SUPPORTING FASHION'S FUTURE

We are so proud to have 5 super talented fashion students working with us here at taylor this year! After putting in tremendous amounts of work to complete their final graduate collections, what better time than to show you their creative side. You may have seen some of these familiar faces in store, so make sure to pop in and say congratulations to them as well as being styled by fashion's up and coming! Explore their final collections from their final Uni projects below.

Graduated Bachelor of Design, Majoring in Fashion from AUT.

What was your inspiration/purpose behind your graduate collection?

Utopic vision is based on my idealistic view of the world, where it is a place of independence and freedom. It is a commentary on today’s society as it explores the idea of this judgemental world. Therefore, I aim to challenge society’s expectations and what is considered the norm by creating clothing focused on functionality and durability which I have created boiler suits to provoke conscious awareness. This collection seeks to deliver a message on how we no longer need to be persuaded by valueless social status, trends, and mindless consumption.

What do you hope to achieve with your future in fashion – considering the current fashion industry climate?

Sustainability is a key aspect of my practice in the hope to bring up a conversation on the social and environmental issues we are facing in our society. One of the societal issues that I have looked at is the relationship between social media and consumerism as I see it in a way where we are trapped by society that is controlled by social media and mass marketing. I want to be able to break from this system. Which is why I am hoping to continue with creating a collection/brand that challenges people to think further and to become critical with what and how we consume and perceive society in the hope to create a better world.

What is one of the most valuable skills that you have learnt from either working at taylor or studying your degree that translates across both platforms. Essentially how does having your degree benefit your work in taylor or vice versa?

Working for taylor while studying has definitely helped me give an insight of the reality of this industry, helping me understand how a brand operates. It gave me a really good insight of how business works as that is very important for us young designer’s when we start our brand. For example, starting from design to production to how the garment is merchandised in-store, the process and work required is not taught in university, therefore to be able to experience this and understand the procedures has given me an advantage and has benefited me in my practices. By working in the industry, it gives me access to the clothing and their patterns, I can see how clothing is constructed, finished, how the care labels, swing tag are placed, these are all very little but very important aspect that has definitely helped me with my work. Also, the skills I learnt at university I can apply that when I’m working for example alterations or understanding proportions and how that is applied when styling customers. By being in the fashion environment outside of University, it allows me to see things from a different perspective and it allows me to absorb all the information.

I definitely recommend students who are interested in fashion to intern and gain experience while studying as there are certain things in a fashion that cannot be taught unless you experience it. Never be afraid of trying new things and asking questions.

What is your favourite thing about working at taylor?

My favourite thing about working at taylor is that I get to work along the side amazing people, all with different experiences and knowledge which I am always learning from!

Graduated Bachelor of Design, Majoring in Fashion from AUT.

We really want to congratulate Trent, who was awarded the prestigious head of school award for Fashion at AUT. This is really is something to be proud of - a tremendous amount of hard work and talent.

What was your inspiration/purpose behind your graduate collection?

‘Unreal Men’ is a five look menswear fashion collection that references elements of traditional menswear and subverts them, via alternative pattern making techniques, in order to offer propositions of hybrid masculinities. These propositions hope to be utilised by individuals as a means to express their gender identities.

The exploration of these ideas originates from my personal expressions of masculinity, which has resulted in the collection having a strong personal narrative that has informed my design process. Using personal experiences to inspire the collection has been crucial in developing a sense of authenticity to my work - real experiences creating a wardrobe for unreal men.

Studying fashion and working within the industry what should we as consumers be informed of in terms of where the industry is going. What are the most exciting and influential parts of fashion going forth for you as the designer and us as the consumer?

Some consumers already do, however I think more should, appreciate the power that fashion and clothing has on individuals and how it can be used as a tool to communicate your identity and your beliefs. A strong sense of style conveys clarity and confidence which can aid you in any aspect of your life. The transformative power of fashion has always compelled me and it will continue to as it provides unique and novel experiences for the designer and the consumer.

What do you hope to achieve with your future in fashion – considering the current fashion industry climate?

My biggest goal is to create authentic clothing that establishes a relationship with the consumer who wears them. In doing this, I believe it will result in consumers caring more about sustainable practices in the creation of their clothes and creating an environment that embraces individual perspectives within a fashion context.

What area of the fashion industry interests you the most and why?

An area of the fashion industry that has always excited me is contemporary menswear. Menswear in general is steeped in tradition therefore when designers stray from tradition it produces exciting work that offers new perspectives. A technique I see being used to create unique clothing is that of taking traditional codes of menswear, such as tailoring, and subverting them to create clothing that is at the same time new yet familiar. The newness of the clothes is interesting but also the references to traditional menswear because the familiarity allows a bigger audience of consumers to engage with the clothing.

Graduated Bachelor of Design with Honours Majoring in Fashion from Massey University, College of Creative Arts (Wellington).

What was your inspiration/purpose behind your graduate collection?

The inspiration behind my collection was a need for consumer based sustainability within the current fashion industry. At the moment a lot of the focus of sustainability goes into selecting durable, natural and ethical fabrics, and creating patterns of garments that have as little fabric waste as possible. These factors are super important but leave little influence to consumers changing their buying habits. My collection is designed so every single piece can transform into something new, and encourages the consumer to play with styling to get as much wear as possible out of what they purchase.

What do you hope to achieve with your future in fashion – considering the current fashion industry climate?

With my future in fashion I would love to continue working in the world of sustainable design, this is where the fashion industry is slowly heading and I want to be a part of making it happen!

What is your favourite thing about working at taylor?

My favourite thing about working at taylor is getting to style our amazing clients in beautiful clothes. At taylor we have the most amazing clients who are so open to pushing the boundaries and trying new things it's an absolute dream to be able to play with such gorgeous clothing and create amazing looks with our clients.

What is your favourite taylor piece to style or outfit combination from the current season?

My favourite outfit at the moment is the Deduction Skirt in black, the Pathways Tee tucked in, finished with a Black Subdivide Jacket over top and Leather Knot Sneaker. I love the pocket belt detail on the skirt and how the sheer jacket lets you see the stripe detailing on the back of the tee!

Graduated Bachelor of Fine Arts, Majoring in Fashion + Sustainability from Whitecliffe College.

We really want to congratulate Tom, who was awarded the prestigious 2019 Year Four Apparel Magazine Award for a Collection that Challenges Consumerism and the Fashion System, sponsored by Apparel Magazine. Again, this is really is something to be proud of - a massive amount of hard work and talent involved.

What was your inspiration/purpose behind your graduate collection?

My collection is satire. I always work from a narrative and design based on characters within this story. This year my collection, 56 - A Self - Supporting Squirrel Cage follows the fictional narrative of a post-apocalyptic oligarchy which cannot relinquish its own symbolic uniforms of power, so they re-fashion them out of junk. The clothing and storyline are a comment on our current consumer climate and act as warning to the dangers inherent with capitalism’s march with consumption and the implications this holds for all of our futures. Basically, my collection is a vision of a future I see and don't want to live in.

Studying fashion and working within the industry what should we as consumers be informed of in terms of where the industry is going. What are the most exciting and influential parts of fashion going forth for you as the designer and us as the consumer?

Sustainability of course. Our industry needs to slow down and I think brands are starting to notice that the demand for more sustainable practices and transparency is ever growing. However, sustainable choices are sometimes gripped in a Catch 22 e.g. slowing the industry down requires less demand and less demand probably means jobs losses. It's vital that our industry and all industries understand the difference between sustainability and ethics, making decisions that benefit society and our planet. I see this opening the gap for more consultancy positions within brands, something I aspire to be, someone a brand can take on to help fathom the difficult decisions involving the health of our planet and people, something I see as very exciting.

PR should stop greenwashing and start sustainability consultancy yo!

What do you hope to achieve with your future in fashion – considering the current fashion industry climate?

A million things to be honest. I don't do well sitting in one place for too long. My dream job would be one that is constantly evolving, one that also lets me flex my creative muscles. I think, as I said before, I'd love the opportunity to work as a sustainability consultant. However, I love making new things and telling stories, I’d love to work in everything from costume design to styling to fashion journalism. I honestly don't really like making clothes that much haha.

What is your favourite thing about working at taylor?
It's definitely working in their workroom, the jobs can be tedious and straining but I learn so much. I love sitting back sometimes and just watching everyone, understanding their roles and taking it all in, learning as much as I can. All of that however doesn't even compare to how much I treasure the relationships I have made while there, everyone has been so welcoming and helpful and I am so grateful to be working in such an amazing environment. While I have been there the team have helped me source fabrics for my own work, even up-cycling fusing scraps to use in my own collection. I couldn't have asked for a more supportive group of people. The cheap avocados are bomb too, shout out Huia!

Graduated Bachelor of Design, Majoring in Fashion from AUT.

What was your inspiration/purpose behind your graduate collection?

The purpose of my graduate collection was to create an eyewear range that focused on a unique sensory experience for the wearer. I created textured blue glass blown lenses that each produced a different visual experience for the wearer. Eyewear is generally produced for optical or protection purposes, so I wanted to reinvent this concept through the use of textured lenses. I felt that design wise the eyewear market mostly focuses on frame design rather than lens design. So I saw that as an opportunity to explore lens design more in depth.

What area of the fashion industry interests you the most and why?

Fashion accessories! In particular: eyewear, shoes and jewellery! I believe that without good quality accessories an outfit isn't complete. I also like that accessories can be that sculptural aspect or art piece to an outfit without taking away the function/wear ability.

What is your favourite thing about working at taylor?

I really enjoy the concept surrounding layering, particularly the use of transparent silks against textured pieces like our meshes! I think the use of texture and transparency creates depth and interesting shapes. I love how you can create various silhouettes in one outfit i.e. under layer(s) may be more fitted in comparison the outer layer(s).

What is your favourite taylor piece to style or outfit combination from the current season?

I love colour! In the current collection the Aloe is a stand out for me particularly the Subdivide Duster Jacket in Aloe and the Fluency Pant Aloe! The Aloe colour has been such a pleasure to work with as it works for various hair and skin tones. I have always had a huge interest in jackets also and I love the Transparency Jacket Ivory/Black and the Levelled Vest in Vapour. I always like to have a nod to tailoring or structure in an outfit, for example a lapel or cuff.