After making her mark in London and Paris, Wellington designer Lucilla Gray is giving New Zealand a taste of her talent, says Lucy Slight.
It’s 9.30am on day two of New Zealand Fashion Week and the sartorially blessed have congregated in a suburban Auckland street to await the New Zealand debut of Wellington-based designer Lucilla Gray’s eponymous label.
Backstage at Kingsize Studios, Lucilla is running on four hours’ sleep but aside from having to get another pair of shoes in for a model last-minute, everything is going smoothly. Media and buyers, both local and international, are milling around outside, sipping on a bespoke tea blend created by Storm and India for the show, and murmurs abound about what’s to be expected when the roller door finally goes up.
When the moment arrives, the rumble of the metal stops all conversation, and guests swarm towards the door. What awaits inside is an installation featuring nine models perched on stools and standing in a dreamy meadow of fragrant blooms and lush green grass. The F/W 2015 collection is a trans-seasonal offering of soft flowing fabric, dreamy pastels of powder blue and lemon yellow, with a 70s-meets-Japanese influence woven throughout. It’s a collection that Lucilla describes as “exploring the Japanese design principles of shibui, ‘beautiful by being understated’ and seijaku, ‘energised calm’.”
Lucilla worked on the installation with her mother, Karen Gray, a floral stylist and design consultant. “I wanted to create something magical,” says the 24-year-old, who graduated from the Massey University fashion design programme in 2014. “I grew up surrounded by flowers; it’s something that feels quite natural to me. I think traditional runway shows are quite boring. I prefer intimate shows where people can get up close and feel part of it. I want people to get to know me.”
The designer may be someone we are just getting to know here in New Zealand, but in early 2015, Lucilla caught the fashionable eye of Northern Hemisphere buyers and media when she debuted her collection at London Fashion Week and was selected as one of 22 up-and-coming designers to showcase her range in Paris. “The opportunity to launch in London came about before it did here. I’m a firm believer in taking opportunities as they are presented to you. In fashion you have to take risks,” says Lucilla.
The label currently works on a made-to-order basis for private clientele, with small production runs for the online store. Lucilla now has fashion buyers in Europe watching her development, but she is aware of the importance of aligning her brand with the right stores from the outset, as well as introducing her clean cuts and strong silhouettes to media and customers in New Zealand. “I felt like I was getting all the traction in Europe but no one really knew what I was doing back home,” she explains.
“I wanted to show the industry here that you can work at an international level yet remain local. NZFW gave me the best options for putting on my own show this season, with the support of my family.”
Lucilla is elated with the positive feedback she’s received from the show, and has met with “a couple of amazing boutique owners and stylists”. But the end of NZFW by no means signalled a break for the young designer. Everything shown was boxed up immediately after the show and sent to London for Fashion Week S/S 2016 shows, which took place in September.
“I like being able to introduce more people to my aesthetic and being able to express myself in this format,” says Lucilla, of her experience showing in New Zealand. “I want to keep growing the aesthetic and continue working at an international level.”
