Sharing the knowledge
She’s a fresh graduate. He’s an established designer. Assia Benmedjdoub moderates an interview between Melburnians laura Wade and Arthur Galan.
LW: Can you name a person who has most influenced the early stages of your career/label? Why?
AG: I would have to say my mother and my grandfather who taught her. I have never attended fashion school and everything that I have learnt I have done so through my family of tailors. I can always remember sewing machines being part of our lives. I would have to say that I had the best schooling when it came to the fashion industry from being around garment construction and really learning what I did through a very hands-on approach. My family and in particular my mother Meni was a tailor and for many years ran a garment construction business followed by tailoring stores which are still part of the business. It was this knowledge and experience that really made the difference in the early stages of my brand.
LW: What gave you the confidence to start your own label?
AG: I felt that there was a place in the market for a new menswear label that was high fashion and concentrated on great design and quality garments. In addition, the industry experience and my background in manufacturing and garment construction is a factor that also had a bearing on my decision the start the Arthur Galan AG brand. In fashion I always believe that design is important, however being able to produce the garments in a way that is of the highest standard of quality is just as imperative to the success of a brand. My manufacturing background and family history in tailoring whereby everything in a collection is made precise and exacting to the body and my understanding of the concept due to my experience made my decision somewhat easy and with certainly a confidence.
LW: As an established Australian designer, what are the most common mistakes you see young labels make?
AG: This is a hard one to answer because mistakes are lessons, especially in the fashion industry. I think the most important thing that labels need to keep in mind is a sense on commerciality and, to be honest, this is probably the most difficult thing to do. If you are a young designer starting a new label then the thing that you must realise from day one is that your product needs to sell if you are going to survive for the long haul. It’s always great to make the really fun creative pieces, however keep these as your highlight pieces. Look at your target customer and create lots of what they would want to wear without them having to give it too much thought when they are in store ready to purchase. Not easy irrespective of how long you have been in the industry but it is key.
LW: What can’t fashion students learn at university?
AG: School will always teach you the theory and the basis of what you need to do, however until you get out there you really won’t learn everything you need to know about the industry and the ins and outs of what is required. Experience is always so important to what you really need to do to be a great designer. If you can get some experience as you’re going along in your course in any aspect of the fashion industry it will really help you. Knowledge of what is required in the industry and behind the scenes is so important to have a grasp of it will be the key to giving you a head start and a great chance of success.
LW: What do you look for when taking on an employee or intern?
AG: I would have to say a true passion for the fashion industry is what is most important and a sense of understanding of the all-roundedness of what is required when it comes to the work. Design is one aspect of what we do but there is so much more to getting your design concept as a finished garment to your customer and that is something that is key to the job.
LW: How do you balance the creativity of design and the commercial realities of business?
AG: As I have stated above this is probably one of the most difficult tasks along with the commercial production of your collection. It’s always great to go that little bit further, pushing the boundaries of design and it something that you will always do otherwise you wouldn’t be a designer, however you need to balance. Will it sell and if it won’t sell or sell enough of to justify the effort then is there enough PR to be gained by creating this piece to justify it? Sometimes you have to make garments that are statements of creativity but keep it to a smaller percentage of the total collection. You need those easy pieces that sell and that will keep you in business or employed so that is what you have to carefully balance.
LW: What can the Australian fashion industry offer young designers that the international markets can’t?
AG: Small markets like the Australian fashion industry are a great learning ground because they are always willing to try something new such as wearing a new brand. That is what I found when I first started my brand – customers were very accepting of a new label. However, you do have to bear in mind that the Australian consumer is very discerning and it has to be done well otherwise you won’t make it, so if you’re going to put something out there in the marketplace do it well and do it with quality and it will be well received.
LW: Tell me a cliche about the industry that is true?
AG: “You are only as good as your last collection.” You need to keep on your mark when it comes to what you create for your customer, you need to design well and produce them in a quality manner. Customers are very in tune with fashion these days and you can’t afford to slip otherwise they may not come back and building a solid customer base is key. And one that’s not: the fashion industry is all about sipping champagne and going to great shows. So not true!
LW: What’s your proudest achievement?
AG: Being able to build a successful fashion business with my wife and partner Mimi and keep a great balance of family life with our two gorgeous children. OK, sometimes when it’s range time there is a little less football in the park!
NAME: ARTHUR GALAN
BRAND: ‘Arthur Galan AG’
HISTORY: ‘Arthur Galan AG’ was launched as a menswear brand in 1998 before evolving into a premium designer label for men and women. Galan has an in-house manufacturing facility in Melbourne and travels to Europe twice a year to source exclusive fabrics for his collections.
The company has a network of 14 stores and stockists in Hong Kong, Singapore and New Zealand. Arthur Galan AG recently switched its department store partner from David Jones, which stocked the brand for over a decade, to Melbourne-based rival Myer.
The new five-year deal will see 16 Myer concessions roll out nationally and increased marketing exposure through the store’s fashion parades, racing carnival events
and other high-profile promotions. The designer was involved in a Myer showcase at the G’Day USA gala ball in Los Angeles earlier this year.
LOOK: The designer’s autumn/winter 2011 collection for women features statement silhouettes in a core palette of navy, ivory and black. Highlight pieces include a supple leather camel dress, an exposed seam shearling coat, a fringed rabbit gilet and a knee-length fringed leather belt.
Ruby red and misty rose offset these muted colour tones, with a drape scarfe jersey tunic and a leather spliced drape dress featuring blush hues. Key detailing in the collection includes collarless jackets, dresses and coats, moulded shoulders, fringe treatments on separates and contrast leather panelling on selected garments.
Leather is also an integral element of Galan’s menswear offer for autumn/winter, with panels on coats, pants and lapels. Statement pieces include a super skinny, stretch leather pant, oversized velvet bow ties and a raw edge belted biker jacket.
The range has a monochromatic palette, with hints of colour extended into knitwear and check shirts (peach pink) and slim stretch cotton pants (ivory and camel). The classic white shirt has been reworked with piped necklines and contrasting insert lapels and yokes, while a detachable shearling collar ties back with the broader winter story.
NAME: Laura Wade
STATUS: Bachelor of Design (Fashion) graduate from Melbourne’s
RMIT University.
HISTORY: Laura Wade was the recipient of the 2010/11 Australians in New York Fashion Foundation (AINYFF) scholarship. The foundation, established by successful US expats, provides one graduate each year with US$25,000, a return airfare to New York and a six-month internship at a design house.
AINYFF co-founder and executive vice-president of global communications at Calvin Klein, Malcolm Carfrae, described Wade as the “quintessential modern designer”. Other judges on the 2010/11 panel included Harper’s Bazaar USA editor-at-large Brana Wolf and Elite Models head of development Doll Wright.
The grant was not the first career coup for Wade, who was also awarded an academic achievement award for most outstanding fourth-year student and selected for Craft Victoria’s 2010 Fresh! graduate exhibition.
LOOK: While Wade has been credited for working across multiple formats, categories and fabrications, her true passion lies in directional knitwear. She credits Mark Fast, Sandra Backlund and Iris van Herpen as key design inspirations for her geometric and structured ensembles.
BLOG IT: Wade documents her creative process via www.laura-wade.com. “I’ve come to a little halt in the last few days because I’ve been mainly using Illustrator to develop my ideas. It was good to get started but I think I need to get back into sampling, which will allow me to develop ideas like before.
I have slowly built a collection; although it’s not quite finished I feel like I’ve got the basis of it. Using Illustrator created sketches, which are quite flat, but it was more about moving the shapes over the body to trigger new designs. It might not read well to others but I know how these shapes are moving around the body. I’ve used a paper cut-out to test one of the tops which is something I’ll keep working on, and I’ve tested the skirt’s shape in both paper and white leather, which is what it will be made out of.”