Fashion Wayfinder

Carly Vidal Wallace is the Creative Community Curator at NOT JUST A LABEL.

NOT JUST A LABEL (NJAL) is the leading online platform for emerging fashion designers. The website showcases the work of 35,000+ designers from around the globe.

Carly talks about NJAL’s recent move from London to Los Angeles, and the amazing opportunities that the platform offers for independent designers.

NJAL enables buyers, editors and stylists to search for and connect directly with the world’s most innovative and fresh fashion talent.

In 2019 NJAL will be re-launching its e-commerce capability, enabling consumers to discover and shop for creative designer pieces through the website.

This episode is a must-listen for all wild and independent designers !

Brothers Nick and Ben Chiu have been fashion pioneers in their home city of Brisbane, Australia.

They opened their first Apartment boutique in 2006, bringing New York street and sneaker culture to Brisbane.

This year, 2018, they opened in a new larger location and joined with womenswear boutique, Violent Green.

Apartment is a mecca for streetwear connoisseurs, stocking brands like Comme des Garçons PLAY, Visvim, WTAPS… 

Ben and Nick bring a lot of soul to their retail business. Visitors are welcomed with warmth and are inspired by their beautiful products and space.

The brothers believe in creating community and experiences in Brisbane. Their work extends beyond fashion into music and records, and burger restaurants! All delivered with the same quest for quality and attention to detail.

Kay McMahon is passionate about mentoring students and entrepreneurs to succeed in the fashion industry. She says a designer’s first priority should be to create great product, but equally important is to effectively communicate and position your product in front of the right audience.

Kay has a wealth of industry experience from public relations, to journalism, to wholesale and retail, all of which informs her teaching. She tells designers to define success on their own terms. Start small, always be researching and developing, and above all – understand and respect your target market.

Hailing from the UK, Meriel Chamberlin is a textile technologist and the founder of Full Circle Fibres.

Meriel is making it possible for individuals and businesses to source 100% Australian cotton yarns and fabrics. Her cotton is “single origin” and Meriel coordinates every step the supply chain, from paddock to product.

Meriel has a wealth of knowledge to share about fibres and fabric manufacturing. Her sustainability message to designers is to create brilliant products that fit well – that people will wear often and love!

For more information, visit fashionwayfinder.com

Alice Jones was forced to question the ethics of the fashion system when she worked as a fashion buyer and was confronted with the unbelievably low cost of garments made in developing countries.

She met like-minded fashion activist, Louise Visser, and together they established an ethical and sustainable fashion brand, Sinerji, in 2006. Sinerji attracts a loyal clientele who wants quality garments made from natural fibres, and customers who care about the provenance of their clothes.

Alice and I spoke about her sustainable fashion success story, live on stage, at The Royal Queensland Show (AKA The Ekka). Thank you to Laura Churchill for inviting us to be part of this event celebrating Australia’s natural fibres!

For more information, visit fashionwayfinder.com

Thuy Nguyen is the fashion development manager at Creative Enterprise Australia (CEA). Through the Fashion360 program, she mentors emerging and early-stage fashion entrepreneurs to develop their ranges and establish viable businesses.

Thuy has worked in the fashion industry her entire life and has a wealth of technical and industry knowledge. Her design career began very early, using her mother’s industrial sewing machine at the age of 9 to sew Barbie doll clothes which she sold to other young girls. Pursuing her childhood dream, she later established her own bridal business.

Hers is a lifelong passion for fashion and she fosters a sense of quality and appreciation for the craft of fashion in the designers she mentors.

For more information, visit fashionwayfinder.com

Ania Zoltkowski has been working in-and-out of the fashion system for many years. From big and famous fashion houses, to living and working with underprivileged women in a fashion workshop in Lucknow, India.

Her quest to find alignment between her ethical values and her love of fashion creativity has led her to pursue higher research in the field of sustainable fashion at the London College of Fashion, under the supervision of Kate Fletcher.

In this episode she shares her research and ideas for the future of fashion… and a fresh and inspiring perspective on sustainability.

Rébecca Leger works with the costume and textile collection at Palais Galliera, a famous and historic fashion museum in Paris. She considers herself a custodian of the collection, offering beauty and knowledge to the public through the museum’s exhibitions, while taking care of the fragile and historic garments. Rébecca works to display the pieces in line with the curator’s narrative and also interpreting the unique spirit of each designer and the history of the garment.

Rébecca has a background in theatre and costume. She entered into the world of vintage fashion under the mentorship of the late Mary Vaudoyer, a private collector and pioneering writer/researcher on couture and vintage clothing. Rebecca worked with Mary to create her seminal book, “Le Livre de la Haute Couture” (The Book of Haute Couture).

Fashion designer and entrepreneur, David Szeto, tells the amazing story of how he came to establish his fashion house in Paris. He grew up in Vancouver. At the age of 12 his older sister paid him to do her home economics projects and he developed a keen interest in sewing and fashion.

His knowledge and skill as a designer continued to grow as he experienced more of the fashion industry, studying at FIT in New York, and later moving to London and then Paris. David’s story is one of incredible determination and creativity!

David has a very loyal following of clients and fans around the world, who treasure his poetic and beautifully crafted clothes. He also has a lot of wisdom and humor to share with young designers today.

With a career in fashion spanning 5 decades, Florence Deschamps has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons, and Kenzo Takada. Florence is passionate about finding and mentoring creative talent. In her Paris showroom, she introduces emerging designers and their collections to the world’s top buyers.

Florence works closely with her young and hip showroom director, Marina Lyritzi. Marina is a talented content creator and branding specialist. Through her work as a stylist and online influencer, Marina tells the story of designers and their products, with a youthful and joyful voice.

In this episode:

Part 1 - Florence

• Dressing up in her grandmother’s designer wardrobe in Connecticut.
• Florence studied at Sarah Lawrence College and La Sorbonne. She also studied dance with George Balanchine.
• Florence began her fashion career working as a model in the late 1960s.
• With photographer Sarah Moon she learnt the art of photography.
• Working in public relations at French fashion house, Dorothée Bis, was very formative.
• In the early 1980s Florence discovered Comme des Garçons and met Rei Kawakubo. She became the president of Comme des Garçons, and launched the brand internationally.
• Today Florence presents and sells her young designers’ collections to the great fashion stores around the world, including Rei Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market, and Blake in Chicago.
• Good proportion, a sense of harmony, and a sense of humour and playfulness are important in a designer’s work.

Part 2 - Marina (27m40s)

• Marina met Florence at Paris Fashion Week when she was interning with an Italian bag designer.
• Marina had a fashion blog for several years, before shifting to Instagram.
• She collaborates with fashion brands and recently won first prize in Marie Claire Greece blogger awards, and has worked with H&M.
• It’s more effective for consumers to see fashion products on real people, rather than very tall and thin models.
• It’s important for designers to have a good connection with their showroom.
• Strong brand DNA and a clear target market are very important for commercial success.

Bonus audio – What the dog thinks (36m10s)