Amy Parsons-King discovers what drew young fashion designer Jack Hill from Wellington to Dunedin.
At over 500sq m, local fashion designer Jack Hill's George St studio has room enough to house a retail store for his label, a workroom, various storage areas, including a room with built-in clothing racks, an office, a photography studio and even space for a drum kit and table tennis table.
‘‘If I was still in Wellington, there's no way I could afford such a massive studio'' Mr Hill said.
Affordable rent, a thriving fashion community and relaxed lifestyle are just a few of the reasons the Christchurch-born designer has decided to make Dunedin home.
Mr Hill grew up on a vineyard in Waipara Valley, just north of Christchurch, and from an early age had a keen interest in clothing, although it was more an appreciation for clothes, than a desire to create them himself.
At high school he studied the arts and saw himself studying fine arts when he completed high school, but while he was in years 12 and 13 he witnessed the emergence of exciting new New Zealand designers who resonated with youth culture, and it was then he first considered a career in fashion.
‘‘There were all these designers like Stolen Girlfriends Club, Meadowlark, Twenty Seven Names and Lonely Hearts that I looked up to and it dawned on me I could do something like that,'' he said.
Mr Hill then began applying to fashion institutions, although he was doubtful he would be accepted due to his lack of experience in the design and manufacturing of clothing. However, to his surprise, he was accepted by every school he applied to, including Otago Polytechnic, Christchurch Polytechnic and Massey University.
With the advantage of having a number of institutes to choose from, he took his time selecting the right school, a process that included visiting each school in person. Finally, he decided on Massey University's Wellington campus.
‘‘In the end the I decided on Massey because I think it's the best place to study fashion, in my humble opinion. I talked to people who had studied at all the different schools I was applying for and it turned out Massey was the best choice for me. It's a degree, it's a university, it's really well rounded and all the machinery is amazing.''
Despite Wellington offering Mr Hill the best study opportunities, the city itself could not keep the young designer in its grasp. He moved to Dunedin a year after graduation.
Mr Hill first came to Dunedin as a finalist in the iD International Emerging Designer Awards in 2015, when he showed his graduate collection titled J.V.T.H, a capsule collection consisting of four looks inspired by survival and '90s American hip-hop culture.
‘‘At the time of designing my graduate collection I was really into watching doomsday preppers and noticed this new need to revert back to survival skills in a recreational way. It's ironic and a bit funny in a similar way that utilitarian clothing has a huge influence on hip-hop. Rappers wear army surplus clothing and sportswear when it's not needed.
‘‘I wanted to portray this idea in my collection and try to address what survival means for my generation in the future, in a light-hearted way.''
Despite not winning, he still had a passion for making clothing and pursuing a career in fashion, and decided to embark on this journey in Dunedin.
‘‘After being in Dunedin for about a week over iD, I decided I wanted to start my label here. The weather's better than Wellington, I like the architecture, there's cheap spaces to rent, a supportive fashion community where there's not too much of a tall poppy syndrome.
‘‘Over all, it's pretty friendly and chilled out, and when I found my current studio I decided to make the move.''
So far, Mr Hill has produced three seasonal collections, although he's still experimenting with what works best for him as a designer in regard to the timing of his collections.
‘‘I'm not sure I'll keep doing seasonal ranges; I think it's a bit of an outdated mode. Fashion is speeding up and changing and for me doing all the design, draughting, construction, retail and wholesale sales and admin, I think it's going to be a lot easier and more fun to make things as I go.''
Despite his uncertainty as to whether he will be launching his collections under the industry's traditional approach, his latest offering is for autumn/winter 2016, and was launched at this year's iD Dunedin Fashion Week.
Not one to follow norms, Mr Hill showcased his collection at a unique live installation/performance at his studio midweek during iD. The event included models air- playing musical instruments to a soundtrack produced by Mr Hill and his friend Fin Wall. Pieces included long-line dresses, oversized jackets and T-shirts, as well as knee-skimming dresses with frill detailing and straight-leg utility-style pants.
Many pieces were customised with hand-painted vertical stripes, astronomical symbols, bar codes, dolphins and ‘‘who cares'' slogans, and all in natural, hard-wearing cotton, drill and denim
.‘‘This collection does not have any hard-hitting theme to it. I just wanted to mix prints of natural images, like the moon, dolphins and spider webs, with man-made things, like barcodes and my logo to create a sense of irony and contrast.
‘‘A consistent theme for all my collections is making clothing locally with the best fabrics I can find and making stuff that I would want to wear myself ... I hope other people do too.
‘‘I don't feel like collections need a big theme or story to sell and I find it easier to just make new stuff as fast as I can when inspiration comes to me.''