Autumn / Winter 2008
This collection was my very first to go down a runway, marking not only my debut NZFW show but also my arrival on to the fashion scene.
The collection was picked up by H.Lorenzo in L.A where it hung alongside Junya Watanabe, Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Ackerman.
The collection was entirely pattern-made and sampled by me, alone in my brand new workroom. It was the most pleasing and satisfying collection I have ever made.
Pre-recession, the fabrics available to me were fantastic and reasonably cheap. I had a field day with all the options.
I was self-taught in all my pattern-cutting and would often do up to 10 mock-ups per garment, relishing the process and learning.
It marked the beginning of an amazing 7 years in New Zealand where the wider fashion community embraced my work with a lot of love and respect. If only New Zealand could grow by a few million in population we could all live and design in harmony!