Designing Woman - Liz Clift

Designing WOMAN

From a rural upbringing on a sheep station near Geelong, Liz Clift moved to the Gold Coast as a young girl and became a fashion force in her new home town.

WHAT IS YOUR FIRST BIG FASHION MEMORY? My formal introduction to the world of fashion was at the age of 17 when I was accepted to enter the Gold Coast Fashion Awards. I won every section including the prestigious Gown of the Year award. Sir Bruce Small made the presentation and invited me to not only join the promotion team of the Gold Coast Visitors Bureau, but to design a collection of resort wear for his interstate promotional tours. This proved to be beneficial as one of the garments was “slightly” see through and made the front pages of major newspapers. Sir Bruce was ecstatic and invited me to open a boutique at his exclusive Isle of Capri shopping Centre. YOU HAVE SPENT MOST OF YOUR LIFE ON THE GOLD COAST. WHAT WAS LIFE LIKE BACK THEN? I was born in Geelong and grew up on a sheep property in Lovely Banks. I moved to Surfers Paradise when I was 12. My parents Harry and Lorna Brough owned Surfside 6 Holiday Apartments on the beachfront in the heart of Surfers. I missed my tomboy lifestyle on the farm but soon adapted to throwing on a bikini and surfing. I finished my schooling at St Hilda’s and was a regular at Saturday morning detention….for a number of reasons but mostly playing hooky to be a bikini girl extra in all of the movies being shot in and around the Gold Coast at the time. Growing up on the Gold Coast in the late 60’s early 70’s was heaven on a stick. We all knew each other and it was so safe. There were great venues, cabarets and home grown entertainers. The Bee Gees attended the Surfers Paradise State School for a short time. The town had a heart and there was a real sense of community. DID OUR LAID BACK, BEACH LIFESTYLE AFFECT YOUR DESIGN AND RETAIL PHILOSOPHY? I fell into design simply due to the climate. You needed very little fabric and could run up a bikini or dress and wear out to the beach or a party an hour later. My clothes were quite Avantgarde - Mary Quant meets Woodstock. I was inundated with orders and at the age of 19 was wholesaling to local boutiques. DID YOU HAVE ANY FASHION MENTORS? My mentors then were three wonderful women - Ivy Hassard, Helene Walder and Paula Stafford.

YOU STUDIED IN PARIS – HOW MANY YEARS, HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT AND WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED IN THAT TIME? I sold my Liz Brough Design Boutique on the Isle of Capri when I was 22. My first husband Peter Speirs and I opened a courtyard restaurant in Orchid Avenue in the heart of Surfers Paradise. We were known as one of the leading eateries. I catered for hundreds of clients each day and managed my wholesale design business but still wanted so much more. I talked Peter into sub-leasing our restaurant and joining me in Paris while I studied at The Paris American Academy Ecole de Beaux Arts. I felt like I was really coming alive - some of my tutors where Karl Lagerfeld, Sonia Rykiel and Chantal Thomass. Karl encouraged me to follow my passion for fashion and to hand over my role in the restaurant and focus on designing full time. One thing I remember him saying is to always retain a sense of humour in my work. My time there has proved to be quite successful as they have invited me to come on board as a guest lecturer. I am now their Global Ambassador. After Paris I had two children, Andrew and Michelle. We sold the restaurant, Peter and I divorced and I then concentrated on designing uniforms for International Hotels, Luxury Resorts, costumes for stage shows, wardrobes for movies. I married Bill Clift from Chattanooga Tennessee in 1990 and had another son Brandon. We travelled regularly to USA. I sold my Couture and Ready-to-wear ranges in Beverly Hills, West Palm Beach and Honolulu. Our fashion shows were spectacular, and complete sell outs. Fabrics were from Paris and Zurich with many of them televised. YOU ‘RETIRED’ FOR A VERY BRIEF TIME AND THEN FOUND THE JT FOXX ORGANISATION. WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS AND HOW HAS THAT CHANGED YOUR OUTLOOK ON BUSINESS AND LIFE? Four years ago I semi-retired, I closed my Boutique, Liz Clift International, and opened an exclusive showroom in Bundall to showcase my European imported designer labels. By chance I came across JT Foxx at a Robert Kiyosaki sales event in 2018 and he blew me away. I have worked for myself since I was 17 and listening to JT I realised how much more I had to learn. Since then he has invited me to speak on stage in South Africa to over 1,000 young entrepreneurs, and I’ve also done testimonials in Istanbul, Dubai, Sydney and Brisbane. He invited me to interview Brooke Shields on her fashion line and also Hollywood star Vince Vaughn - both events were in L.A. in front of 2,500 people. If someone had told me four years ago what my life would be like now I wouldn’t have believed it. Brooke was a sweetheart and Vince turned the interview back on me, which he thought was hilarious. Of all the celebrities we met through JT, the stand out was definitely George Ross who was Donald Trump’s real estate advisor. George was 93 years of age and what an encyclopedia of business knowledge! My son Brandon and I spent a full day with him at JT’s home in Florida. One of my great joys is being able to include my daughter Michelle Massey and son Brandon Clift in my journey with JT Foxx. He and his team are coaching us all. If only I had this opportunity when I was at their age. ANY ADVICE FOR A YOUNG PERSON STARTING OUT AS A FASHION DESIGNER? I mentor young fashion designers and always say fashion is more than a drawing. Start at the bottom and learn from the cutting room floor. It is easy to sit back and design and pay someone else to make the pattern but you must know the industry inside and out. Passion is the key, you simply have to have it. Study all great designers past and present. Live and breathe fashion. Be aware of what people are wearing in the streets. Follow fashion bloggers. Create your own style. DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? Hopefully travelling again soon with my husband Bill and family. To resume my fashion shoots on the Turkish Riviera and to continue my work as Global Ambassador for The Paris American Academy. I was honoured to be invited to join the Fashion Council Queensland by Liz Golding. I am part of an amazing team of Fashion Professionals with a focus of putting Queensland on the map with all things fashion.