Falvé

falve.co.nz
facebook.com/falvemenswear
Physical Address:  Falvé studio, Wellington
Operating Since:  Founded in 2012. First launch in March 2013.

What are you all about?

Falvé is a menswear label based in Wellington, New Zealand. The label was launched in March 2013 by husband and wife, Dan and Emma Johnstone. Falvé produces limited runs of quality menswear garments and accessories with fine details but a considered simplicity. The patterns are all handcrafted using traditional tailoring methods and the carefully selected cloths are all individually hand cut. Quality and finish is so important to Falvé, that even the buttons are individually hand stitched!

Who makes your clothes? 

Emma made the winter range but we have now become big enough to outsource labour and have a seamstress who we contract.

Who sells your clothes?

We sell through our website and currently through Made It on Victoria St in Wellington. But we will be going into a few more shops in town in the next month or so!

What price range are your clothes in?

Accessories range from $25 to $83 and clothes from $75 to $216.

Why do you think NZ clothing labels outsource their manufacturing overseas?

Because it is cheaper and we don’t have the resources to manufacture large runs for the commercial companies, here in NZ.

What could the government do to help clothing labels keep it in NZ?

They are doing a lot at the moment; New Zealanders are definitely more concerned and aware about buying NZ made even if it’s something they don’t support. The shift to manufacturing overseas became about because the government signed the Free Trade Agreement with China- that’s when all the big factories in NZ shutdown.

Vanilla Ink

www.vanillaink.co.nz
facebook.com/vanillaink.boutique
twitter.com/VanillaInkNZ
Physical Address:  293 Dominion Rd, Mt Eden & 438 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland.
Operating Since:  I began on the 2nd April 2001, almost 12 years ago.

What are you all about?
What kind of clothes do you make?
Vanilla Ink is stroppy and rebellious - we believe that some of the latest trends are unflattering and irrelevant & at best contribute to landfill.  Good clothes should last season after season.  We make beautiful, colourful clothing with a slight nod to fashion but more focussed on finding our customer's individual style.  Versatility is really important to us, creating pieces that can be worn in more than one way.

We are also playful and kind; we've never understood how cool morphed into hostile.  Apart from the sheer joy of designing, pattern making and choosing beautiful fabrics, we have fun with our clients. Problem solving and flexibility are really important to us - if changing a hemline or tailoring a garment slightly differently is going to make it sing, we'll do it and usually for no extra charge.
We also hold evenings for groups of busy women on request, providing wine, food and styling.  These are inappropriately good fun.

Who makes your clothes?
I design, pattern-make, make most of the samples and do most of the cutting. I keep the first three jobs for myself because I love it so much. Going from idea to reality is bliss; cutting I do kinda because I have to. I have two machinists, Kim and Rabya, they're great, they live locally and it suits them to work from home because they have school-age children. I see them everyday and I'd hate to lose them.  We stubbornly reject manufacturing offshore; producing locally increases spontaneity and ensures a good quality of life for our machinists - it's worth the extra money to us!

Who sells your clothes? Can we buy them online?
We have the two retail stores mentioned above. We are in the process of adding an online shopping feature to our website but for now people can email or phone to purchase if they're out of Auckland.

What price range are your clothes in?
Our clothes range from about $89 to almost $300.
(It's hard to keep NZ-made clothes cheap.)

Why do you think NZ clothing labels outsource their manufacturing overseas? 
Honestly I think the only answer can be greed or survival.  Sometimes I wonder if my business, so hands-on and local, is a dinosaur.  I'm not going to change though - I don't want to do it any other way.

What could the Government do to help clothing labels keep it in NZ?
The goverment could do the following: 1) care; and 2) campaign for buying NZ-made again, making mention of the fact that if money is spent in NZ on NZ-manufactured product then the total spend is contributing to your local financial health. 

Anything to add?
Check out the 3/50 project, started by an American woman at the beginning of the recession - it's very interesting.

Minnie + Ree

www.minnieree.com
minnieree.blogspot.co.nz
facebook.com/MinnieReeSmith
Physical Address:  I am based on the Kapiti Coast.  My business is web-based but I do have a stall at Underground Designer Market on Wellington's waterfront most Saturdays 10am - 4pm.  I also go to other markets and these are notified on my website.
This year I am looking to be in Auckland a lot more!
Operating since:  My first website went live in June 2007, I had been working on the business part time since June 2006.

Maree Smith

What are you all about?  
What kind of clothes do you make?
I believe that wearing lovely clothing that fits easily helps make women feel good about themselves. At Minnie + Ree I design clothes that are full of colour, pattern and touch; clothes that are flattering and individual.  

Wherever possible I stick with my two flexi-sizes: Small is NZ 8-10-12 and Average is 14-16-18.

It all started with Sonsie swimwear – swimwear for women with a larger bust.  Sonsie swimwear is bright, colorful and flexi-sized with a design that is chockfull of tricks to make the boobs look smaller and to flatter the rest of the body.  The range includes the Sonsie tankini and Sonsie swimskirt to cover the least favorite parts of the body and each coordinating piece is sold separately to allow the woman to choose the size and what she wants to reveal or cover when wearing a swimsuit.  I then created a range of merino scarves.  They are made to be beautiful and practical.  For example the hoodie scarf can be a hood, an infinity scarf or a shrug. 

Minnie + Ree skirts are the latest creation.  The skirts are made from designer cotton fabrics and I choose patterns that are interesting and colourful.  They are fastened with snaps which enable the wearer to do up as many of the snaps as they want so the skirt can be worn high on the waist, lower on the hips or during any changes in weight or shape.  They are cool to wear in the heat and winter-up nicely by adding tights and boots.  I am currently working on a dress that is flattering and easy to wear, a range of winter skirts and some new merino items...

Who makes your clothes?
I design and cut most of them.  I use a couple of home-based sewers on a regular basis.  My swimwear is made by Soma President Ltd in Hastings. They have also done a couple of other production runs for me. They were so helpful when I first set up and didn't know much about the industry - I strongly recommend them!

Who sells your clothes?  Can we buy them online?
I currently sell at Underground Market and online.  I am looking at having a few wholesale accounts this year.

What price range are your clothes in?
Currently $35 to $237

Why do you think NZ clothing labels outsource their manufacturing overseas?
If you are doing large runs, it is definitely cheaper.  I know some people who have manufactured overseas and it is a new skill to be learned.  I don't think I will become large enough to follow that path.  My goal is to build a network of outsource sewers and grow that way.  I am escaping from the corporate world and don't wish to set up a large company that needs me to be a manager! 

I do source most of my fabrics offshore and do it myself.  I can see a wide variety of fabrics that are all readily available, order online in whatever quantities I want, pay by credit card and have them on my doorstep in a week or two.  The NZ wholesalers just don't try to provide that type of service.  

What could the government do to help clothing labels keep it in NZ?
I think the future of NZ labels is in the SMEs and government can support that by encouraging people to buy NZ-made and providing business training and support.  Brands that get big need to go offshore to compete on the world market but there's plenty of smaller ones coming through.  I work voluntarily as a business mentor through Business Mentors New Zealand (and am also a mentoring client of theirs!) and I think having a mentor is so helpful.  This is a government subsidised service and is great.

Anything to add?
I am becoming more and more influenced by the desire to get away from cheap tacky clothing and books such as Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline help this.  I also love the work of Natalie Chanin of Alabama Studio and am attempting to bring hand stitched work into my clothing.  I recently cleaned out my wardrobe and threw out cheap junk but still kept and wear good clothing that is 10-15 years old.  Buying good quality pays off in the end and having something that is well made from good fabrics and a bit individual is the way to go!