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Every fashion designer needs a showcase. Jane Dennis talks to two who are looking to the Southern Trust id Dunedin Fashion show next month for vital exposure.
Fashion designers Veronica Keucke and Charmaine Reveley are standing on Keucke's studio rooftop, in St Andrew St, Dunedin, preparing for a photo shoot, looking every bit the fashion plate, dressed in their own designer clothes, with their hair and makeup done.
Even the chill in the air doesn't dampen their spirits, as they giggle and chat about how much they are looking forward to the Southern Trust id Dunedin Fashion show on March 1.
Getting exposure in the fashion world is vital, and both admit to ambition, so showcasing their winter 2008 collections at id means ‘‘a lot'' to them.
‘‘It's really important to us. It gives us the chance to show our vision for the season, not only to the Dunedin public, but also to the loads of media which come down to the event,'' Reveley says.‘‘Without a show like id it would be easy to be forgotten and fly under the radar.''
An Otago Polytechnic School of Fashion graduate, Reveley, now 26, first showed at id in 2003 when she launched her brand. This will be her sixth year.
For Keucke [who like Reveley is a former member of the Dunedin Fashion Incubator], it will be her third appearance.
Keucke (30) started her career in costume design and travelled around Europe before she completed a fashion and design diploma in Wellington. She moved to Dunedin to establish her label in 2004.
‘‘I love the id show,'' Keucke says enthusiastically. ‘‘It's a great opportunity to show the country some of the great stuff coming out of Dunedin. I also think it is great for the creative identity of our city.''
Happy in each other's company, it is obvious no rivalry exists between the fashionistas - just an understanding and shared familiarity with the creative world they live in.
Keucke and Reveley share a love of vintage clothing, and have spent endless hours sifting through op shops. They nominate Auckland designer Kate Sylvester as a contemporary favourite, because of her sustainability and the fact she's ‘‘into vintage''.
Keucke and Reveley have beaten their way along a similar track to the point of becoming ‘‘established'' - a status they enjoy today.
‘‘It's great to have the support of friends in the industry,'' Reveley says. ‘‘When you spend a lot of time working on your own [Reveley has her own design studio in Dowling St] it can get pretty lonely, and having another ear to run ideas and problems past is great.''
Keucke agrees. ‘‘There is nothing better than having someone to talk to that completely understands what you are talking about. Char[maine] is amazing. We talk about fashion and our businesses all the time, she is really supportive and generous.''
In an industry that can be cut-throat at times, encouragement is important.
‘‘I think we both respect each other's work and although we are quite different creatively, we encounter a lot of the same issues, highs and lows,'' Reveley says.
In 2006, Reveley was part of the Verge Breakthrough Designers to show their winter 2007 range at Air New Zealand Fashion Week. She experienced first-hand what it felt like to receive mixed reviews for her collection.
‘‘You need to be tough in this industry; there are always setbacks for everyone. I think its important to listen to any feedback you get, but don't take it to heart,'' Reveley says.
While fashion week was a great tool for label exposure and for long-term marketing of the brand, more important for her was keeping in touch with the market.
‘‘They are the ones buying it,'' she says. ‘‘You make changes to keep the label fresh and interesting from season to season, but it is always a learning curve.''
‘‘This season I have started with a clean slate . . . I've done things I wouldn't have done in the past . . . Expect to see a hot-to-trot show.''
‘‘This winter range is all about the ponies,'' she explains of her winter 2008 range, Every Girl Wants A Pony.
‘‘The ever-glamorous equestrian world and the lure of innocence from a ‘pony club' girlhood character, are fused with the sexy rock'n'roll sport of rodeo,'' she says.
Snippets from Keucke's winter 2008 range, ‘Red Sonja', gained praise at the Air New Zealand show last year, but at id she gets the chance to showcase the full collection.
‘‘I had a small showcase at [fashion week], which was very well received. It was great to just give a little teaser of what was to come,'' Keucke says.
‘‘The inspiration for this range evolved from a passport photo that I found in a photo machine in a train station in Dresden, East Germany in 1999. The photo is of a blonde woman with dark eyes and is replicated 16 times. The garments in the range are based around the fictional account of her life as a Soviet runaway and Russian spy.''
Keucke says her label is continuously evolving to suit both the changes in herself as a designer and her market.
‘‘I have recently resized my label, half a size larger, to cater to demand. Also things like the current trend for dresses means that the range will include a lot of dresses and less pants. Certain styles that sell well may reappear with some small changes in the next range.
‘‘For me, it is about providing people with clothes that they love so that is always the aim.
‘‘I don't think there is a point in this industry where you can relax and ride on your past work. You're always having to come up with the next exciting new range and hope that your customers and the media like it.
"Growth is great and very exciting but along with it comes a need for greater cash flow,'' Keucke, who stocks 15 New Zealand stores, including Belle Bird, in Dunedin, says.
Reveley stocks 16 stores in New Zealand, including Carlson in Dunedin.
‘‘There are loads of battles every day, mostly minor, some catastrophic,''' Reveley says. ‘‘It is hard to keep work from taking over the rest of your life, so having an understanding fashion-tolerant partner is a plus.''
Reveley lives in Brighton with her partner while Keucke lives in Port Chalmers with hers.
The designers feel good about their achievements so far.
‘‘From the age of 8, I always wanted to be a fashion designer," Reveley says. "In fact, in intermediate school, I was placed in our schools speech contest. My speech was titled ‘Fashion' and I think it started with ‘What is Fashion? . . . '. I'm still working that one out,'' she laughs and rolls her eyes.
‘‘I have got some really exciting things on the horizon,'' she says. ‘‘I have also been collaborating with a local jeweller, Zantedeschia Robini, and she has come up with some great pieces to accompany the range.''
Keucke, too, is proud of where she is. ‘‘It has been a good eight years of very hard work and dedication bordering on obsession,'' she says laughing.
Asked where she wants to be in 10 years, Keucke says: ‘‘Working with a great team on a successful label that I love.'' Reveley adds: ‘‘Full-time staff, retail stores and happy customers''.
Veronica Keucke and Charmaine Reveley: ‘‘There is nothing better than having someone to talk to that completely understands what you are talking about''.
PHOTO: CRAIG BAXTER
Stallion dress, Stallion cardi, merino polo and jodhpurs, by Reveley.
Natalia pants, Margo top and Marissa jacket, by Keucke.
Luiza skirt and Maria top, by Keucke.
Thoroughbred coat, by Reveley.