Sainty has designs on adventure

Marilyn Sainty has clothed thousands of New Zealand women. Pictures / Carolyn Robertson

If planting 50 pohutukawa trees sounds a long way from twice-yearly fashion buying trips to London and Paris, that's because it is.

But it's what designer Marilyn Sainty, who retires this year after nearly 40 years in the business, has chosen to do. "I haven't told many people until now," she says. "It's been mostly friends and they've been pleased for me."

If it comes as a bit of a shock that 57-year-old Sainty is anywhere close to retirement age, it may be because her beautifully detailed and structured clothes have such a loyal following from women of all ages.

While the Marilyn Sainty label will be no more after this year's spring/summer collection, the Scotties label and stores will live on. And they will continue to stock the imported threads by Comme des Garcon, Yohji Yamamoto, Lanvin, Issey Miyake and Ann Demeulemeester and others that Sainty and her business partner Sonja Batt buy overseas.

Local designers Beth Ellery and Julia Fong, who both started out under Sainty's wing, will also continue to sell their labels through Scotties.

"They're both very clever, so you could say I am moving over for younger ideas," Sainty laughs.

What Sainty will be doing is spending more time at the holiday home up north she and her husband Peter share with friends, adding more natives to the 50 pohutukawa they planted one long weekend.

Sainty will also be working on perfecting a chair design she is collaborating on with artist Martin Poppelwell, as well as designing a range of knitwear for a local manufacturer.

There will be more time to spend with family, and to travel. Her next trips are to Corsica, Eastern Europe and to the outback of Australia. "I'll go anywhere that's not a war zone."

The designer sees her final Marilyn Sainty range as a completion of her work. Everything can be worn with clothes from previous ranges, but this continuity and, ultimately, longevity of her clothes is not something she planned. "It just seemed to work that way. I've never liked flash fashion," she says.

What is Sainty's favourite pick from her swansong collection? It's a tie-up skirt available in four different fabrics - printed silk, georgette and striped cottons.

"When you do something in several fabrics you know it's a favourite."

The design elements in the skirt are almost a metaphor for how the designer feels about her work. "It's all about looking backwards and looking forwards. Designing can be about nostalgia and harking back to things, but also taking a modern approach. I have a little trouble looking forward now," she laughs.

Sainty started making clothes at 16 and started designing seriously at 18. Self-taught, she doesn't come from a family involved in clothes and fashion "but my mother always used to say how chic my great-aunt was, and I could see why", Sainty recalls.

She has always felt part of a strong culture of making things. "We all learned sewing at intermediate school. I didn't love sewing, but it was a way of getting what I wanted."

In the days of heavy import restrictions, items taken for granted now were much sought after. "You couldn't even get buttons, but now you can get everything here. That's another reason for me to not make clothes any more - nothing is missing."

Sainty was born in Hamilton and her first job in fashion was working for Wendy Hall in the city's Elle Boutique.

"Wendy saw something in me and gave me the freedom to design. She showed me the logic of pattern-making. After that I really learned about construction from sample machinists."

After a seven-year stint in Sydney, Sainty returned to New Zealand and settled in Auckland in 1974. She continued to design, working under her own label. In 1979 she joined forces with Sonja Batt and the pair opened the first Scotties boutique in Queen St.

The partnership has always worked well. The two women have complementary styles. "Sonja loves Ann Demeulemeester and I love Lanvin and Comme des Garcon," Sainty says.

For the past few years business headquarters have been in Blake St, a narrow side street in Ponsonby. The clothes designed there have never been produced in a factory, they've always been sent to outworkers to craft in their homes.

"This has always been a cottage-type of industry and we like it that way," Sainty says.

It's a recipe that's obviously successful. Outworker Mich Clarkson has been working on Marilyn Sainty and Scotties clothes for 25 years. "Marilyn's been a good boss, probably the best," Clarkson says fondly.

As well as the beautiful new clothes, Blake St also houses the Scotties recycle part of the business. It has been incredibly popular since it started six years ago.

Do the staff ever feel tempted to scoop up the good stuff before it goes on to the racks? "We might pick up some of it, but we can't rush in like vultures or we'd have no credibility," Sainty laughs.

Sainty and her label will be sorely missed, but she remains typically modest.

When asked to sum up her career in three words, she says: "I've been lucky."