“Our vision of Sylvester is not completely new, it’s an evolution.”
Fashion designer Kate Sylvester may have sold her final dress last month after three decades in business, but her legacy lives forever through her three sons Ike (24), Tom (24) and Cosmo (23), who officially announced today they will be relaunching the designer’s sister line Sylvester.
Launched in 2004, Sylvester the brand was a diffusion line introduced to complement the Kate Sylvester mainline, known for its more affordable collections of casual staples including knitwear, denim and custom print T-shirts.
Like the cygnets to Kate Sylvester’s iconic swan motif, the brothers represent this new era of Sylvester while prompting a timely conversation around the succession plan for some of our more established fashion labels.
Part of the rollout will also include new retail stores to open on April 28.
“Our retail experience at Kate Sylvester was something we took immense pride in,” says Ike. “Every detail mattered. The most important thing was ensuring that everybody who walked into the store was treated with warmth and encouraged to try things on, dress up, experiment, and find the perfect piece to suit their unique style. This is a core value that we are committed to continuing.”
The three brothers are also well-prepared for the business of fashion as Massey University design graduates. Ike studied visual communication design, Tom studied fashion and Cosmo studied industrial design.
“Getting to this point where Tom, Ike, and I are all on the same page, ready to do this together, has felt like something we have worked towards our whole lives without realising it,” says Cosmo. “It has only been after we all studied something different down in Pōneke and gained a little perspective that we understood what we are capable of.”
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Advertise with NZME.With the guiding hand of their parents Kate and Wayne, the trio are looking forward to steering the brand to a new generation of Sylvester fans, beginning with a symbolic new logo of “the huddle” - a circular rope with three loops illustrating three brothers, heads together with arms over shoulders united as a family.
For Kate and Wayne, the potential for Sylvester naturally revealed itself during the process of winding down wider business over the past year. In January, Sylvester was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to the New Zealand fashion industry.
“We are both thrilled that the boys have stepped up” say the couple. “A year ago when we decided to close, we felt the business was too complicated to burden them with at their age but then as we worked with them on the wind down we could see how much they loved the business and how quickly they were picking up skills.
With their idea to just focus on Sylvester, we realised that this simplified concept had fantastic potential as a launching platform for their era. We love the tradition of ‘the family trade’, businesses, skills and legacy being handed down through generations. Our family trade is making beautiful things and we are so excited to see what our boys create.”
For Tom, the feeling is mutal.
“I started working for my parents when I was 14, and so I feel like I’ve really worked my way up to having some creative control. It’s scary knowing the legacy we have to aspire to because our parents created something so amazing,” says Tom, who suffered a spinal injury after diving into the family pool earlier this year. Now, working on his rehabilitation, Tom’s determination to fulfil the family’s plans for Sylvester has enhanced the bond between the brothers.
“I think once we all hit intermediate and high school,” says Cosmo, “we began to understand the power that was in our relationship, not just as brothers but as friends. How close we were becoming, all while remaining independent and individual. I think we have an amazing balance and all complement each other incredibly well.”
To help ensure the brand continues to evolve, they have enlisted longtime Sylvester designer Christine Leung to work alongside them as they continue to shape this new era of the brand.
“Our vision for Sylvester is about celebrating its heritage while we figure out our vision for taking it forward,” Ike says.
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“When we pitched the idea to Mum, her one non-negotiable was that if we were going to do this, we must have Christine Leung working alongside us. Christine was Mum’s right-hand woman and designer for Sylvester before the closure of KS. She holds all of the brand history and truly understands the Sylvester customer. Together, we are a really good team.”
Steering Sylvester forward also means looking at how people are dressing now, along with themselves, their peers and the history of the brand. The brothers say this has allowed them to focus on creating a debut collection that is in step with the times while staying true to Sylvester’s DNA.
“We looked at Sylvester through the years and figured out the parts we loved and the parts we didn’t,” says Tom, whose own design language is evident in his graduate collection from 2023 exploring the tension between femininity and masculinity. “We then took old patterns, made slight adjustments, created new prints and textiles, and reimagined the classics in a more contemporary, young way.
“We also considered styles that we can wear; that can translate on to a man’s body just as nicely as a woman’s. You can see this in the denim trousers, for example. Alongside this, I was able to look at my own inspirations and combine them with the classic Sylvester DNA. At the time of designing, my girlfriend Isabelle was obsessing over growing black and blue pansies, which is what I took inspiration from. I also found an image of three cygnets, which represent us three boys as the hatchlings of Kate Sylvester, both as a brand and a mother.
“The clothes speak to our personal experience and take direct inspiration from life. We would be lying if this debut collection wasn’t a work in progress, but it’s ours and we are really proud of it.”
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