Q Where did you grow up?
I grew up in various small towns around Otago and Southland, including Queenstown, Balclutha, Invercargill and Oamaru, but Wanaka is where I call home.
Q How did you end up in Dunedin?
I guess living in the area it was a natural progression to choose to study fashion at Otago Polytechnic. I knew people who had studied there and loved it, and I had seen and heard so many amazing things about it.
My dad, his friends and plenty of family all studied in Dunedin and have some rather marvellous stories of their time there. I never really considered anywhere else.
Q Have you always had an interest in fashion? If so, what's your earliest memory of it?
People always ask me this question and I'm just not quite sure. I was such a tomboy until about 12, but I always was doing something a bit twisted with my style.
I guess my earliest memory is not "fashion'' but wanting to be different. I've always been creative, always been a dreamer, and eventually it manifested itself into fashion.
Q Did you always aspire to be a fashion designer? If not, what do you think you would have been doing?
Again, no. I wanted to be an FBI agent, then a meteorologist. Both of those would still be totally great but realistically, probably would never have happened. I can't see myself doing anything other than what I'm doing now.
Q What have you been doing since you graduated?
Since graduating I've been lucky enough to be selected to show at the iD International Emerging Designer Awards, the iD Railway Show, Australian Graduates Fashion Week and New Zealand Fashion Week.
My graduate collection was featured in Italian Vogue's Fashions Future Generation of Talents in their September issue of 2012. I was picked up by "Not Just a Label'' after that and it has been a dream.
The people who contact you from such an amazing platform is pretty mind-blowing - I've had requests from Lady Gaga and Tinashe's styling teams which has been a bit bizarre, but they always need everything there in like two days, so it hasn't been possible to get my pieces to them in time without a few-thousand-dollar courier bill.
In 2012 Not Just a Label selected me as one of their 100 top designers to showcase in Origin Passion and Beliefs in Vicenza, Italy. They flew all of us from about 60 countries around the world - it was a humbling and life-changing experience. Some of the designers who I met there are pretty huge now.
Q Why did you decide to launch your own label?
Since graduating I continued doing super conceptual work, which I really, really love but while it's drawn a lot of interest, it's never paid a single bill. I decided to start my label last year as a way to move forward in fashion, so this collection is my first crack at ready-to-wear.
Q How would you describe your brand? Who is it aimed at?
It's clean, minimal and sculptural with a futuristic nod and ethereal touch. My brand is aimed at woman of all ages who want to look intriguing, considered and forward.
Q What's the inspiration behind your debut collection, A Brave New World?
It's inspired by the rapid technological advancements of virtual reality. It looks to the future, where living in a multi-layered world of real and simulated is set to become reality.
This collision of past and future weaves throughout the range. Classic grey and white suiting augment from familiar to foreign with graphic PVC dashes, while "The data'' top in a textured black and white knit exudes a static hum.
Metallic silver (a futuristic must have) features, but is softened with subtle touches of light pink. It is, however, allowed a time to shine in the collection's most coveted design, the highly sculptural "Digital Love'' jacket.
Closures are key in the range and inform the design as much as fabric selection. Exposed, chunky zips with custom pulls and domes feature throughout to complete the digital look.
Q What's next for you and the brand?
I would love to be self-supported by my label in the next couple of years - that will be huge. It's really not easy working a day job alongside a small business. The days off are few.
As I mentioned earlier, my previous designs have been seriously conceptual - electronic three-dimensional nightmares - but I truly love doing them. I made a few sculptural, slightly conceptual pieces in this collection but moving forward I would love to focus on this angle more and work with new technologies, while still being ready-to-wear.
For this to work I'm aiming to get into the international market, particularly Japan and Korea. They're so cool and really push the boundaries of style.