When did you first
realise that fashion was what you wanted to pursue as a career?
I’ve always loved fashion and the magic of how it can change
your appearance. Even as a toddler, I was always getting in trouble for wearing
my uniform wrong, I was a bit of a rebel (laughs), but for me it’s never been
about having a career. The moment where I really knew I wanted to be a fashion
designer, was when I was 15 and I met Trelise Cooper (at her 2007 fashion show
in Rotorua). She needed someone to do her hair but no one in the hotel knew how
to use the curling irons, except me. So I went up to her room for three hours,
and we had a really deep, intimate chat. I was so naïve, I obviously knew who
she was, but I didn’t the extent of her success, so it was a very honest, real
conversation, there was no trying to be impressive. One thing she said to me
that really stuck was: “Cherish your fashion dreams and work smart not hard”.
Has being from
Rotorua, and perhaps more removed from the New Zealand fashion industry (which
is mainly Auckland-based) influenced you in anyway?
The designers in Rotorua tend to sell very limited stock,
but they’re very expensive and beautiful designs. I find that the smaller town
designers and the designers from outside Auckland are actually in some ways
more creatively stronger (than the Auckland fashion industry), because in
Auckland everyone is inspired by the same things, therefore they tend to dress
the same, so it is a point of difference for my brand. But I have worked in the
Auckland fashion industry and then removing myself from it, my perspective
changed, it became individual instead of mass. I’ve had a very diverse
background and that’s ultimately what’s shaped my brand.
I’ve heard you’d like
to work in Haute Couture?
Yes, that’s the ultimate goal. I want to be the first (NZ)
designer to get that licence. Obviously you have to be an evening wear designer
to even be considered, and all the haute couture designers are actually glamour
dresses, so I’m a good contender for that type of design. It will be
interesting to see where I am in ten years’ time, if that dream becomes a reality
and we can bring that kind of fashion to New Zealand.
A lot of people don’t
realise the strict criteria behind being able to use the ‘haute couture’ title.
Does that scare you at all?
No, I’m not scared of anything except for death and God. (In
every industry) you can’t take yourself too seriously, you can’t take fashion
too seriously.
We’ve just come away
from New Zealand Fashion Week, what was that experience like for you?
It’s different for everyone, and for designers it can be
quite isolating. I was speaking to a lot of designers and our stress levels, as
designers, can never be measured to the stress levels of anyone else. As much
as anyone else can say that they are having stress, it can never match the
stress levels of a designer! (laughs) It’s not as glam as everyone thinks!
What’s the next
project that you have lined up?
At the moment we have a lot of dress orders with summer
coming up, but I’m also working on a project with Te Puia. In 2016 we’re going
to be hosting one of New Zealand’s premier fashion events. It’s a new
invite-only fashion event that’s coming to the country, with a wide range of
different, high quality designers.
I also definitely plan to keep up my charity work. Every
year we put on a Fashion Show with the Salvation Army in Rotorua. We create
high-class looks with the stock in store and really show people that they can
create million dollar looks for $2, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. I
also work with Parent-to-Parent, a charity for disabled parents and recently we
raised $2000 for the Oaklynn Special School earlier this year. It’s amazing to
be able to give back.
You obviously have a
really strong sense of personal style in how you dress yourself. Does this
cross over into your designs, or are the two styles quite different?
(Laughs) You know I have heard that, but yes, I am the
brand. I am very much the glamour dresser and everything that the brand is
about, which is glamour, simplicity and sophistication. That applies to my own
look and what I put on the catwalk.
You really nail the
fit and the tailoring in your garments. How have you learnt to compliment and
dress a woman’s shape, as a male?
To be honest, it’s actually from my experience of working at
Supré. Over the years I worked with a vast range of body types and at that time
Supré clothes were very fitted and colourful and all about being sexy. People
used to call it the ‘slut shop’ (laughs) but that trash glamour style has been
embedded in me and now I think I really just replicate that but using more
expensive fabrics and higher quality design lines.
Lastly, do you have
one favourite designer?
There are so many, but I really have a soft spot for
Christian Siriano. I love that (his designs are) glamourous and modern but
always different. You never know what to expect, he’s always changing the looks
but they’re always beautiful.
For more information, or to shop Kharl WiRepa Couture, head
to www.kharlwirepa.com.
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