Designed by destiny

Australian fashion designer Kirrily Johnston. Photo / Dean Purcell

It is entirely possible that Kirrily Johnston's new collaboration with Max was predestined. If you believe in that sort of thing of course - Johnston clearly does. "I read into everything!" the Australian designer exclaims. "There have been so many different alignments - it started getting weird."

Johnston's Kiwi connection runs deep. In September last year she was the first international designer to show at Air New Zealand Fashion Week, she constantly gets asked if her label is from New Zealand and she says that she is a bit of a "Kiwi magnet".

"I hired a production manager, she's a Kiwi, then I hired a new store manager who was a Kiwi; and every handsome man I happened to meet for a couple of months was a Kiwi - I was like, what is going on? And then I got asked to do New Zealand Fashion Week..."

And from that came Max. The initial hook-up between the designer and store came via a mutual colleague who suggested Max as a brand partner for Johnston's Fashion Week show. The two sides had dinner, talked, realised they had heaps in common and eventually, a new designer collaboration was born. It was a big coup for Max: Johnston had already turned down two big collaboration projects in Australia. So why on earth would she turn down two big-time companies in her home country to work with a chain store in New Zealand?

"Well, one of them was plagiarising me, which gave me the shits!" says a candid Johnston. "I just instantly felt a likeness with Max. It felt right. I'm very gut-feeling with these things." She says she also liked the fact that they "aren't just selling to teenagers".

The Max team had been on the lookout for a designer to work with after a decision to give the brand a more fashion forward makeover (they say this will involve better fabrications, better designs and an online store). "We wanted a designer whose star was still ascending, who was original and dramatic, and whose aesthetic and design philosophy suited ours," says Meegan Webster, Max's design manager. And for those of you wondering why the iconic

New Zealand brand didn't choose to work with a New Zealand designer, Webster says "it was more a question of who was able to collaborate, and who would suit working with Max, versus any division between New Zealand and Australia". Johnston's name will no doubt help Max enter the Australian market, which they plan to do with their online store, Maxshop.com, set to open on March 30.

Johnston's 10-piece capsule collection is called Kirrily Johnston Loves Maxshop (try saying that 10 times fast), and features lots of Johnston's signature silks, draping and versatility. "I basically bought in some signature elements of what I do, so there's a bit of draping, a bit of volume. I don't know if it's subconscious or conscious but it ended up having a bit of a samurai feel about it - there's almost a kind of kimono-y style to some of it. A lot of it you can wear a couple of different ways and change the silhouette: belt it, drape it, knot it." There are beautiful silk and knit dresses, tailored jackets and dropped-crotch pants, in shades of black, grey, olive or a gorgeous deep purple. "It really has got the essence of what I do, but basically put into a less intimidating format," says Johnston. Expect to pay between $149 and $349 for the pleasure of owning something from the collection.

Of course, collaborative fashion projects between designers and chain stores are now about as common as a plaid print in a winter collection. Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor & Rolf, Comme des Garcons, Stella McCartney, Celia Birtwell, Proenza Schouler, Christopher Kane, Luella, Josh Goot, Alice McCall and, locally, Liz Mitchell are just some designers who have designed capsule ranges for chains or department stores.

"It's like doing sunglasses," says Johnston. "There are lots of people who want to buy into a brand, but they're not necessarily able to. Let's face it, not everyone can afford $350 for a dress - so with capsule ranges you're offering something which people can buy into, so they can have a bit of a taste of a brand,"

She jokes that so many Australian designers have joined forces with chain stores that she was probably the only one left, and sees the attraction of such projects for most designers as being able to focus solely on design instead of all the little things that make up a fashion brand.

"As a designer there are so many hats you have to wear within your business. You're not just designing - I probably spend half of my time being general manager," she says.

"It's nice to be able to work as a designer on a project - and have someone else worry about all the hard bits."