Cybele - designs from the art land

Cybele Wiren started young, making her first dress when she was only 11. Picture / Chris Skelton

There was no television in Cybele Wiren's childhood home and that's turned into a bonus for local followers of fashion.

It may seem like a horrifying prospect for any longtime fans of Coronation Street but it is true - Wiren grew up in a remote part of the Coromandel Peninsula without a telly. Instead, she was glued to the pedal-powered sewing machine her mother taught her to use.

"It was a fun thing to do. I was always sewing when I was younger. I remember I made this beautiful dress when I was 11. It was a light-blue calico shirt dress with epaulettes. It was really cool ... I think it was a Simplicity pattern."

And that dress was for her to wear, not a Barbie doll - she never had one.

Because Wiren grew up in a remote area she was not at first much influenced by fashion trends, except when elder sister, who worked in Auckland, paid a visit.

She did get more of an idea when she lived in rural France on a scholarship, although she has never really considered what she does trend-based.

"Fashion is so eclectic anyway and the narrow spectrum of fashion trends isn't always that important."

When Wiren left her secluded childhood home, it wasn't to head for fashion school. Instead, she did a four-year degree in visual arts at Unitec, majoring in painting. "But we were given a lot of freedom there and I also started experimenting with making clothing in that artistic context, mostly as installations or collaborations.

"It was like incorporating what I loved doing outside school with what I did there, and it made the most sense."

After graduation and two years working overseas for fashion manufacturers, Wiren set up her own label. Without any major capital and by building slowly on consistent sales to boutiques, her Auckland-based business has grown nicely over three years.

Her clothing relies on deceptively simple and beautiful shapes that - on closer inspection - reveal complex cutting in the form of flattering panels of fabric plus other detailing.

Art still has a lot in common with clothing in Wiren's workroom. More through the process than anything about the actual clothes, lots of the same design principles apply to making fashion.

"The process is pretty organic. I might start with one idea and end up with something completely different."

And that's what keeps her going.

"It's not just the sewing, I love the whole thing - there's so much multi-tasking. You're dealing with lots of different people, playing with fabric, making stuff.

"The whole creation of something - that's what I really enjoy.