The fashion doyenne celebrates three decades of taking New Zealand fashion to the world with the help of a few friends and family.
A simple brief but no mean feat, we asked leading New Zealand fashion designer Kate Sylvester to mark 30 years in business with a trip
Known for her conceptual collections and presentations, Kate has brought many of her garments to life through memorable runway shows designed in collaboration with her partner Wayne Conway, often with themes based on literature, music and film.
Kate’s designs are stories unto themselves and many have made their way into the wardrobes of New Zealanders over the years.
“When I first came back from London in the 90s and was employed by a top fashion magazine, I was determined to invest in local design and spent my first pay cheque on a Kate Sylvester outfit — a black tunic dress worn over matching trousers,” says Viva editor Amanda Linnell.
“It was chic and minimal, and I loved it. It worked with high heels, flat sandals and trainers. I remember wearing it to the Benson & Hedges Fashion Awards in Wellington and to warehouse parties in squats in what are now chic Britomart offices. Ever since, it’s pretty safe to say, I have always had a piece of Kate Sylvester in my wardrobe. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to see her garments on a runway, always to a pertinent soundtrack, you know it can be a transformative experience.”
Throughout her career, Kate has been attracted to creatives and non-conformists, and to celebrate her label’s 30th year, Viva photographed 30 of the people who have been key to her career.
Bic Runga, musician and early creative collaborator (above)
“My favourite memories of Kate Sylvester are those times when there’s a show or an awards ceremony coming up — nervous, dreading, not knowing what to wear — and something from any given collection will magically be that exact thing that makes you feel protected, taken care of, more yourself. It’s as if she knew; it was fairy godmother stuff! Thanks Kate, for helping us get dressed and out the door for the last 30 years.”
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Advertise with NZME.Kanoa Lloyd, broadcaster and muse
“My favourite KS moment was being invited to do a shoot with my friend and fabulous photographer Greta Van Der Star. We used to flat together when we were in our early twenties and lots of days we’d be sitting in the lounge, drinking cups of tea and sharing the trials and tribulations of booking auditions (me), campaign shoots (her). It was so lovely to reconnect with her when we were both firmly on our career paths. Dressing up and running around Avondale Racecourse together was so much fun.”
Stacy Gregg, friend and author and dog Iggy (Russian borzoi)
“Stop Your Sobbing autumn/winter 2007. The waterfall, the Nick Cave soundtrack, the lace hankies up the sleeves. It was so perfect.”
Ike, Cosmo and Tom - Kate and Wayne’s sons
Ike: “If you see someone wearing something and you enjoy it, make sure to tell them. Let them know exactly how it makes you feel. You never know how far a compliment will take you and they really mean the world to people.”
Cosmo: “She just sort of left me to dress how I wanted, no matter how bad it was.”
Tom: “The best advice my mum ever gave me was to stop scootering and grab a skateboard because scooters are whack and skating is cool.”
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Antonia Prebble, actor
“My favourite Kate Sylvester memory is the 2019 show for New Zealand Fashion Week, Love Letters. The collection was inspired by letters between Kate’s parents, which is such a lovely idea and appeals to my romantic sensibilities. Fragments of their letters were strewn all over the runway, so if you leaned in close you could read a line or two — it was such a beautiful, intimate moment.”
Wayne Conway, partner and creative collaborator
“Since we got together 36 years ago, we’ve always worked on projects creatively. We’ve always just really respected each other’s creative approach all the way through.”
Sean Mahoney, hairstylist
“Over the many years I’ve been lucky enough to work with the Kate Sylvester team, there have been so many favourite moments. I respect and admire Kate and Wayne’s creative process and the stories they tell through their brand’s shows and imagery. The one that stands out for me as a particular favourite was being involved in the spring/summer 2017 Marisol show that celebrated the work of the Venezuelan pop artist Marisol Escobar. I created an exaggerated sculptural topknot to mirror the sculptural shapes of the set. This was my first show leading hair for Kate Sylvester and I feel honoured to have been entrusted in developing this hair look as part of Kate and Wayne’s grander vision for the collection.”
Christine Leung, Kate Sylvester designer
“My favourite memory is going to the Kate Sylvester Wolf show in 2006 — such a cool combination of beautiful and tough, the models stomping down the catwalk to Ministry’s song ‘Jesus Built My Hotrod’ in their leather chaps. I’d just landed a job to work in the design team and I was sooo excited after seeing this show.”
Reb Fountain, musician
“Kate and Wayne asked me to perform at the launch of their Sisters collection. It was mid Covid times and we were all so grateful to be communing with one another. Having the opportunity to sing among the crowd, celebrating in Kate’s Britomart shop, felt so special. Not long after they got in touch to see if I’d like to be a part of Sylvester Sessions. I met with photographers Veronica Crockford-Pound and Joe Griffen and we ventured out to Takapuna community gardens with a Super 8 camera and 35mm in tow. I got to play model for a day, dance among the nasturtiums, cuddle some chooks and stomp in the mud wearing fabulous KS attire … such a dream.”
Bailey Meredith, friend and former general manager
“I have many wonderful memories of my time working for Kate and Wayne but my favourite would be having Kate design my wedding dress. Being able to collaborate on something so personal with Kate, represented a moment that will forever be memorable and cement my admiration and respect for her. Not only as a designer, but also as a friend.”
Karen Inderbitzen-Waller and Delphine Avril Planqueel, stylists and creative collaborators, and Serge (mini fox terrier pinscher)
Karen: “There are so many memories during my 15 years working for Kate Sylvester (1999 to 2014), however, I think the best moments were the shows. Kate really loved doing them and I worked on my first shows with her and found an instant love for all the crazy moving parts that make a beautiful show. Another memory is the time she spent a long weekend finger knitting baby pink mohair stockings inspired by a Sid Vicious jumper for my wedding for me and made us both tiaras with tulle and flowers from her garden.”
Delphine: “The Royally Screwed show in 2008 is a stand-out memory for me, it was a great year for Sydney Fashion week and the energy was high buzz. In the KS camp, which was always the Medina on Crown, we had our cohort Vinnie Paunovic couch surfing our hotel suite and we nicknamed him Prince Vinnie as a nod to the royals theme of the show. We all awoke the morning after the show with our celebratory hangovers to see the medals we used had caused a scandal and there was a photo of me from the show on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald, a big PR storm in a teacup.”
Kiekie Stanners, makeup artist
“My favourite Kate Sylvester memory would be the spring/summer 2017 Marisol show, which was held in a gallery space with hair and makeup lineup and final checks in a very tiny back room with a lot of models/makeup artists/hairstylists in one small space. Some models were wearing incredible three-dimensional wooden pieces so makeup final checks were like a dance around each other to get to everyone. Then the smoke alarms went off back there — probably set off by the amount of hairspray happening. The next minute a crew of firefighters also squeezed into hair/makeup lineup to investigate and put out a supposed fire. It was Sean Mahoney’s first season as hair lead and we always joked that he just wanted to cause a scene and get some firemen backstage so he went extra wild with the hairspray. The show itself was beautiful of course, and seamless following all the things that are happening backstage that show attendees don’t usually know anything about.”
Boh Runga, musician and jewellery designer
“I’ve had the pleasure of being dressed in Kate Sylvester for years now, so have many a memory associated with specific Kate pieces. One, though, only happened recently at a charity event I was playing at. Someone offered the charity a lot of money for the entire outfit I was wearing, part of which was one of my favourite Kate Sylvester skirts. I thought about it, as you would, but I declined and auctioned a 30-minute solo gig instead, that’s how much I wanted to keep my threads.”
Kerry Scott, general manager
“Mrs Mia Wallace, the first collection I saw hit the runway. Seeing the audience’s reaction to all of the hard work the team puts into a collection.”
Penny Pickard, model and muse
“My favourite Kate Sylvester memory was walking in the show for her Le Petit Garçon collection. It was one of the earliest NZFWs in the early 2000s. It was held in a cafe and I remember drinking Champagne and drawing a self-portrait on a blackboard. It’s probably one of the coolest shows I’ve ever done.”
Dame Pieter Stewart, founder of New Zealand Fashion Week
“My favourite Kate Sylvester memory is hard to separate because there have been so many memorable moments. But I toss between the Love Letters show in 2019, which left the audience in tears, and the Wolf show in 2006. Underpinned by the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood, and held in a dilapidated building in Britomart, Kate, as ever, spared no detail of the well-known story. She included the entire cast from the wolf, the woodsman and the old granny in stylish and wearable adaptations, trumped by a vibrant, gorgeous red-hooded Little Red Riding Hood cape. I still remember the sounds and mood of the forest and the reaction of the audience. To have strong memories for so long — that’s a brilliant show!”
Katie Braatvedt, model
“We had this wild day many years ago when we were shooting a campaign in a tiny apartment. I’d brought my mum, Vinnie Woolston had brought his cousin, Kate’s young twins were running around, I feel like there was a dog involved? There was barely enough space for everyone to sit, it was chaos. Kate was gliding through the room, totally unflappable. I remember thinking how glamorous she was. The images are some of my favourites, ever.”
Sophie Donovan, brand manager
“A couple of bookish memories... meeting my favourite author Zadie Smith wearing head-to-toe KS at Word Festival and working with the incredible Hera Lindsay Bird on her poem Dulce et Decorum to bring to life our Exploding Woman collection, spring/summer 2020.”
Rebecca Wadey, former Sister shopgirl, former Kate Sylvester sales and PR manager, co-founder of Ensemble
“I graduated from university in a custom Kate Sylvester dress in 1998 (back when it was known as Sister), was married in a custom Kate Sylvester dress in 2007 and wore Kate Sylvester to the world premiere of my husband’s directorial film debut at the Tribeca film festival in 2019. The brand has literally been with me for so many important moments in my life. As a friend, boss and mentor, I’ve always been in awe of Kate’s ability to keep multiple balls in the air and be across numerous, often competing areas of her business.
“It also never fails to surprise me how someone so deeply intelligent can have such a terrible sense of direction — when travelling with her I learnt to never let her roam unattended. I’ve seen her try to board the wrong airplane, and once at AFW, when no one could find Kate as the show was about to start, I realised she must’ve got lost coming back from the bathroom so sent a search party out to find her. Lastly, Kate Sylvester will forever be associated with music to me. From the nineties Brit Pop CDs we used to listen to when I worked in the Sister store in High St, through to Black Sabbath ‘Paranoid Android’ ringing out at the exquisitely beautiful Brighton Rock show at Australian Fashion Week in 2000, through to live bands in their Westmere living room.”
Tia Woods, model and muse
“My favourite memory was opening the Wolf show in an amazing red cape. I was 16 years old and it was my first NZFW. That show was the beginning of a long working relationship with Kate (17 years!). I feel honoured to celebrate Kate’s fashion achievements, and it’s such a privilege to be a part of a brand that inspires women and creativity.”
Morven McAuley, collaborator and owner of Tradecraft
“My fondest Kate Sylvester memory was joining Kate and Wayne and many others to celebrate her 21st. The venue, down a garden path to an old hall in Westmere, was understated and modest from the outside but the inside was dressed to be totally dreamy. Flowers and candles, moody hues like soft red lighting the room that was packed with people of all walks of life wearing beautiful garments that transcended years of Kate Sylvester. To top it off, Kate and Wayne’s boys were the band, playing music that bonded beautifully to this music-loving brand. The night was a reflection of how important family is to Kate Sylvester and how warmly you are welcomed in to be a part of it. Happy 30th Kate and Wayne.”
Clementine and Valentine Nixon, Purple Pilgrims
“Our favourite Kate Sylvester memory was providing the live soundtrack for Kate’s NZFW 2019 opening show Love Letters. With a seemingly perpetual stream of floating love letters dancing around the venue, it felt like performing in a vast snow dome. A truly beautiful concept, and certainly our most romantic show to date.”
Des Rusk, CEO of Wall Fabrics
“My favourite memory would be Kate’s show at Australian Fashion Week in 2005. Being a young designer, it was always an exciting time to see fellow New Zealanders show on a stage that at the time felt so much bigger. It was an inspiring moment that has always stuck.”
Shanaia Boutsady, Ponsonby store manager
“My favourite memory was when I first started working at Kate Sylvester in 2021. I was working in the Britomart store with my manager Bella at the time and there was a big outlet sale to mark the closing of the store. Beautiful pieces ranging back from past seasons that people were reminiscing on, the hustle-bustle of the atmosphere and the teamwork to close the store with a bang really cemented my love for the brand. A fun and joyful time that I will always look back at fondly!”
Sarah Voon, friend and costume designer
“My favourite Kate memory is waking early (and a bit dusty) at the lovely accommodation organised for a big birthday celebration the night before on Waiheke and seeing her getting out of the swimming pool — all slicked back hair and movie star elegance. It was freezing cold, the middle of winter and the pool was unheated yet, somehow, she made it seem very appealing. I often embrace a mid-winter dip now and every time I do, to avoid chickening out, I think of Kate.”
Dan Ahwa, friend and collaborator
“My first proper Kate Sylvester show was swinging from the nosebleeds in 2005 for her show Stop Your Sobbing as a PR intern. I was spellbound by the weeping widows who paraded up and down the runway. There was a backdrop of cascading ‘tears’ — a feat of plumbing that highlights how dedicated Wayne is to bringing those runway dreams to life; and the booming voice of Nick Cave’s ‘Into My Arms’ playing during the ceremony. The song was played at our wedding as my wife Zoe walked down the aisle 17 years later wearing her own custom Kate Sylvester dress. This is my favourite memory. Seeing Zoe feeling happy and looking beautiful in her mid-length lace dress with this giant black bow in the back, typically unconventional like Zoe and I, and typically Kate and Wayne. In fact, Wayne and I had a lot of fun that night making the most of the espresso martini shots at the bar, which is another fun memory I’ll treasure.”
Chloe Hill, stylist and collaborator
“My favourite memory of working with Kate was when she asked me to do a shoot with her Red Balloon collection in Sydney. I cast four amazing women and it was such a happy, joy-filled day. I smile whenever I see those photos.”
Shirley Simpson, makeup artist
“My fave memory is ... it was the mid-nineties, and all my friends were super-cool It shop girls (Rebecca, Rachael and Sarah) at the High Street store and going in there to choose a(nother) outfit for whatever event was coming up.”
Polena Yi, fit model, e-commerce model and Newmarket store manager
“A favourite Kate Sylvester memory of mine is a big toss-up between the winter 2019 Frances and the winter 2020 Love Letters shows that I was grateful enough to participate in. Walking around a revolving stage during Frances, while Jonathan Bree performed, was an absolutely surreal experience. A great collection, good-value people, and good music. I think about it so much! But then Love Letters. And the finale. All the printed love letters between Kate’s parents, billowing in the air as we walked out in our final looks was so, so dreamy. Can’t forget being accompanied by Purple Pilgrims (Clementine Valentine).”
Ingrid Starnes, former Kate Sylvester designer
“There are so many favourite moments. I loved my time working with Kate and the team, especially on the fittings that were on a daily schedule while leading up to a collection release. Adapting the toiles and working through each piece to get the perfect fit and idea, we would have many great discussions about anything and everything. One of my all-time favourite memories though was the 2005 Stop Your Sobbing show, it was so beautiful and heartfelt. The work and thought and ideas that go into these shows and the storytelling was inspiring and exciting.”
Veronica Crockford-Pound, model, videographer and collaborator
“I loved walking Kate’s shows when I was a young model. The energy backstage, the cinematic and literary references and the innovative show concepts inspired me to get into fashion as a creative. One of the first brands I made films for was Kate Sylvester and I’ll always be thankful. A forever highlight was filming the Electric Dreams collection in Hong Kong — one of my favourite cities. The collection was inspired by Bladerunner and we ran around Hong Kong with a Super 8 camera, shooting late into the night.”
Photographer / Babiche Martens. Sittings editor / Dan Ahwa. Hair, make-up and grooming / Shirley Simpson.
With thanks to Kate, Wayne, Sophie and the Kate Sylvester team.
