Fashion by the book

Author Angela Lassig fills a much-needed gap by publishing a book on 25 New Zealand fashion designers.

One of the most exciting things to happen in the local industry recently has been the publication of New Zealand Fashion Design, a big fat book of fashion that features profiles of 25 key contemporary designers.

It provides an in-depth look into the creative process and development of each label, as well as a comprehensive essay that chronicles the history of our industry.

The release comes six years after author Angela Lassig mooted the idea to her Te Papa Press publisher, and after several meetings and interviews with each designer - the longest being a five-hour session with Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and Francis Hooper of World.

We asked Lassig about the book, the future of fashion and her next exciting fashion project.

What sparked the idea or inspired you to write the book?
There are very few publications on New Zealand fashion and textiles so the territory was and remains very open for research and publication. As a curator specialising in the field and having collected contemporary fashion for both Auckland Museum and Te Papa, I was aware that very little was known about our leading designers apart from what was published in the popular fashion press. I was aware, too, that there was growing interest in New Zealand fashion at both a secondary and tertiary level and that the designers themselves were being contacted regularly for this information, taking valuable time away from their practice.

I could therefore see a pressing need in the community - for fashion lovers/customers, students and industry - for a solidly researched book profiling New Zealand's leading contemporary fashion designers.

Why NZ fashion? Why do you think it's important to have a book that showcases the history of our local industry?
I feel that this book fills a significant gap in publishing on New Zealand fashion but having said that, it fills only one of many, many gaps as there is very little published information out there on our clothing and textiles. My book profiles only 25 of many more designers and labels who could have been featured.

You have an interesting mix of established and younger labels, from Doris de Pont and Kate Sylvester to the likes of Camille Howie and Lonely Hearts. How did you choose the designers and labels who are showcased in the book?
Initially I wrote a detailed outline of the type of book that I hoped to write and listed all the designers who I felt should be in it. That list included made-to-measure designers as well as streetwear and sportswear designers. [Te Papa Press and I] then invited a group of representatives from the fashion press, event, education and curatorial fields and asked each of those representatives to think about what they would ideally like our book to cover and who they would like to see in it.

Many of these lists converged but still the list was quite long. Through an organic process which evolved as the book's format and design evolved, we were able to work out how many designers we could include at the high level of coverage that we wished to bestow on each designer.

I felt it was important that the book profiled designers working throughout New Zealand and that it included some relatively new designers in addition to the well-established. While Camille Howie's label is relatively new I believe that her personal story will resonate with budding young designers, particularly secondary schoolers, as she has followed a path that I believe many younger New Zealanders will relate to. Camille entered several of the fashion competitions open to secondary school students such as the Bernina Young Fashion Awards, and success in these gave her the confidence and experience to continue onwards and upwards.

Did you have any requirements that each designer had to meet?
The loose working criteria necessarily evolved as the book evolved, reflecting the individuality and diversity that comprise New Zealand's fashion designers. Early on though, I decided to concentrate on labels which were associated with a designer or designers and to concentrate on high fashion rather than sportswear, streetwear or made-to-measure. As it was, it was very difficult to select from the growing number of high fashion labels established in New Zealand. There are amazing publishing opportunities for books focusing on our streetwear, sportswear and made-to-measure designers, as well as more commercial fashion labels.

The local fashion industry has changed a lot over the past few years but what do you think have been the most influential or important developments?
Good question. A couple of thoughts - over the last decade more and more New Zealand designers have either made the decision to and/or have been assisted with showing and exporting internationally, some going on to establish stores overseas. This is a major development considering that New Zealand labels showed for the first time internationally only 13 years ago at Australian Fashion Week.

Also - more from necessity than design - many young New Zealand designers as well as more established labels have made the decision to design their own textiles. Cybele is an outstanding example of this exciting trend. When teamed with innovative garment construction, original textiles help lift the creative profile of New Zealand fashion.

Were there any particularly interesting stories or facts that you discovered during your research?
Yes, many. I think because I am a curator rather than a journalist, and because the designers had many opportunities to read their text and work with me on ensuring it was as accurate as possible, they were on the whole very generous and open with their recollections. I feel very appreciative of both the time each designer (and their assistants) extended me to work on this book, as well as their honesty.

By interviewing so many designers I was privileged to gain a great overview of, as well as a much deeper insight into the fashion industry ... much more so than I had before I started the book.

One really interesting insight I gained was the significant role that mothers who sewed or who had an interest in fashion played in the later decision of some of the book's designers to embark on a career in fashion.

You obviously now have a great understanding of the history of the industry, but what about the future - where do you see the industry going now?
Again a couple of random observations and musings - as we become more technologically savvy, global fashion news is literally an internet search away. The immediacy of fashion knowledge, combined with the speed of fashion production means that almost anyone can purchase up-to-the-minute fashions within the shortest period of it appearing on the runway in London, Paris, Milan or New York. I can see this almost leading to a kind of fashion fatigue - not for fashion itself but for maintaining the fashionable look.

To avoid looking like everyone else - homogenous if you will - there seems to be a developing trend for those who wish to dress more individually to mix up their clothes to reflect who they are, rather than what they should look like. Look at the popularity of The Sartorialist website and book - a lovingly curated collection of street photos taken in Europe and America, of inventively dressed individuals of all ages.

Secondly, I've mentioned the influence of mothers-who-sewed and mothers-who-were-interested-in-fashion as being a common thread in the profiles of a number of designers. Many of these mums were of the 60s or 70s generation when sewing your own clothes and those of your family was a given rather than an option. I wonder, given the popularity of the current craft revival which has witnessed a growth in sewing, knitting and other textile crafts, whether the next generation of sewing mums will inspire a new crop of designers who, having learned the technical basics at a young age, are free to innovate and explore their creativity at a tertiary level.

What was the research process for each profile?
I approached each designer with the same extensive set of questions from which we deviated at regular intervals, which resulted in great interviews. The questions were designed to cover biographical details, education, fashion work experience, working methods, career development, career highlights, participation in competitions and fashion events. The interviews in most cases took place at the designers' premises.

The book features images of many archival pieces from a range of designers - are there any that stand out to you as being particularly memorable?
All the garments in the book were selected in discussion with the designers. I asked them to consider a selection of garments to represent the length and diversity of their careers. That's very difficult to do in so few garments. The use of archival advertisements, invitations, fashion editorial shots and other ephemera helped to visually represent other significant collections, garments and moments in their careers.

Who are your own favourite local designers?
That's easy - all of them! But like many fashion consumers - whether it's "window" shopping in magazines or at Fashion Week or in the stores - there are garments in each designers' collections that I'm drawn to and others that I'm not. Often that choice might be as simple as loving the colour or the shape. So many things trigger what and why we like the things that we do.

What next for you?
Since resigning from my job as Senior Curator, History at Te Papa in December last year to move to Auckland with my husband, I've been spending most of my time on book-related work and increasingly on studying. I've never had the time to pursue my masters degree and feel privileged to have been accepted into the masters programme in the history department at the University of Auckland. I hope to concentrate more on my thesis, which I want to develop into my next book. My topic involves the impact of Christian Dior's New Look (February, 1947) on New Zealand commercial and non-commercial fashion. I'm absolutely loving the research. I've also contributed an essay to the publication for a forthcoming exhibition on the long-lived New Zealand fashion label El Jay, curated by former fashion designer Doris de Pont.

I hope to continue to write - articles, book chapters, conference papers, for example - while I work on the thesis. Oh ... and I'll eventually need to find some part-time work to keep me in coffee and nice shoes!

* New Zealand Fashion by Angela Lassig ($150, Te Papa Press). Lassig is also giving a series of free lectures around the country. Tuesday May 18: AUT. Wednesday 19 May: Wellington. Thursday May 20: Christchurch. Friday May 21: Dunedin. To find out more or to book email: info@finz.co.nz or phone (09) 337 0500.