SYDNEY: Four decades of designing, knitting and running her own retail operation have earned Sydney based designer Vivian Chan Shaw a lifetime achievement award.
Shaw was recognised for her long years of service to Australia's fashion industry by the Fashion Group International at its 2009 Awards for Excellence. Aurelio Costarella, Camilla, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and Bird Textiles rounded out the winners list, taking home the top prizes in other categories.
Shaw, who beat out fellow nominees Anthea Crawford and Ellen Greenfield of wholesaler E & M Greenfield, said she was "euphoric" about her win. The designer opened her first store in 1972 with solely her own funds and said both the award and the nomination were a huge surprise, especially as her business decisions have not always been so publicly lauded.
"I saw from my own business that whenever I did anything that was knitted it caused a sensation and I couldn't make enough. So I did what a lot of people thought was extremely foolhardy: I completely changed the whole business. No more wovens, and entirely knitted. That was a giant, giant leap."
The designer credits her openness to trying to new ideas as the key to her longevity.
"I'm very much about evolution. I really think people who stand still and don't evolve, they don't become better. I think if you look at yourself and say 'Oh I'm so self-satisfied, I've done this and I've done that and I'm quite happy with myself', I think it's not very good for you. Time doesn't stand still, and neither should you."
The latest incarnation of this philosophy is Shaw's jewellery range, which she introduced in 2003.
"I developed it without any knowledge about how to do it. I did it my own way, and it has evolved as time has gone by," she said.
Casting her mind back over her time in the industry, Shaw recalls a variety of highlights.
"I think one of the proudest moments I could say is, in the 1980s, we exported. And we had one client in Chicago who bought from us for 17 consecutive years. That is amazing."
The recognition of her family's work by those on home soil also means a lot to Shaw, who's daughter joined with her in the business in 1986.
"One of the most wonderful things that happened to us was that we're in the Powerhouse Museum, in the permanent collection. It started off a couple of years ago. Claudia, my daughter, donated her wedding gown, which is knitted. [Claudia] is very much a part of [the business]."
Despite its 37 years of operation, Shaw still describes her self-titled label as "just a little family business", and the designer has consciously contained it to that size.
"The product is hand made, so therefore by its very nature it imposes certain parameters and we're not into mass production. Each garment is unique. I did toy with the idea in the early 1990s [of expanding the business], then I very quickly discarded it because then things didn't turn out so well for a lot of people. I was very glad I didn't do it."
Shaw said her colleagues and family are "so proud" of the award, and that she plans for her label and retail store to be in operation for many years to come.
The Fashion Group International's lifetime achievement award recognises someone who has been working continuously in or for the Australian fashion industry for 25 years, and has "notable achievement".
The winner of the 2007 award was managing director of Cerrone Jewellers, Nicola Cerrone.