Ahead of what would have been Kate Sylvester’s New Zealand Fashion Week AW 22 presentation, ‘Portrait’ - which was unfortunately halted due to New Zealand’s current Red Light setting - we sat down with the beloved Kiwi designer to discuss the legacy of her eponymous label, and what makes her most excited to open a new store in Commercial Bay.

Hi Kate! You’ve built an incredible legacy with Kate Sylvester as an iconic Kiwi fashion brand. In such an evolving and challenging industry – especially in the last two years - you’ve managed to thrive. What do you put this success down to?

Having fun! We are really focused on creating clothes that make women feel good about themselves, that make them feel happy, clothes they just love and want to wear anywhere – be it a lockdown or a party. We celebrate colour and print and build our collections around stories that our customers can embrace and build on themselves.

We couldn’t be more excited to have Kate Sylvester open a brand new home in Commercial Bay this month! What drew you to this part of the city?

It’s a beautiful part of the city and has great energy. Commercial Bay is a lovely community of Kiwi brands, many of whom are friends in fact, whose work we really respect and admire, so we are very happy to be part of such a great neighborhood.

What are your ambitions for the future of the brand? What are you excited for at KS this year?

There is so much we are excited for this year, we are launching Kate Sylvester trainers this month which are super cute, we are hoping to achieve carbon zero certification this year and that has been a huge project. As with all responsible businesses now, all our plans need to be a balance of pushing forward creatively while ensuring we are constantly looking at new ways to look after our people and planet better.

And lastly, what are your favourite culinary destinations at the Bay?

I love Ahi for a special occasion, my birthday’s coming up…. And any excuse for one of Gochu’s fantastic cocktails!