FASHION & GROOMING

What inspires you?
Anything really – movies, a day up the mountain snowboarding, music, art, my two kids… travel.

What was the moment you knew you wanted to be a fashion designer?
I don’t think there was really ever that moment – I just kind of started helping Jenny [his wife and business partner] with the collections and the direction of what I wanted and so really, I just fell into it… We just do what we want to do, basically and people seem to like it.

How do you think men’s fashion has changed in
New Zealand?
It’s always changing… What goes around comes around.

How fashionable are New Zealand men generally?
Pretty good I reckon. Hey, everyone has their own personal style – so that’s cool. We aren’t as swanky as Europe. I have also just come back from New York and there is a bit more hip hop influence over there and so New Zealand is just right…

What do you consider the worst fashion crime to be?
Croc shoes…

What does Air New Zealand Fashion Week mean to you?
Fashion Week is great for really showing what we do – getting it in front of the media and buyers both national and international. It’s also pretty stressful and a lot goes into the whole process of putting it all together.

How much work goes into putting it together?
So much of it is behind the scenes apart from all the Fashion Week stuff of choosing models, music production meetings, run schedules, money, lighting, make up, interviews!! There is also the whole side of getting a range together and then selling that – but we have an amazing team of staff, which really helps. At the end of the day, it is what we love so it doesn’t necessarily feel like work. The winter ranges are amazing – look out!

What does it take to make it as a fashion designer in
this country?
It takes a lot of hard work but on the flipside, we New Zealanders are very patriotic and so it’s good for New Zealand brands – there is a lot of New Zealand pride. We are a little bit far removed from the rest of the world so a bit more cost is involved to really get that export market going though…

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
It’s not a race, it’s a marathon – one step at a time.

What’s the worst?
I try to filter out the bad advice and not remember it…

If you weren’t a fashion designer what would you
be doing?
Maybe be a professional skateboarder – or just stay at home and hang with the kids and send Jenny off to work!

LotusMoon Designs

Bread & Butter Fresh to NZ