I remember coming across New Zealand designer Brooke Tyson a few years back and instantly falling in love with her whimsical and romantic pieces that shape the brands signature aesthetic.
Her collections are dramatic and feminine with a focus on quality fabrics and often blur the lines between art and fashion. Brooke's Autumn/winter collection 'Lady White Snake' is about to hit stores and I was lucky to get the run down on what inspires her and the history behind the brand.
Tell me a little about yourself
and the ‘Brooke Tyson’ label, how did it all begin?
I always loved wearing something
that no one else had, and still do. Through college I challenged myself to make
as much of my own clothing as possible. I always felt that little thrill when
someone complemented me on what I was wearing...It took me a while to be sure
of what I wanted to do, but once I knew it wasn't hard to be led down the
fashion path and now I cant imagine doing anything else. The Brooke Tyson label
began pretty organically, I had friends who owned boutiques and they loved my
style so in 2006 I took a leap of faith and designed my first collection. I am
still learning and being challenged everyday, which is great. My main goal
behind the label is to create pieces that people want to wear again and again,
we do a little bit of everything, but even the everyday wear pieces have
details that make them special. We do alot of hand finishing, one season was
colourful wool fringing we made ourselves, cross stitching on cardigans, hand
dyeing etc...And this works by keeping the label small and exclusive.
Supporting the NZ fashion industry is pretty important to me, stubbornly made
in NZ.
Describe a day in the life at
Brooke Tyson HQ?
At the moment its a balancing
act with sampling and designing SS14/15, Winter production which hits stores
soon, and school holidays! Emails usually happen at night time, which is also
when I tend to be most creative, it the most peaceful time for me.
What was the first article of
clothing you ever designed?
I was 10 or 11 and wanted a long black skirt
with black lace on the hem...my Mum let me have a crack at it, It was a
masterpiece, ha. Thats where it all began...I still remember the proud feelings
I had when wearing it.
Who is one of your favourite
local models to work with?
All the models I have worked
with are such lovely girls, but my favourite has to be Kendell Tobin @ClyneModel Management, she is amazing.
Where do you get your
inspiration for each collection?
Anywhere, everywhere. Pop
culture, Books, Movies, music, travel. Our AW14 collection is called Lady white
snake, loosely inspired by an old chinese legend.
What are your favorite fabrics
to work with and why?
I love Natural fibres, silks,
cottons, wools etc, they just feel so much nicer on the skin aswell as being
great to work with. This summer we had an amazing horse print which was a cotton african
wax print...LOVE
What are some of your favourite
fashion websites, blogs, magazines, or books?
ooh, so many...I love Print.
magazine, Russh, lurvemag, theselby.com for inspiration...the list goes
on but I rarely get time anymore to indulge.
What are some of your personal
or professional accomplishments as a designer?
For me, its being able to
balance having a successful label with looking after my young family...its the
hardest thing ever, but most rewarding when I get it right. I am following my dream and
that is something to be pretty happy about.
Where can readers buy your
clothes, do you have any stockists?
Our stockists are all on our
website
And finally describe Brooke Tyson in
three words:
trail-blazing, mischevious, quality.
Emma
x
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