-250,000 mark...I know a lot of people would go ‘Oh my god that’s a lot of money!’ but it’s actually not a lot of money in comparison to overseas, and you’ll be lucky if the artists walks out with $20-$30,000 of that which you still need to pay tax on. The budget has to cover install, security on site, transportation, the insurance, the building permits and resource consent can cost five to six grand. All this kind of stuff can eat your budget, and art is more than money, it’s love.
Right & below: works by Lonnie Hutchinson
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FASHION_#67
Photography Camille Sanson www.disciple-productions.com Fashion editior Valentina Tiurbini www.valentinat.com Hair Louis Byrne using Schwarzkopf Professsional www.louisbyrne.com Makeup Lan Nguyen @ My Management using M.A.C Models Wiktoria @ Storm Models & Valeria @ Premier Model Management Hair assist: Carly Howard Photo assist: Tory Turk
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Shirt by Stolen Girlfriends Club, bolero by Louis De Gama
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Dress by Thurley, boots by Manolo Blahnik
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Jacket & corset by Zambesi, shorts by Karen Walker, necklace by Gold Jewellery
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Jacket by Tarik Kiswanson, jeans by Ksubi
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Skirt Zambesi, blazer by Stolen Girlfriends Club, boots by Manolo Blahnik.
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Blazer by Zambesi, shorts by Karen Walker, shoes by Manolo Blahnik, necklace by Gold Jewellery
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Dress & platform shoes Tarik Kiswanson.
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Shirt by Stolen Girlfriends Club, bolero by Louis De Gama, shorts by Calvin Klein
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Leather jacket & trousers by Louis De Gama, sandals by Manolo Blahnik, platform shoes by Tarik Kiswanson
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Cream cardigan by Chronicles Of Never, jeans by Ksubi, necklace by Lucy Hutchings
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Leather t-shirt & skirt by Illionaire, earrings by Lucy Hutchings, boots by Manolo Blahnik
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Top by Oswald Helgason, skirt by Thurley, earrings by Lucy Hutchings
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BRIGHT MIDNIght Photography Stephen Langdon @ Reload Fashion editior Atip W Hair Sara Allsop @ Dharma for GHD Makeup Stacy Lee-Ghin using M.A.C Hair assistant Leonard Johnston Models Ben, Oliver, Dominique, Max, Zac, Matt & Jos all @ August Models Strachan, CeCe & Brittany @ Red 11 Simon @ Nova Models
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ben (Buddy) wears: All by Crane Brothers
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OLIVER (ian) wears: Shirt by Crane Brothers, trench coat by Self Help @ Fabric, jeans by Marcs
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Jos (rod) wears: All by World Man
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Brittany (joan) wearS: All by Ksubi
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zac (elvis) wears: Shirt & tie by Saint Augustine Academy @ MADE, blazer by Crane Brothers, trousers by Gucci
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simon (slash) wearS: T-shirt by Lee, denim shirt & vest by Ksubi, jeans by Cheap Monday @ MADE, rings by Stolen Girlfriends Club
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strachan (jim) wears: Leather shirt & shoes by Gucci, jeans by Dior Homme @ Fabric.
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cece (carly) wears: Shirt, jeans & belt all by Karen Walker, jacket by Self Titled
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max (iggy) wears: Leather blazer by Politix
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matt (bob) wears: Shirt, waistcoat & jacket all by Mister @ MADE, hat by APC @ MADE
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dominique (amy) wears: sweatshirt by TopShop @ The Department Store, denim vest & shorts by Nobody, boots by Alexnder Wang @ Workshop.
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FASHION_#67
A ROOM WITH NO
VIEW PHOTOGRAPHy Jessica Sim fashion editor Atip W Model Michelle @ Nova Models Hair & Makeup Stacy Lee-Ghin using M.A.C & Kevin Murphy Thanks to Tania Kent @ Britomart
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Leather bra & leggings by Stitch Ministry, knit copped top by Salasai, socks by Nyne, shoes by Top Shop @ The Department Store.
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Dress by Nyne
Bra top by CybĂˆle, leather knit & shorts by Salasai, lace cuffs & neckpiece by Zambesi.
Knit singlet & jacket by Stich Ministry, skirt by Annah S, leg warmers by Nyne, Belt By karen walker, shoes by Chaos & Harmony. REMIX 284
All by Nyne
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Knit top by Cooperative Designs @ Children Of Vision, shorts by Zambesi, socks by Karen Walker, shoes by Top Shop @ The Department Store.
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Swimsuit by CybĂˆle, crochet top by Risto @ Children Of Vision, vest by Nyne, socks by Jockey, shoes by Top Shop @ The Department Store.
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FASHION_#67
DUSTY
GREY Photography Marissa Findlay Fashion editior Atip W Hair Sara Allsop @ Dharma for GHD Makeup Amber D for M.A.C Models Jessica Clarke & Kendall @ Clyne Models photo assists: evie mackey & emma daniel retouching: fadavi Fashion assist: Amanda Tse Hair assist: Michael Beel make-up assist: sam holley
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Dress by One Teaspoon, Lace leggings by Company of Strangers, Jacket by Twenty8Twelve @ workshop REMIX 289
Jumpsuit by Twenty8Twelve @ workshop, Jacket by Amanda Tse (AUT), belt by lara parker
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Dress by CybĂˆle Top by Cooperative Designs
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Dot dress by Salasai , Jacket by Daniel Palillo @ children of vision, Scarf by Company of Strangers, Fringe Pouch by D_Luxe
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Scarf by Nyne, T-shirt by Post Weiler Hauber @ children of vision, Shirt by Company of Strangers, dress by One Teaspoon, Necklace by Deadly Ponies
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Shorts, Bandeau & bottoms by Stolen Girlfriends Club, Belt by Lara Parker, Jacket by Daniel Palillo & heels by KTZ @ Children of Vision, Necklace by Deadly Ponies
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Jumper by Daniel Palillo @ Children of Vision, Hat by Stolen Girlfriends Club
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pantS & Skirt by Nom*D,
jacket by Salasai, Necklace by Deadly Ponies, Bracelet by Company of Strangers
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shortS, hood top & boots by Zambesi, Vest by Company of Strangers, Jacket as Skirt by Nom*D, Necklace by Deadly Ponies
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dress by One teaspoon, dress by Zambesi, Shirt dress by Maurie & Eve, Jacket by Madame Hawke, Necklace by Deadly Ponies
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Dress by Zambesi, Jacket by Nom*D, Leggings by ISBM, Belt by Marc by Marc Jacobs @ workshop, Bracelet by Company of Strangers, Belt worn as bracelet by Lara Parker
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jacket by twenty8twelve @ workshop, leggings by company of strangers, dress worn as skirt by nom*D, necklaces by deadly ponies
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Leotard by Therese Rawsthorne, Jacket by company of strangers, Cape Silk by Amber Hodgman (AUT),shoes by bally @ runway shoes
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dress by Stolen Girlfriends Club
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Becky wears dress by Miss Crabb
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new
MOON Photographer Kelly Thompson @ International Rescue Stylist Barry Betham @ LCM group Hair Diana Moar Makeup Maza White using M.A.C Models Hannah & Samantha @ Red 11, Becky @ Vanity Walk, Emma @ 62 models, Nicola @ Nova Studio thanks to Studio Lumiere Retouching Mark Cornellison www.cornellison.net
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Hannah wears tank by Topshop, shorts by Ruby, boots by Mi Piaci, vintage shirt, tights, hat & scarf
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Nicola wears jacket by Starfish, blouse and skirt by Twentysevennames, pearls by Karen Walker, vintage hat
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Emma wears jacket by Sera Lilly, lace top and collar by Ruby, socks @ Farmers, boots by Kate Sylvester, vintage skirt & skirt
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Nicola wears scarf by We Are, shirt by Ruby, Shorts by Madame Hawk, tights by CybĂˆle, shoes by Topshop, vintage foxtail vest
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Becky wears jacket by Karen walker, Dress & necklace by CybÈle, hat by Glassons, socks @ Farmers, clogs by Whywho
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Becky wears dress by Zambesi , belt by Miss Crabb, necklace by CybĂˆle, hat by Glassons, vintage scarf
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Nicola wears dress by Topshop, bag by Saben, boots by whywho, vintage beads and hat
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Hannah wears jacket and belt by Miss Crabb, Leggings by CybĂˆle, Shoes by Vivienne Westwood for Melissa, Vintage tutu & hat
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Hannah wears dress by Nom*D,Vintage dress, belt by Miss crabb, hat by Glassons
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Emma wears vintage dress on loan @ cwt fabrics archive, belt by Miss Crabb, socks @ Farmers, clogs by Topshop, vintage hat
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Samantha wears shirt @ fabric, tank by Zambesi, jeans by Levis 501,socks @ Farmers,  shoes by Vivienne Westwood for Melissa, vintage silk flower, scarf and beads
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Emma wears shirt by World, bra by Madame Hawk, skirt by Kate Sylvester, vintage hat
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There’s A Distance Between Us
Dress by Sera Lilly, shoes by Jonathan Kelsey @ Karen Walker
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Photography Garth Badger Fashion Editor Atip W Hair Shontal Healy @ Stephen Marr using Kevin Murphy Makeup Aimee Graham using M.A.C Model Caitlyn @ Red 11 Photo assists Sarah Grace & Duncan Innes. Thanks to Spookers
This editorial is a select group of stills from a short film. See the full version online at www.remix.co.nz/distance
Bra top by Annah S, dress & waistcoat by Zambesi, trousers by Therese Rawsthorne, shoes by Jonathan Kelsey @ Karen Walker.
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corset & shorts by zambesi, jacket by Salasai
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top by Bettina Liano, cropped shirt by Therese Rawsthorne, leggings by Something Else, lace neckpiece by Zambesi
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Jumpsuit by One Teaspoon, ruffle waistcoat by Maurie & Eve, lace cuffs by Zambesi
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Bra by Ksubi, trousers & lace hooded top by Zambesi, shoes by Chaos & Harmony
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Bra by Nyne, blazer by Alexandra Owen, trousers by Salasai
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Shirt dress by Alexandra Owen, heels by Jonathan Kelsey @ Karen Walker.
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FASHION_#67
Photography Guy Coombes www.guycoombes.com Fashion editor Atip W Hair Jason Li @ Stephen Marr using Kevin Murphy Makeup Kirsten Stanners @ M.A.C Models Richard @ Clyne Models & McInnes @ Nova Models
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T-shirt by Stolen Girlfriends Club, jacket by Junya Watanabe for Comme Des Garcons @ Fabric, trousers by Georgia Nicholson @ AUT, belt by Naked & Famous @ Fabric. REMIX 331
left: Polo shirt by Vanishing Elephant, suit jacket by Crane Brothers, REMIX 332
T-shirt by Neuw, shirt by Zambesi man, jacket & trousers by Salasai,
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Shirt by Commune, cardigan by Stolen Girlfriends Club
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left: Polo shirt by Zambesi Man, trenchcoat by Neuw. right: Shirt by Commune, cardigan by Vanishing Elephant REMIX 335
left: T-shirt by Stolen Girlfriends Club, cardigan by Vanishing Elephant, trousers by Salasai. right: Polo shirt by Vanishing Elephant, suit jacket by Crane Brothers, trousers by Zambesi Man.
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T-shirt by Zambesi Man, blazer by Junya Watanabe for Comme Des Garcons @ Fabric, trousers by Salasai, boots by Beau Coops REMIX 337
Singlet by Fistful of Birds, knit vest by Stolen Girlfriends Club, waistcoat by Junya Watanabe for Comme Des Garcons @ Fabric, cardigan by Commune, skirt by Zeke Sole @ AUT
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left: Shirt by Salasai, suit jacket & scarf by Zambesi Man. right: Hooded t-shirt & tuxedo jacket by Stolen Girlfriends Club, scarf by Zambesi Man
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T-shirt & shirt by Vanishing Elephant, hat by Deadly Ponies REMIX 340
shirt by Georgia Pratt @ AUT, cardigan by Vanishing Elephant, trousers by Salasai
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This page: Shirt by Salasai, suit jacket & scarf by Zambesi Man. opposite: Hooded t-shirt & tuxedo jacket by Stolen Girlfriends Club, scarf by Zambesi Man REMIX 342
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if we shadows Photography Craig Owen @ Reload Fashion Editor Atip W Makeup Virgina Carde using M.A.C Hair Danny Pato @ D&M using Schwarzkopf Professional Model Viera @ Nova Models Hair assist Shannon Lee-Johnson, Fashion assist Krysta Hardaker Retouching Annalee Hart, Thanks to Kingsize Studios
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Capelet worn as veil by Juliette Hogan
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Capelet by Juliette Hogan, dress by Therese Rawsthorne
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All by CybÈle
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Dress By Kokon To Zai @ Children Of Vision
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Leather jacket by Moochi, bodysuit by Ksubi, trousers by Therese Rawsthorne, shoes by Vivienne Westwood @ Jaimie Boutique
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Dress by Cooperative Designs @ Children Of Vision, shoes by Vivienne Westwood @ Jaimie Boutique.
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dress by CybĂˆle, top by Complex Geometries @ Children Of Vision.
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Shirt by Alexandra Owen, waistcoat by World, shorts by Alexander Wang @ Workshop.
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Top by Zambesi, leather jacket by Helen Cherry, trousers by Therese Rawsthorne
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Knit top by Marc by Marc Jacobs @ Workshop, trousers by Jaimie @ Jaimie Boutique, cape by Complex Geometries @ Children Of Vision, shoes by TML @ Jaimie Boutique
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Shirt by Alexandra Owen, waistcoat by World
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Dress by Complex Geometries @ Children Of Vision, leggings by Alexandra Owen
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Dress by CybÈle, Cropped jacket by Ksubi, trousers by Jimmy’D, shoes by Moochi
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AKL 21st OCT h tt p : / / w o r l d . g - s h o c k . c o m
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Film
The controversial nature of the modeling world is nothing new. Whether it is underage models, undersized models or sexually exploited models, the balance of power does not lie with the girls who are in front of the camera. Sarah Ziff knows this. She started modeling at the age of 14 and experienced the whole realm of the fashion world. From the high of a spectacular Milan catwalk show to the low of friends and colleagues being psychologically and sexually manipulated. So along with her filmmaker boyfriend Ole Schell, Sara decided to document the highly coveted fashion industry, the good and the bad. The result is the documentary Picture Me: A Model’s Diary. How did Picture Me come about? Ole: It began with me following Sara just really for fun and going on photo shoots with her…it was very sort of home video footage at first. So we did that for a while and we showed my father who is a journalist, he happened to see it and he thought we had something very interesting, which was a sort of like a fly on the wall look at not only the fashion industry but also the beginning of Sara starting to excel in the industry. Ole and Sara then gave cameras to models to record their thoughts and feelings and from there it snowballed. Ole: At the end of the day they would be in the hotel room at the
end of work and they would speak directly into the camera about their feelings regarding certain issues, whether it would be production or getting older in the industry or even some girls who talked about sexual exploitation. Sara how shocked were you at these stories and confessions? Sara: There was nothing really shocking to me in the film, Ole were you shocked? Ole: Ahh, ok, Sara grew up in the industry and started working at 14 and I met her when she started going full time at age 18. Things to her which were sort of mundane or commonplace would perhaps be more shocking to me and more interesting to me because I was an outsider. And what was the most shocking issue? Ole: I think the most shocking thing was the routine of bringing in underage girls, that is the one thing we really took away from the film that is the root of many of the problems, the age of the models and I think if you could address that then a lot of the other problems would take care of themselves. Sara: I think it is really important to try to step back and look at these girls and these images and think what does it really mean you know? When you look at a really young girl who is really just a child, which is what a lot of these young girls are, you are looking at someone who is malleable, who is not really
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barista@home www.baristaathome.co.nz REMIX 363
continued fully formed and who is underdeveloped in many ways. Is it also part of a larger societal problem? Surely the fashion industry is just the apex of a society that has always been obsessed with youth? Sara: Fashion doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it reflects what is going on in the world. Ole: The chicken and the egg, each side blames the other you know. Sara: I would love to see the industry embrace stronger, adult individuals - I think that would make for more exciting pictures, it would be healthier for the models who wouldn’t have to drop out of school at a young age and be put into adult situations that they are not ready for. I think it would create a ripple effect, creating much healthier, more positive images that were better for the consumer and for women in general. Sara, how important was it to have Ole there for you as a supportive figure? Sara: Ole was my support system and in making the film together he really helped me make sense of my experience. Ole, people dream about working in fashion, what was it like being on the international Fashion Week circuit with Sara? Ole: The show seasons starts at New York then they go to Milan then they go to Paris and these girls are working 7 -10 days in each city. They are getting just a few hours sleep a night and they are completely exhausted, so by the time Paris comes around these often very beautiful women are very haggard and beat up. So they will a lot of the time
import their boyfriends for some sort of R n R and support in Paris so we would run around with this cadre of scruffy band members and film maker types so that was a lot of fun you know? Sara, would you do it all again? Sara: I wouldn’t have started at 14. I think if I were to give advice to any young women who are interested in modelling I would say finish school and wait until you are at least 18. And what do you hope to accomplish with Picture Me? Sara: I’m very eager to kind of use this film as a platform to say ‘look, there are so many smart thoughtful people in this business, how can we make this better for people in the industry and for people who are looking at these images?’ In recent months accusations have surfaced about photographer Terry Richardson sexually exploiting young models. Did that surprise you? Sara: I’m not at all shocked by it no, and I am glad that young women in the industry feel empowered enough to speak out Ole: While we don’t name any names, people are starting to ask why are these young women put in this vulnerable situation? Sara: That whole dialogue [Terry Richardson] that you’ve mentioned really kind of sprung out of our releasing the film on the festival circuit, so you know it’s already really helped start a dialogue. Picture Me: A Model’s Diary is in cinemas from September 30th. Interview by Tim Lambourne.
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The Runaways
There was a time when the term teen sensation referred to something more inspiring and visceral than Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus. That time was 1975 and that sensation was The Runaways. The first all female rock band to crack the mainstream rock and roll industry. The movie of the same name starring Kristen Stewart as guitarist Joan Jet and Dakota Fanning as singer Cherie Curry is the first feature film from Floria Sigismondi. While Sigismondi may be new to full-length movies she’s certainly got the rock and roll credentials to back up The Runaways. She’s best known for her music video clips, including Marilyn Manson’s The Beautiful People. Tim Lambourne spoke to Floria at her home in Los Angeles. This is your first feature film, how did it all come about and what was the experience like? It is my first feature film, I wrote and directed it…for me it was kind of exciting, I was a fan of the band but also I really loved the fact that they were so young and they were doings things girls weren’t allowed to do you know, play hard rock and roll. You interviewed the
real Runaways for research, what was it like talking to these rock legends? Well Joan and all of them have a very soft spot in their heart for The
Runaways. But one thing that came out from the interviews is that they all had very conflicting views on Kim (The Runaways’ manager). Cherie saw him as a much more kind of domineering character. They had very different opinions of him so I had to work with Kim to make sure he had all of those characteristics. Kim Fowler
was their controversial manager and he’s credited with making The Runaways into the sensation they became, he knew how to market their ‘jailbait rock’ appeal. What was it like interviewing him? It was
amazing, he went on for five hours and he had a whole soundtrack to his interview, he had all the things worked out. He brought over like 50 books that he was mentioned in. How much fun was it to resurrect that decade and that period of rock? Well it was very exciting for me because it’s one of my favourite times in history, in music. Their (The Runaways) genre of music was very raw and it spoke to me and that’s why I based the whole look of the film off of my memory of that time period too. It was a very special time for me because you kind of made your own fashion, you kind of made your own identity. You didn’t have these stores now where it’s like ‘Oh I wanna be a goth’…In those days, I mean you had to really make who you were. You see that in the film with Cherie when she’s
standing in front of the mirror trying on different clothes. You get the feeling that she is, as you say, constructing her own identity.
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Yeah, and you know she comes from a very kind of Dean Martin, Barry Manilow kind of background. She’s very different to Joan so I kind of wanted to show the more dramatic side of them. Was Cherie happy with how she was portrayed? I think it would be hard for anybody, to see yourself like that, you know? I don’t think they were necessarily happy memories for her. It was quite hard. And Joan? I think she was happy with how she was portrayed in the film…I haven’t heard otherwise. She never gave up her dream and in the end she gets it, but she gets it her way, which I think was very important. And Cherie in a way gets what she wants too you know. She realises that she maybe wants something different out of life and that’s great too. Everybody has their different descriptions of success. What inspired the aesthetic of the movie? I was pretty hands-on with the fashion because I really wanted everything to be perfect. I got a friend of mine who I’d worked alongside, Carol Beadle (Costume Director) and she had done the first Marilyn Manson videos with me and she grew up in the era so I knew that she would get it. In Joan’s opening scene, she didn’t necessarily get her leathers at that time but for me it was very important to kind of show her look in the beginning and show you who she is. And you know from her clothes and her position what kind of person she is. She’s not going to be this kind of friendly little girl, she has her own version of what being a girl means to her and it’s different to everybody else.
Speaking of Kristen Stewart who plays Joan, is it true that she was signed to the movie before Twilight became the phenomenon that it is? I was looking at her in Into The Wild; she’s so great in that film. We met and I thought she had the right characteristics but she had just finished the first Twilight
and it hadn’t come out…and we had no idea what that phenomenon was going to be like. Was that a positive, her being such a superstar? Or would you have preferred her to be more unknown? Well she was so into it and so committed to playing Joan and doing her justice that none of that (celebrity status) got in the way. Did you always have Dakota Fanning in mind for Cherie? That developed just out of her coming of age. When I met her she was 14 and by the time we shot it she was 15 so she would be the exact age of Cherie Curry. I think that helps with the audience, people can look at her and feel what it would be like for a 15-year-old to go through this stuff. The Runaways is in theatres on the 9th of September. By Tim Lambourne.
Media Design School is where people from around the globe put their passion into practice. We have a global reputation for producing outstanding professional talent and fresh thinking. Our grads get the jobs. www.mediadesignschool.com 09 303 0402 | enquiries@mediadesignschool.com
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DEAR TIME’S WASTE A relatively fresh face on the scene, Claire Duncan of Dear Time’s Waste has been gaining an ever increasing amount of airplay and attention following an acclaimed DIY-recorded EP, some amazing local collaborative efforts and just the right kind of attitude. Described as her mastermind work, Dear Time’s Waste is in fact Claire’s own project, initiated almost 2 years ago and developing from ‘me playing with songs, really liking them, and wanting to record and release them.’ With a starting point of herself, Claire utilises ‘a number of great people. I’ve got some amazingly talented friends, and we group different people for different shows – it’s not a solo project, it’s not a band project, its pure collaboration. It provides me with an opportunity to do whatever I think serves the song best – different people have different abilities and styles, and we make use of all of them.’ In a relatively short time, we’ve seen her debut EP Room for Rent receive heart-warming levels of radio play across the BNet and KiwiFM, while her first single ‘Blue and Gold’ from the as yet unnamed upcoming album heralds only good things. The mysterious album will feature work from an eclectic mix of local talent, while the song writing at this stage is pure unadulterated Claire. ‘The album is all my songs, and some of the music is just me, but it has a good mix of other people contributing – Brent Harris and Michael Ramirez from Cut Off Your Hands play a big part and Rosemary Harris plays bass on a bunch of stuff, it’s a whole raft of people.’ Dear Time’s Waste is a slightly unusual project, yet one artists and audiences seem to enjoy – likely due in part to Clarie’s infectious enthusiasm for her sound and willingness to experiment with others, ‘at the start it was really challenging for me, because I’d always played on my own and done it my way – it kind of turned into a very collaborative project. I’m hoping over time it will become even more so – at the moment it’s only my songs, but I can’t wait to get others involved and use other peoples songs – get some co-writing going and see what we can produce.’ With the debut album pegged for release in October, I was a little surprised to find it un-titled, but as Claire made clear to me, ‘that is something I’m working on really hard, I do want to get it sorted really soon. But it’s a tricky one – I think when I find what’s right, it will be very right.’ From the projects conception in Lynfield to the EP recording in a dingy former hospice, it could only be described as a rollercoaster ride of musical boot-camp, but one that provided Claire the resources and abilities to produce high-quality, popular music
on the fly (and on a low budget). ‘The biggest hurdle for the EP was money – I was totally broke and we did it as cheaply as possible with minimal gear. We didn’t have any mixing or mastering equipment – but it reflects the time and space we were in really well. When I did it I was so satisfied with the work and to have it done. I was genuinely extremely surprised people wanted to hear it, and that they liked it. I was excited enough myself, and then hearing people say ‘oh it’s really good’ was just amazing.’ This level of self-satisfaction and contentment is readily hear-able in the soft, smooth and inviting sound that is Dear Time’s Waste. Drawing heavy inspiration from classic ‘80s films, ala David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and others, Claire provides a different perspective on a well-established sound. With inspirations ranging from Chris Issac to the Bee Gees, it can be a tad diverse. Yet with musical muses like ‘Smashing Pumpkins, Deerhunter and My Bloody Valentine’ it’s not hard to identify the roots – keeping it a smidgen off-track however, Claire points out ‘these super-bands had a big influence on the EP I released last year, but I also listen to quite a lot of folk and country, and I feel it comes through in my music.’ With a fairly traditional musical induction; growing up playing clarinet, joining the school concert band, graduating to the sax, Claire ‘got a wide range of experience, especially with learning to read all kinds of music – anything that’s not pop – which has been of great service to me.’ And it shows – approached to play at the New Zealand debut of the internationally famous Laneways festival in 2009, Dear Time’s Waste delivered outstandingly, and in the words of one reviewer ‘sent the crowd into an instant swoon with their beautifully executed dream pop’. And that’s the reaction that is likely to continue in the future. With an ethos Claire is quick to spell out, ‘I’m not trying to emulate a particular artist or sound, I just like good music and writing songs’ it’s not surprising that this, combined with her great talent and wistful sound, has seen a steady rise in attention as the EPs are released, the tours are taking place and the fan base grows. With sights set on Australia (following the EPs recent successful launch there), and signing to Sydney based label Speak & Spell, the future looks rosy for Claire and her gang. Keep the ears and airwaves open for Dear Time’s Waste debut album in October and expect to see more of this charismatic and diverse ‘group’ as they win both hearts and minds. Interview by Will Seal, photo by oliver rose
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Julia Deans Fur Patrol was without a doubt one of Aotearoa’s most iconic bands of the 2000s. Lead singer Julia Deans’ debut solo album Modern Fables has been a long time in the making, and is finally due for release this month.
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...CONT’
I’ve stayed true to my heart and my sound, and if people don’t like it, well, I’m happy with it.
Fur Patrol was without a doubt one of Aotearoa’s most iconic bands of the 2000s. With smash hit albums Pet and Collider, they helped define our nations sound in an era free from recession doom and gloom. It was none other than lead singer Julia Deans who fronted and showcased this trio as they stormed stages, scooped awards and cemented themselves as world famous in New Zealand. But this article isn’t about Fur Patrol, as much as we all loved them - it’s about Julia, or even more excitingly, the upcoming release of her debut solo album Modern Fables and the journey to this point. A long time in the making; Modern Fables, is the beginning of something special for Julia. Contrary to what I imagined, her initial plans weren’t launching a hugely successful band, in fact ‘doing a solo album was what I intended to do initially, but then we started a band which I could only describe as an exciting happy detour, but now it feels like I’ve come full circle.’ A happy detour indeed, one spanning a range of NZ Music Awards and over a decade performing. From go to woah, the album and its ideas have been floating around in Julia’s head ‘for years and years, but the actual development period was about two years; getting most of the songs written, then recording them, then writing some more, then doing the instruments and all that – it all takes time’. Luckily time is something Julia has had plenty of over the last few years, time being a high-profile musician at least, and with time comes experience. Julia was quick to point out the most valuable lesson learnt from her time with Fur Patrol, ‘the biggest thing was going with your gut instinct – every time we went against our gut we generally turned out to be correct! People would say ‘oh this is a great idea’ and we just weren’t sure, and every time we’d get to the end and think ‘oh f*ck, should have listened to ourselves the whole time’’. The second most important lesson? ‘Be patient – you can’t rush these things. I had to m ake sure it was just right, especially being my debut album.’ In terms of direction and influence, Julia had a fairly specific sound in mind, ‘I wanted to keep everything really simple and pure in terms of sound and tones, and focus on keeping it as warm as possible, but feminine’. Like all great album plans however, it didn’t survive first contact with the studio, ‘a lot of the sounds came from different friends, and it ended up evolving a great deal as we were working on it. In keeping with the title, the album is a collection of stories, and working with those friends you glean stories from them and they build upon each other.’ It’s this personal feel that seems to capture Julia’s excitement and
energy, something Fur Patrol have always used, but seems even stronger now. When I asked, Julia confirmed she was indeed excited, and for exactly the right reasons. ‘It’s a new path to explore. With Fur Patrol, we all worked together so well and had the same building blocks for each track, so it was really refreshing to be able to try different things and play with different people. I ended up really nervous – with Andrew and Simon I was so comfortable and knew intrinsically how it worked, but with other people I had to learn their musical body language, it was crazy, but I had great fun.’ Making for an exciting yet dangerous twist during the albums production, much of the recording took place in Berlin and Melbourne. Julia credits this with having a strong impact on the sound and feel, ‘there was a lot of extra excitement from being overseas, but it wasn’t ideal being in a different studio. Despite the challenges, it ended up being great and I loved it’. Christchurch was another recording hotspot, but due to time constraints the only open spot was between Christmas and New Years, ‘we’d have people ringing us on Christmas Day to come round and have lunch, but no, we were in the studio!’ Despite these international issues, the album came together with some amazing input from a variety of tried, true and trusted friends – Aaron Tokona (Cairo Knife Fight, Weta), Richard Pickard (Solaa), Dino Karlis (HDU, Dimmer), Nick Gaffaney (Cairo Knife Fight) and Karl Kippenberger (Shihad). With friends like these, you couldn’t expect anything but the best. Yet one might think that launching off into the wild blue yonder of solo-dom has to be a tad nerveracking, after years of support from a tight knit group. But proving her tenacity and having none of my investigatory journalism, Julia responded, ‘No, it just feels right. It has taken a long time to get to this point, but I’m really happy with the music. I’ve stayed true to my heart and my sound, and if people don’t like it, well, I’m happy with it.’ This is a message Julia is keen to hammer home, and one we can only expect to see carried through into her music. ‘You have to do it because you’re passionate about it. If you lose sight of that, you aren’t being honest – if people don’t like it, that’s fine, you can’t please everyone. Hell sometimes you can’t please anyone!’ But please people she does – with previous successes at the top of the charts, NZ Music Awards and a well-established reputation here at home and around the globe, Modern Fables is pegged to be an introspective look into the soul of Miss Deans and Co, and the stories that weave their lives. Interview by Will Seal, photo by oliver rose
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mark ronson Super producer, guitar player, DJ, Gucci model, magazine cover star, singer - is there anything Mark Ronson can’t touch and turn to gold?
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... we can travel more, tour more, go to places we’ve ever been - go to Japan, go to New Zealand.
It’s been about four years since I last spoke to Mark Ronson, around the time of his album Version, a collaborative effort featuring the likes of Robbie Williams, Lily Allen, and Alex Greenwald and an album which saw him shoot from New York based celebrity DJ hero to internationally acclaimed producer and musician. Music is definitely in the family with sister Samantha a well known DJ, and their step dad Mick Jones of Foreigner ensuring they caught the music bug young. By he time he was a teenager Mark was DJing regularly in underround New York hip hop clubs, and became the go-to-guy for celebrity parties with his mix of hip hop, funk, and rock carving out an eclectic reputation for him behind the decks. Now in 2010 he has finally dropped his follow up record to Version, entitled Record Collection. When I got on the phone with him he was ‘busy’ downing pints in a London pub with some members of his new band, including the hot new talent MNDR (who contributes the chirpy French chorus in the hit first single ‘Bang Bang Bang’.) ‘Yeah hey man, how are are you, what do you want to talk about?’ he says in his trademark sleepy Trans-Atlantic slur. I tell him that here in New Zealand his new single Bang Bang Bang has been going off, smashing radio playlists and iPods all over. He’s stoked (‘people like it?!’). It’s already done well in his home country, reaching number 6 in the charts. ‘Actually, you know what’s funny about it,’ he says, ‘The first person to hear some of the songs before they were unmixed was a fellow Kiwi - Zane Lowe (of BBC Radio 1 fame) who came to the studio and I played him a bunch of things, and we hadn’t even finished Bang Bang Bang yet, Q Tip hadn’t done his second verse you know, and as soon as he heard the beat he was like ‘that’s your first single’. So I have New Zealand to thank for that being the first.’ Ex-pat Kiwi Zane has been a big supporter of
Ronson’s over the years, and gave the world premiere of Bang Bang Bang on his show, at which time Ronson said on air the song was, frankly, ‘the best thing he’s ever done.’ That gets us all very excited about hearing the rest of the album, particularly given the collaborative approach Ronson takes, which sees him once again calling on a vast array of guests from across the musical spectrum - but we’ll get to that later. First I wanted to know - why the new moniker? Mark Ronson and the Business Intl? ‘My last album Version, except for the horns and the singers, was essentially a bedroom record - I played everything. But this new one - like the way it started with me and a few members of the Dap Kings and Antibalas and Alex Greenwald in the studio in Brooklyn for two months, you know 11 hours a day - it felt wrong to call it anything but a collective. I was just hoping I didn’t come up with something that was ‘Mark Ronson and the … something’. But my old manager Dom came round to visit one day, and he’d just seen an old English movie called ‘The Business’, which is about English people going to do ecstasy on the southern coast of Spain in the 1980s. And he was like, this whole thing you’re doing is the business, like the suits, and the English thing. And that was it. But I didn’t want to come across like we were being super tough like (snarling) ‘Oi mate, we’re the Business’. So the ‘International’ part is kind of nice, and says a bit about the whole international nature of the collective, like people from South America, from England, the US, from all over are on the album.’ It is this musical hotbed of guest musicians swirling around Ronson the ringmaster that we’ve come to expect from his music, and it’s reasonable to claim this new album is the most exciting and diverse array of guest musicians and vocalists to grace an album in a while. Says Ronson of his
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‘The first person to hear some of the songs before they were unmixed was a fellow Kiwi’
extensive guestlist: ‘There’s a track with me and Ghostface Killah on it which I wrote with Johnny from The Drums, and I sing on for the first time. A couple of songs with Andrew Wyatt from Miike Snow, my favorite being a duet with Boy George. On another song I’m singing with Nick from the Kaiser Chiefs, I also sing on another song with Wiley and Simon Le Bon (of Duran Duran) which is quite cool! Another song with Spank Rock and Kyle from The View. Theophilus London is on it, it’s got Rose Eleanor Dougal who’s voice I’m in love with, she’s on 3 or 4 songs….’ And the list goes on. Add to that Q Tip and MNDR from the first single, plus longtime vocal collaborator Alex Greenwald and you have one great sounding party. The Business International. A heady mix of hip rappers, legendary British musicians, longtime collaborators and uber-fresh new talent like MNDR make it a tantalizing prospect for fans of all kinds of music - how will Ronson incorporate such seemingly disparate parties? Sounds like one mother of a live show! Unfortunately the reality is that when Ronson hits the road he can’t take all of his merry band - as much as it would be cool to see the album played out as it is on the record. Q Tip and Spank Rock sharing a stage with Simon Le Bon and Boy George would be a sight to behold! ‘The core group for the live show so far is me, MNDR, Rose and Alex Greenwald, and we can do any song from the catalogue, they’re so versatile and if we can pick up anyone else along the way, then great. The last time we had a really big band, three horn players, string players, percussionists, but we couldn’t tour anywhere cause it was so fucking expensive! But I love the fact that we now have just six of us, we can play a great
set, and it means we can travel more, tour more, go to places we’ve ever been go to Japan, go to New Zealand.’ (Possible scoop on NZ gig announcement right there!) At this point I ask who plays the part of legendary A Tribe Called Quest rapper Q Tip in the live show. ‘Oh Spank Rock…but hang on Alex Greenwald does an amazing Q Tip impression.’ And sure enough he passes the phone over and we get a pretty accurate rendition of one of the verses from Bang Bang Bang! Just illustrates a point about the members of the Business Intl - a truly multitalented bunch revolving around one of the more multitalented individuals working in music today. Before we go I ask a bit more about vocalist MDNR, and Ronson suggests I just chat to her myself. How did she enter the wild world of Ronson? ‘He hosts a show on East Village Radio,’ she explains, ‘Aaron la Crate covers it occasionally and he’s a friend of mine. It was his last show of the year, there was a blizzard out, I got a text that I should come down, I was like, nah cold… but Aaron was like - ‘Mark is here’ and so I gave him an exclusive on a song of mine, and he heard it, liked it. And then he invited me in the studio and it went from there. Although I had vertigo in the there.’ You had what? A symptom of climbing to the dizzying heights of a musical collaboration with money-makin’ Mark Ronson? ‘No actually, I’d just been on a cruise ship with my parents, and I just sort of stayed seasick afterwards. Sometimes it’s OK if the world’s a little swirly though,’ she laughs. I guess the world can get a little crazy when you’re part of the collection of like-minded people swirling around the musical force that is Mark Ronson. By Dean Campbell
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Digital media has transformed the way we see and experience the world. There are loads of great career opportunities available to students who master the tools of creative digital design. At Natcoll, we’ve forged an enviable reputation for producing professionals with advanced digital and creative skills. Our grads form the basis of New Zealand’s internationally successful design industries, and can be found working in top companies both here and overseas. With a Natcoll qualification you’ll be ready to tackle the creative world of digital design. For further course information phone 0800 66 55 44 or visit natcoll.ac.nz
al Filmmaking. Graphic Design. Animation. Web Development. Digit Interactive Design. Creative Communication.
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REMIX 67_music
miami horror They say everyone is a DJ, and apparently these days a producer too. Benjamin Plant is much more. He took Miami Horror from the bedroom to the live stage, bringing three other people on board and creating a band much greater than the sum of its parts. Tim Lambourne spoke to Plant hours after Miami Horror were announced on the 2010 Rhythm and Vines line-up. Tim Lambourne spoke to Plant hours after Miami Horror were announced on the 2010 Rhythm and Vines line-up. Tell me about the creation of Miami Horror? I’ve always been producing and making electronic music since I was about 16 for fun, and it became a little bit more serious when I was in uni, so a few years ago. We decided we wanted to play live so we got Josh (guitar) on board, my best friend Dan (keyboard) and then Josh’s friend Aaron (drums) and we made this live show. What were some of your
early influences in terms of producing and then influences for the live show? Well, the early influences were probably more house-y. Like
Daft Punk and things like that, that’s borderline six or seven years now and that kind of held on for a few years. It had like this resurgence recently and then after that we kind of got a bit over it, because it was a bit overdone. So we allowed ourself to be open to more influences, more older eras and things
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like that. We stopped listening to newer music for the album and essentially what we did for the last show, we listened to all these bands like Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Jackson Five and heaps of vintage pop and then went from there to create our new stuff. How much does that change your production and your live stage show listening to more classic rock? Yeah, well when I say Pink Floyd I mean more specifically the earlier era that wasn’t so big and epic and over the top. But when we come to the live show it’s just about playing back what we have created and we always create without really thinking about the live show too much. We want it to be more about the record. It’s definitely hard in a way to play everything because there are only so many sounds so it’s hard to decide what to use on a sample track and what parts to play (live) and things like that. So with limitations in mind I guess it’s not too hard.
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I don’t know if I tricked myself into believing that it was fine, but whatever happened I ended up being quite happy with it. It looks like the most fun thing in the world, being on stage in front of people and just pouring so much energy into your show... Yeah, it’s a little bit nerve racking sometimes. Talking about your debut album ‘Illumination’, I hear that you spent 10 months producing and mixing it? Yeah, at least. I guess there’s a combination of old tracks and
new tracks so in total it probably would have added up to quite a few years. It’s our debut album so we want to get it right really. We want to make sure that every song is a good song. There’s no filler, everything is on there for a positive purpose. There’s a saying out there that you never really finish an
album, rather you throw it away. Was it it like that or did you guys feel comfortable and happy with it in the end? Well, no, because of
that long period we actually got quite happy with it by the end of it suprisingly. I would listen every day and I would think of a new thing to change or add to it over those 10 months to a year and then finally I don’t know if I tricked myself into believing that it was fine, but whatever happened I ended up being quite happy with it. That must be a really good feeling after pouring your heart and soul into an album? Yeah, well I never really expected to be able to listen back and enjoy it and see it as if I wasn’t in the band, probably an album I would really enjoy. I never expected that but that’s kind of how it’s sitting at the moment. Are you guys all Melbourne natives? Dan and I are from Melbourne, Josh is from Wellington and Aaron is more country Victoria. Did you say Wellington? Yeah. How did you meet Josh? Through my manager. Josh was in another Melbourne band, he wasn’t totally enjoying it, and I think he was listening to some other stuff at the time and the manager knew what he was into and it was pretty relevant to what we were doing so we just worked together from there. You’ve also got Kimbra on the new album too
which is pretty exciting for people over here. How did she go? We got her in to do the new single ‘I Look To You’ and she fits in perfectly. Talking about Melbourne as a city, how influential and how important is that place for creating art and music? It looks like it’s got so much going on over there? Probably about three years ago I thought it was
more influential, there was quite a good scene happening and it had gone from beginning to thriving. There was a lot of awesome people who are mostly still here anyway but it’s kind of lost that sense of the scene. It got infiltrated with a lot of younger people who were just in it for the fun of it and the art of it got lost and then over the last two years there weren’t that many good albums released in Melbourne. We lost that vibe a little bit. You are playing at Rhythm & Vines
this year. How excited are you guys to be playing the first festival to see the sun? We’re actually not going to be there on the New Year’s Eve. We’re there on the 29th and so that works for us because we can come back here and we’ll be playing quite a few gigs. But it’s unfortunate we don’t get to see the first sunrise in the world. Do you prefer to play festivals or your own shows? I think festivals. They’re a little bit more exciting for some reason and there’s a whole bunch of other artists there that you can hang out with so it’s more about the full experience than just the live aspect of it for bands that are playing. One last thing - I hear Mi-goreng noodles are a staple of the Miami Horror experience… They were during the whole creative process of the album but when it came to mixing like over the past year I couldn’t eat them anymore, they were making me feel sick so I haven’t had them for a while. Just giving it a little bit of time before you get back into them
for the next album in the future, then you will be straight back in there? Yeah, definitely. Catch Miami Horror on the 29th of December at Rhythm and Vines.
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REMIX 67_blogs
on the BLOG By Nicole Leybourne
with the best of fashion...
The World at your Feat
So much to tell you
It’s fitting that Onny Kaulima, creator of ‘The World At Your Feat’, owns at least 170 pairs of shoes. By being fascinated with shoes since only God knows when, it’s not only the colours that stimulate his senses, ‘but the look, feel, and overall design aesthetic’ are just as important to him. Onny isn’t all talk and no walk either. ‘At the moment I am currently working with Kathryn Wilson on a small project she’s started.’ (So ladies and gents, watch this space). Even though Onny completely disagrees that shoes are a practical invention to keep our feet protected from the footpath traffic, he has a few laughs and tells me that ‘they are there to make us look and feel good. Even if they don’t fit. No other reason.’ By basically displaying photos throughout his blog of people and their feet, it gives us a brief understanding of how people interpret the way they wear their shoes and the ‘stories about the people who wear them, when, and why.’ Onny’s blog also pays homage to a selection of boutique stores around Auckland such as ‘Two Hands Tattoo’ and ‘Superette’ where he showcases a ‘sneak peak’ of beautiful images of the creative bits and pieces they stock. Ultimately Onny’s fetish for shoes is a good thing. Without his great initiative and renewed sense of style, ‘The World At Your Feat’ would simply be nonexistent. By purely depicting photos of people and their feet, Onny has created a movement within the online fashion world that is truly unique and one of a kind. And yet, even with the number of loyal devotees ‘that are growing daily’ Onny has remained humble despite this. ‘I am definitely a `Jack of all trades but master of none.’ Bless!
Launching ‘So Much To Tell You’ in 2008 was a very fine idea indeed. With authors Zoe Walker and Natalie Smith behind the reel, their blog showcases a selection of quirky bits and bobs from everyday inspirations. ‘The main reason for starting our blog was because we missed each other a lot after I moved to Australia,’ Natalie fondly remembers. Zoe and Natalie, after becoming friends in 2006 while working together at Runway Reporter, have had both their work appear in magazines such as No, Fashion Quarterly, Russh, Pulp and the New Zealand Herald. Quite clearly these girls know exactly what they’re talking about. Despite Zoe’s immense workload for a number of media publications and Natalie’s decision to create her own PR Company, these fashion gurus still enjoy updating their blog on a fairly regular basis. At present they’re also making a book based on their blog ‘So much to tell you’ ‘which is going to be launched at this year’s Air New Zealand fashion week.’With a homepage full of interesting photographs and artwork, ‘So much to tell you’ is the perfect anecdote into Natalie and Zoe’s own muses. Taking inspiration from books, film festivals and especially ‘80s teen movies, friends, nature and music are also high up on their list. Their homepage alone hosts an ascetically pleasing layout, one that is similar to that of a typical fashion blog. Yet, their personalities and ideas are far from typical. In saying this, Zoe and Natalie’s personalities couldn’t be more of a contrast. ‘Zoe is little and blond and I’m dark and tall.’ It’s also nice to see the sorts of things ‘So much to tell you’ write about aren’t dictated by the current fashion trends but are simply inspirational pieces of ‘unrestricted and untraditional’ fashion that they wish to share with likeminded folks. This is definitely one for the record!
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HURTS-REMIXHPV-27_7_10:HURTS-REMIXHPV-27_7_10 28/07/2010 15:38 P
HAPPINESS
“theatre, drama and general good times” – NME “elegant and enigmatic” – last.fm
album in stores now www.informationhurts.com
Do you want an exciting career in fashion makeup? Qualify with Samala Robinson Academy (SRA) l NZQA registered l Interest free student loans and allowances l Fashion, TV and special effects makeup
Phone 09 379 9230 www.sramakeup.com
REMIX 67_books
Heaven to Hell By Flora Cheng
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noted magazines like Rolling Stone, Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair since he was first discovered by Andy Warhol. Lachapelle Heaven to Hell is the third volume in an exhilarating trilogy printed by TASCHEN. Featuring twice as many astonishing, colour-saturated, and provocative images, like its predecessors Lachapelle Land (1996) and the infamous Hotel Lachapelle (1999). Lachapelle Heaven to Hell is also an explosive compilation of new works by this visionary photographer. By using images of the most famous faces in the world today from music icons Michael Jackson, Kurt Cobain and Lady Gaga to marginalized figures like transsexual Amanda Lepore or the cast of his critically acclaimed social documentary Rize, Lachapelle in this collection, shifts the focus of celebrity and fashion towards more serious societal concerns and issues. Lachapelle’s trademark flamboyant excess turns the apparent celebration of consumption upside down into pointing out the disastrous consequences humanity will face as a result of it. Controversial and compelling are words to describe David Lachapelle’s latest masterpiece of work and what a way to mark Taschen’s 30th birthday anniversary! Lachappelle Heaven to Hell stays true to TASHCEN’s motto of never underestimating or boring their audience and publishing the greatest artists of our time. As seen in Lachapelle Heaven to Hell each fashionable yet provocative image shot by David Lachapelle challenges us to think outside the box and look beyond what is on the surface for a deeper meaning. In exact TASCHEN fashion and style they continue to inspire millions of people around the world. This is exactly why I love TASCHEN and why readers of REMIX will love TASHEN as well. Happy 30th Birthday TASCHEN!
From fetish imagery and queer art to historical erotica and tasteful pornography art book publisher TASCHEN, founded by Benedikt Taschen in 1980 in Cologne, Germany, has been prominent in making lesser-seen art forms available to mainstream bookstores around the world. TASCHEN has helped bring contentious art forms into the broader public sphere by publishing these controversial books alongside standard books about art photography, comic reprints, painting, design, fashion, advertising history, film and architecture. Their volumes cover a wide range of artists from the complete classic works of Leonardo Di Vinci to architecture by Tadao Ando and the works of legendary pop artist Andy Warhol. This year is Taschen’s 30th birthday anniversary and to celebrate this the ‘TASCHEN 25’ range has created a brand new series The Golden Books, available in June, and limited signed collector’s editions to mark this momentous occasion. TASCHEN was the first publishing company to create limited signed collector’s editions of books. As a result these volumes produced by them have become cult popular culture items that double as a chic coffee table article and an excellent way to invest in an artist or a collectable item. Previous collector’s editions include Ellen Von Unwerth, The Godfather, Christopher Wool, Valentino and G.O.A.T (Muhammad Ali, The Greatest of All Time), the second most expensive book in publishing history. Taschen’s new series ‘The Golden Books’ will include works by the likes of Italian fashion house Pucci however we here at REMIX particularly love the volume Lachapelle Heaven to Hell by renowned outrageous celebrity photographer, director and artist David Lachapelle. Who is notorious for his surreal, unique and often humorous style and approach to the art that he produces. Lachappelle’s works have graced the covers of many
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REMIX 67_review
games crackdown 2
When it comes down to bare bones, video games equal escapism – you want to do something, be something, and feel something. With the huge range of games out there you might expect most of the common arenas to be filled, and yet the simplicity of Crackdown 2, a free-roam GTA style action sandbox game, fills me with excitement. There are few times when a game truly seems to have it all, to meet every desire and wish, and while Crackdown 2 doesn’t quite tick every box, it does mark us being one step closer to my ultimate game.The premise is simple – you are a power-armoured special agent, working for ‘The Agency’, to help stem the tide of crime and lawlessness that has overrun Pacific City. By day, gangs of heavily armed terrorists belonging to unexcitingly named ‘Cell’ roam the streets and make many districts total no-go zones. By night, hordes (and I do mean hordes) of zombie/freak/mutants swarm the streets making survival a constant battle. While this may seem an overwhelming task – and given the size of the map it initially seems that way – your power-armoured suit makes hacking, slashing, shooting and exploding your way through hostile forces a hell of a lot more fun than challenging. The storyline is pretty simplistic – wipe out freak nests by activating giant sunlight ‘flash bombs’ in their underground lairs, and seize control from the gangs by killing everyone in the vicinity. This can be a tad limiting as the objectives never vary from ’kill everything over there’, however with a large array of skill-increasing actions – vehicle stunt jumps, city-wide orb-hunts and roof-top races – you can remain occupied as you unlock the wide range of weaponry, vehicles and abilities.Gameplay is easy and straightforward, although scaling buildings does take a bit of getting used to and it’s not an exact art. Countless times I would attempt a route, only to find myself perched 80m up with nowhere to go – pre-planning is essential. The graphics haven’t advanced much from the previous Crackdown, but the amazing cityscapes and landscapes do make up for it. The soundtrack will also be of particular interest to many, with a hefty amount of D&B and dubstep, and remixes of such classics as Public Enemy, Bob Dylan and Credence Clearwater Revival. All in all the game is popcorn-esque. It is great fun, but as the story really never develops, it can be a bit self-limiting. Once all the gang-zones were re-captured and the freak-nests wiped out, I quickly ran out of things to do. A pity, as this is my ideal escapism – a super-engineered secret agent, half-Schwarzenegger, half-Resident Evil protagonist, saving the world wiping out terrorists and zombies with an unlimited supply of weaponry and really fast cars. Crackdown 2 is perfect on paper, very well done in execution, but a bit lacking in long-term game-play – hellishly fun though.
REVIEW By WILL SEAL
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games
red dead redemption
By now Red Dead Re a pretty good argu demption has been out for som e the year (so far). ment that would seek to convinc time and it would have to be e me that it’s no I’ve rarely played t the game of original idea as a game that adhe RD wide open spaces R does. Rockstar wanted to cr res as close to the maker’s ea of te th a e wi ga ld west, drawing me that evoked Clint Eastwood. on John the Th in RDR is best de ey had the model in Grand Theft Ford and the ‘70s westerns of scribed as simpl Au y that game, but to and what they’ve created of the 20th cent se ur what an achieve y. To describe it so, while being t in the west at the beginning m ac immersive and it’sent RDR is. The tale of protagon curate, is to perhaps lessen ist losing myself in the first game I’ve played wh John Marston is intensely er th morning sun lays e game world while riding a ho e I’ve truly felt in danger of original as Grand its light like a sword through th rse through a canyon as the e too easy, but RD Theft Auto VI (it’s a basic collect crevasse. The story is not as R is, for all that, Rockstar’s finest ion of cliches) and it’s a little Yup, sure is. experience to da te. A triumph?
REVIEW By jose barbosa
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we’re STILL addiqted... The iPhone 4 & the iPad Notorious XX – mash-ups of The XX & Notorious B.I.G Whittakers K Bars Gardening – growing your own food is so satisfying Nougat Reminiscing about our recent holidays (the Remix team all went overseas during winter) and dreaming of the summer to come… And on that note: Massaman curry in Thailand Caipirinhas in Barcelona Pintxos in San Sebastian Pina Coladas in Ibiza tequila bars in mexico city sunshine - remember?
REMIX 67_review
games playstation on the move
It was with some trepidation I agreed to a pre-release tryout of the new PlayStation Move technology. I’ve seen this kind of thing before – it involves me getting up and moving (more physical effort than I want to put into a game) then trying to catch the big red ball, or paint a fish, or some activity that doesn’t quite fit into my tastes of ‘really hardcore extreme games that make me feel badass’. Needless to say – I was wrong. First the details, the new Move technology comprises a handhold controller and a camera – similar to the EyeToy but 10 years more advanced – that promises to, in the words of Mark Green the Senior Principal Designer, ‘create a state-of-the-art new way of playing games’. How is this different from other similar technologies? Well, the Move controller utilizes ‘three ‘ometers’ to follow the movement of the controller in three dimensional space whist the camera tracks the sphere for location’. The results are incredible, with pinpoint motion tracking measuring your movements to within millimeters, while the response time clocked in around five times the typical human reaction speed. As with other systems, the potential for looking like a spastic is a given. My deathly gladiatorial swings, thrusts and blows no doubt had the showcase team praying I didn’t lose my grip on the controller, while the motion capture element of the camera meant that I could actually spin, duck and dodge like a gladiator and stay registered by the camera. Taking it to a whole new level of interaction, the Move means you suddenly have to consider the angle, spin, speed and acceleration of your motion – and how far forward or back you play from – no good hitting a serve from the forecourt buddy! This technobabble is all well and good – but it really comes down to the games utilization of the technology. At first, my expectations seemed to be right on the mark – animated figures duking it out in archery and table tennis (I really dislike table tennis), dancing competitions and a variety of family-fun games. Admittedly the graphics and environments looked incredible – and I did have a good old time chucking Frisbee-golf and hacking and slashing my way through a G-rated gladiator challenge in Sports Champions – but they still had the ‘catch the big red ball’ element to them. Next up was Shoot, another (slightly less) family-orientated game that showcased the accuracy of the controllers – I spent some time blasting everything in sight, which was great, but left me hankering for something a little heavier than ‘parental guidance not required’.It was at this point the Move really came out to shine and I got to see some truly stellar examples of how I could get fit, flail around and still fill my
quota of ‘really cool games’. You may remember the serial-killer infused horror title Heavy Rain? Taking its place as one of the top five games of the year, Heavy Rain is in the process of being remade to integrate with the Move. No more combo mashing to save your life from the henchmen, now you better damn well struggle like your life depends on it! It wouldn’t be Heavy Rain without some odd action sequences too – I got to experience throwing money at a stripper – by way of taking my ‘wallet’ out with the controller, getting out some money, then tossing it to her – real casual like. And that is only the start of the Move’s badassness – strippers and serial killers are just the beginning. Next up in demos, just what the doctor ordered - SOCOM 4: US Navy SEALs - Move style. With the gun-addition to the Move controller (yes they have one) the streets of downtown...somewhere... became an instant arena of death as hot lead filled the skies. The Move controller serves exactly like a pistol or sub-machinegun, with pin-point accuracy, making it glorious to run, duck and dive while blasting terrorists and saving the world. I have to be honest, it was what I’d always expected from a motion controller – I actually had to do something, making a nice contrast to the ‘wrist-flick technique’ other similar technologies had given rise to. And it didn’t end there – looking to be an iconic title for the Move was the simply titled Fight: Lights Out. No simple boxing game, Fight appears to earn at least an R16 rating for violence, and is even more brutal than Fight Club. This first rule of this game? You don’t talk about it. The second rule? You’re going to have to fight to survive in this arena. Set in beautiful vistas like jail cells, cellars and back alleys, this no holds barred game takes movement technology to the adult world. Head lock and then break his face? Sure thing. Uppercut that hombrés jaw? No problem. I had to admit, the last three titles were exactly what I had been hoping for with Move. The previous versions of this technology, while fun, were a tad ‘gimicky’ and limited. Move for the first time allows the player to engage with the game and become truly immersed in it – the benefit of course is twofold. At one end you can have granddad and the littlies enjoying a game without the need for complicated button combos, just real life movement, while those who enjoy the traditional gaming vibe can experience all that and more. Expect to see big things from this technology over the next year or two – with a hot list of upcoming titles for the launch, there will be even more in the pipeline and the potential applications of the Move are endless. And it’s a great excuse to cancel your gym membership.
REVIEW By Will seal
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REMIX 67_party time
deep hard and funky
Photos by Max Mamaev for yousnapped.co.nz
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10th anniversary of first class
Photos by Max Mamaev for yousnapped.co.nz
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where to buy STUFF
Acne (09) 366 4528 Adidas 0508 234 327 www.adidas.co.nz Adidas Originals (09) 302 3680 www.adidas.co.nz/originals Adidas Stella McCartney (09) 523 5005 Adorno (09) 3784333 Aduki (09) 815 7347 www.aduki.co.nz Alexandra Owen (04) 387 7907 www.alexandraowen.co.nz Ambra www.ambra.net.au American Apparel www.americanapparel.com.au American Crew (09) 525 1075 www.americancrew.com Annah Stretton (09) 524 2482 Area 51 www.area51.co.nz Ashley Ardrey 09 309 1955 www.ashleyardrey.co.nz Bally (09) 522 0808 Barkers 0800 808 700 www.barkersonline.co.nz Beat Poet www.beatpoet.net Bec and Bridge +61 2 9310 4230 www.becandbridge.com.au Ben Sherman www.bensherman.com Bendon 0800 BENDON Beth Ellery (09) 366 1664 Bettina Liano +61 3 9539 5100 www.bettinaliano.com Binkie www.binkie.co.nz Black Box Boutique (09) 378 0073 www.blackboxboutique.co.nz Blackberry www.blackberry.com Blak Basics/Blak Luxe (09) 368 1981 www.blak.co.nz Boh Runga Jewellery www.nzmintjewellery.com Bottega Veneta www.bottegaveneta.com Calvin Klein Jeans (09) 623 3443 www.calvinkleinjeans.com Camilla and Marc (09) 360 2362 www.superette.co.nz Casio Watches (09) 415 6000 www.casionz.co.nz Cassette Society (09) 378 0072 www.thecassettesociety.com.au Chaos and Harmony (09) 368 1981 www.chaosandharmony.co.nz Charmaine Reveley (09) 470 1982 www.charmainereveley.co.nz Children Of Vision (09) 379 8930 Christian Dior 0800 DUTY FREE Chronicles Of Never +61 2 9331 0996 www.chroniclesofnever.com Citizens of Humanity www.citizensofhumanity.com Claude Maus www.claudemaus.com Commence (09) 368 1981 Company of Strangers (09) 377 9197 www.companyofstrangers.co.nz Converse 09 634-5054 www.converse.co.nz Costume National (09) 303 1701 Covet www.icovet.co.nz (09)5248347 Crane Brothers (09) 377 5333 www.cranebrothers.co.nz Crowded Elevator 021 762 275 www.crowdedelevator.co.nz Cybele (09) 365 1340 www.cybele.co.nz D_Luxe (09) 368 1981 Deadly Ponies 021 266 7770 www.deadlyponies.co.nz Deborah Sweeney (04) 972 5961 www.deborahsweeney.com Dedon 09 921 5574 www.dedon.de DEM Penny Jewels www.dem.co.nz Diesel www.diesel.com Dr Denim www.drdenimjeans.com Dr Martens (09) 373 1460 www.drmartens.com Dyrberg Kern www.dyrbergkern.co.nz Edwin www.edwin-europe.com Element www.elementskateboards.com Emma Ford www.emmaford.co.nz Fabric (09) 366 4528 www.fabricstyle.co.nz
Fast and Loose (09) 309 9063 Federation (09) 488 0901 www.federation.co.nz Fingers (09) 373 3974 www.fingers.co.nz Flotsam & Jetsam (09) 361 3831 Fourfontaine www.fourfontaine.com Fudge www.hairworks.co.nz/fudge G-Shock www.gshock.com G-Star +61 2 9357 7936 www.g-star.com ghd 0800 424 744 www.ghdhair.com.au Glassons www.glassons.com Good as Gold (04) 381 4653 www.goodasgold.co.nz Gucci (09) 368 1138 Guess 0800 289 928 Hailwood (09) 360 9931 www.hailwood.co.nz Helen Cherry (09) 304 0440 www.workshop.co.nz Hopetown (09) 837 1001 Huffer (09) 379 9259 www.huffer.co.nz Illicit (09) 379 2660 www.illicit.co.nz ISBIM www.isbim.com Jaimie Boutique (09) 361 4000 Jetset Bohemian (09) 360 4581 Jimmy D (09) 368 1981 www.jimmyd.co.nz Juliette Hogan (09) 360 9347 www.juliettehogan.com Kagi www.kagistyle.com Karen Walker (09) 309 6299 www.karenwalker.com Karen Walker Eyewear (09) 522 4286 www.karenwalkereyewear.com Karen Walker Jewellery (09) 522 4286 www.karenwalkerjewellery.com Kate Sylvester (09) 307 3282 www.katesylvester.com Kathryn Wilson (09) 445 3356 www.kathrynwilson.com Ketz-Ke (09) 410 7740 www.ketz-ke.com Kevin Murphy (09) 525 1075 www.kevinmurphy.com.au Kingan Jones (09) 373 3942 www.kinganjones.co.nz Ksubi 021 842 630 www.ksubi.com La Perla (09) 358 5544 www.thesilkdrawer.com La Prairie www.laprairie.com Lacoste 0800 805 806 www.lacoste.com.au Le Specs 0508 EYEWEAR Levi’s (09) 309 0319 www.levis.co.nz Lippy www.lippy.co.nz Little Black Crown (09) 309 www.littleblackcrown.com Little Brother www.barkersonline.co.nz Loaded (09) 302 3680 www.loadednz.com Lonely Hearts (09) 309 6180 www.lonelyhearts.co.nz Lost Not Lonely (09) 368 1981 www.lostnotlonely.com Louis Vuitton (09) 358 5080 Lumix www.panasonic.co.nz/lumix M.A.C www.maccosmetics.com Madame Hawke (09) 303 2128 www.rubynz.com Made (09) 366 1693 www.madestore.co.nz Manning Cartell www.manningcartell.com Maurie and Eve www.maurieandeve.com Maw (09) 445 4643 www.maw.co.nz Meadowlark (09) 376 3774 www.meadowlark.co.nz Mi Piaci (09) 520 6559 www.mipiaci.co.nz Miss Crabb (09) 361 3322 www.misscrabb.com Mods Hair www.modshair.co.nz Moochi (09) 358 2138 www.moochi.co.nz Moscot www.moscot.com Neuw www.neuw.com.au
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Nike 0508 478 478 Nobody (09) 445 4643 www.nobody.com.au Nom*D (03) 477 7490 www.nomd.co.nz Nyne (09) 368 1981 One Teaspoon +61 2 9698 9500 www.oneteaspoon.com.au OPSM 0800 MYOPSM www.opsm.co.nz Oroton (09) 523 2434 www.oroton.com Overland (09) 524 5199 www.overlandfootwear.co.nz Pandora 0508 697 263 www.pandora-jewelry.com/NZ Politix (09) 5203263 Puma 0800 PUMA NZ www.puma.com.au Quiksilver 0800 442 752 www.quiksilver-women.com Reebok Trend/Classics 0800 805 806 www.reebok.com.au Richard Moore (09) 445 3356 Ricochet (09) 302 0196 www.ricochet.co.nz RM Williams www.rmwilliams.com.au ROC Eyewear (09) 623 1760 www.roceyewear.co.nz Rochet 0508 566 300 Rodd & Gunn 0800 100 085 www.roddandgunn.co.nz Romance Was Born +61 2 9332 1114 www.romancewasborn.com Route 66 www.route66.com.au Roxy www.roxy.com Ruby (09) 918 1260 www.rubyboutique.co.nz Runway Shoes (09) 522 0808 www.runwayshoes.co.nz Saben (09) 620 0871 www.saben.co.nz Saint Augustine Academy www.saintaugustineacademy.com.au Salasai www.salasai.co.nz Sass & Bide +61 2 9667 1667 www.sassandbide.com Scanlan & Theodore +61 3 9826 5742 www.scanlanandtheodore.com.au Sera Lilly (09) 360 6994 www.seralilly.com Servilles www.servilles.co.nz Sherie Muijs (09) 624 3632 www.sheriemuijs.com Sissy 0800 4 SISSY www.sissy.co.nz Skinfood www.skinfood.co.nz Starfish (04) 384 1696 www.starfish.co.nz Stitch Ministrywww.stitchministry.com Stolen Girlfriend’s Club (09) 358 1191 www.stolengirlfriendsclub.com Storm (09) 3601040 www.stormnz.com Sunglass Hut 0800 607 895 www.sunglasshut.co.nz Sunshades 0508 EYEWEAR Superette (09) 966 0440 www.superette.co.nz The Department Store 0800 departmentstore www.departmentstore.co.nz Therese Rawsthorne (09) 378 0073 Twenty-Seven Names (09) 379 7879 www.twentysevennames.co.nz Twenty8Twelve (09) 303 9290 Vans (09) 373 1460 www.vans.co.nz Volcom www.volcom.com Von Zipper (09) 414 5106 www.vonzipper.com Wild Pair 0508 WILD PAIR www.wildpair.co.nz Workshop (09) 303 3735 www.workshop.co.nz Workshop Denim (09) 304 0440 www.workshop.co.nz World Beauty (09) 377 0647 WORLD www.worldbrand.co.nz Wrangler www.wrangler.com Wunderkammer (09) 360 4090 Y-3 www.y-3store.adidas.com Zambesi (09) 308 0186 www.zambesi.co.nz Zimmerman www.zimmermanwear.com
This is the biggest issue ever and we couldn’t have done it without all those people who have given us their support. You made it happen!
Adam Custins, Alex Griffiths, Alexandra Dunn, Alexis Byron, Amanda Betts, Amber Gardner, Andre Mcpherson, Andrew Brodie, Anna Logan, Anna Ross, Annah Stretton, Asher Young, Brad Plamus, Chris Brown, Chris Cherry, Clare Stowell, Cybele Wiren, Dale Freshtech, Dan Buckly, Dane Fisher, Danny & Michael, Darron Leslie, Dave Pool, Deena Slomovic, Dianne Ensor, Donna Vieira, Dun Buckley, Emma Phillips, Emma Wilkinson, Erin Stewart, Gabrielle Jones, Gavin Pook, Greg & Claire Fromont, Greg Hedgepeth, Greg Turner, Haley Johnson, Hamish Klein, Hamish Pinkham, Hamish Taylor, Harley Anderson, Haydon Gray, Helen Cherry, Jade Hurst, Janelle Rennie, Jason Blank, Jason Kennedy, Jean-Michel Tallot, Jeremy Hughes, Jessica Rangi, Johny de Monchy, Jonathan Allen, Julie Goodman, Karen and Nigel Robertson, Karen Walker and Mikael Gherman, Kate Park, Kellie Taylor, Kelly Gibney, Kim Stachnik, Kim Stachnik, Kyle Bell, Kylie McLeod, Laura Vincent, Leonie Humm, Lex Lam, Luke Dallow, Mana Tai, Maria Robins, Markus Blum, Megan Matthews, Michelle Yvette, Mike Marcinkowski, Murray Bevan, Murray Crane, Myken Stewart, Natalie Winter, Neisha Henry, Nerolie Curren, Neville & Liz Findlay, Nick & Jenny Clegg, Nicky Harrop, Paul Donavan, Paul Serville, Peter Meadowcroft, Philippa Atkinson, Pieter Stewart, Praveen Menon, Preeti Kaul, Rachel Jones, Rachel Morrison, Rachel Neil, Rebekah Bennett, Rene Bros, Rich Bell and Roonie, Rich Henry, Richard Moore, Sam Ansley, Samala Robinson, Sarah Eglinton, Scott Casey, Scott Hatton, Soraya Edwards, Steve Dunstan, Steve Richards, Steve Wilton-Jones, Steven Bielby, Sue Oxley, Tatum Savage, Tineke Vlooswyk, Tom Bates, Trelise Cooper, Turet Knuefermann, Zac de Silva, Zaid Musa. And of course the REMIX Team! Tina Moore, Ian Ferguson, Atip Wananuruks, Rich Carey, Carl Thompson, Joel Halstead, all the fabulous photographers, stylists, hair & makeup artists, models & their agents, writers and interns who made this issue so special. xx
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THE FRAGRANCE
FEEL , IMAGINE, ENJOY AT W O M A N I T Y. C O M REMIX 403
The perfect fit.
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