> 1 ST UP FASHION
Introducing JOJO ROSS, JARRAD GODMAN and RACHEL MILLS, three eponymous fashion labels fresh out of New Zealand. With a strong sense of where they’re going and doing what they do best, all three designers have taken the time to look, listen and gain in knowledge before taking that leap into doing their own thing under their own names. Experimental, exciting, not hidden behind codewords, nicknames or monikers they’ve put their name to their work, as risky as that may be - and that’s exactly what we love about them. WORDS & FASHION CHRIS LORIMER PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID K SHIELDS MAKEUP & HAIR CORINNA WILMSHURST
WITH HER SECOND ready-to-wear collection in stores, 27-year-old JOJO ROSS has a strong legacy of conceptual works behind her, including a dress that had a working water feature. Pairing down her somewhat futuristic and sculptural practice to create garments for everyday wear has been the challenge for Ross, but she’s not quieted down her voice, rather she’s laser focused on making claen minimal pieces with a signature ethereal touch. Why did you start your own brand? I continued to make conceptual pieces after finishing fashion school, at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, as they were well received but as much as I loved doing them I never made any money. I began my brand so I could continue to create, but channel my ideas into a more wearable approach. As my brand grows I hope to do more challenging pieces and work with more technologies. But at the moment I guess I’m still learning how make readyto-wear! Who is your woman – how do you know what to design for her? I don’t really have one, actually I don’t really think about people at all when I design. I design because I get really obsessed with things, or feelings, or ideas… I just focus on translating my thoughts towards that particular inspiration into shapes I find pleasing. What are you favourite fabrics to use and why? Anything fused -I love creating shapes and augmenting figures. I’m also continually obsessed with using pvc and plastics and I don’t know why…. probably because they’re so shapely... and shiny.
What are your inspirations for this current collection? My Spring/Summer ‘16 collection ‘B-2’ was inspired by Northrop Grumman’s B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber. It was designed in secret during the cold war era, it’s fucking huge and has the most incredible otherworldly form. It flies soundlessly and is basically undetectable; it’s so surreal to watch, even just on YouTube. My fascination with the B-2 manifested itself in this collection through two entirely different strains of thought. I love the B-2’s form, the aerodynamic lines, the sci-fi like technology, the steel and the speed. On the flipside, I love watching planes quietly drifting through the sky. There’s something so calm about flying, weaving amongst puffy clouds and watching miniature worlds below. The combination of these two elements result in a collection of Top Gun-esqe bravado collided with the dreamy notion of flying. What direction do you see your brand taking in the next 5 years? The pieces I want to make just don’t really fit into just the (small) New Zealand market so I’ve definitely got my eyes set on taking my brand abroad. Hopefully Australia soon - then beyond. I’d love to get into the Asian market, particularly Japan and Korea. They are such inspiring countries to visit and I’ve observed people there are always so forward thinking in their style.