Kate Sylvester is a New Zealand fashion designer known for combining sportswear, lingerie and traditional tailoring.[1] Her designs are often influenced by books or art, and the fashion of the 1930s and 1950s.[2] Metro Magazine named her one of New Zealand's top five designers,[3] and her biography is included in the book New Zealand Fashion Design by Angela Lassig.[1]

Career

Sylvester studied textile and clothing design at Wellington Polytechnic (the former Massey University) from 1985 to 1986.[4] She then went to London, and worked in the Liberty luxury department store, for Arabella Pollen as a machinist,[5] and for Corinne Robson in Paris. On her return to New Zealand, Sylvester launched her first label, Sister, in 1993.[6]

She changed the name of her label to Kate Sylvester in 1997, after a foray into Australian shops met resistance from the Australian label Sista. [1]

Her first fashion show with the new brand name was held in Sydney in 1999, and featured the collection Arts and Crafts. It set off a bidding war between two New York department stores, Barneys and Henri Bendel.[7]

"Books are a big thing. When I read them, I like to dress the characters. And then I realise that there's a collection in that," she told New Zealand journalist Sarah Catherall.[2] Titles for her collections have included Catcher in the Rye, Love in a Cold Climate, Brighton Rock and This Charming Man, which was inspired by Marcel Proust. Her eyewear collections have included spectacles named Sylvia (Plath), Harper (Lee), Janet (Frame) and Eleanor (Catton). Sylvester's collection Art Groupie referenced the Surrealists, and The Kiss a painting by Gustav Klimt.[6]

She was awarded an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Massey University in New Zealand in 2011. [5]

Kate Sylvester owns the diffusion lines Sylvester, Kate Sylvester eyewear, accessories, lingerie, and homeware produced with the Auckland design studio Douglas + Bec.[2]

Personal life

Sylvester grew up on Auckland's North Shore in the 1970s, and attended Westlake Girls High School. Her father, Ron, was a lecturer at teacher’s college, while her mother, Toni, showed her how to sew.[8] Kate Sylvester has three sons: twins Ike and Tom, and Cosmo. She is married to graphic designer Wayne Conway, and lives in Auckland, New Zealand.[8] [5]

Awards

  • 2008: Inducted into the Massey University College of Creative Arts Hall of Fame in 2008.[9][4]
  • 2008: The Emerging Small-to-Medium Business award at the 2008 NZI National Sustainable Business Awards.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lassig, Angela (2010). New Zealand Fashion Design. New Zealand: Te Papa Press. pp. 230–255. ISBN 978-1-877385-37-7.
  2. 1 2 3 "Designer Kate Sylvester on celebrating her heroes with her designs". Stuff. 2016-06-27. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  3. ↑ Crawshaw, Michele (November 1998). "Five Top Designers". Metro Magazine.
  4. 1 2 Zealand, Massey University, New. "Three inducted into Hall of Fame - Massey University". www.massey.ac.nz. Retrieved 2021-01-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 3 Rocca, Jane (2022-09-17). "'If it ain't broke, don't fix it': Marriage isn't for Kate Sylvester". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  6. 1 2 Magazine, Viva. "Happy birthday Kate Sylvester! - Viva". www.viva.co.nz. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  7. ↑ "Kate Sylvester celebrates 30 years in fashion. What makes a label last?". NZ Herald. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
  8. 1 2 Bailey, Judy. "Kiwi Designer Kate Sylvester Opens Up About Coming Full Circle In Her Life". Now To Love. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  9. 1 2 "Qualified enough for the hall of fame". Stuff. 2009-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
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