Featured Designers: Thread

FK talks to Lauren & Sarah from Wollongong based fashion label Thread.

Tell us about your new label and how it started.
It all happened in February – a new year… a new beginning… but if we really have to say where it all began for sure it was on our Nanna’s Veranda – piled high boxes full of fabric, clothes, lace, sheet, pillowcases and table cloths, a world we visited so irregularly but waited impatiently for. Our Nanna sitting in her chair knitting scarves for charity out of wool that had once been a jumper or a cardigan, she was so inspiring and it left a lasting impression on both of us!
With 5 kids our mum couldn’t very well buy all our clothes, so she made most of them, and growing up in this kind of handmade creative world has made us who we are today!
Lauren had been studying fashion on and off for a few years, and was forever collecting fabrics, laces and buttons etc! Although she wasn’t quite sure what would come next! Sarah had pretty much done it all – marriage, kids and interior design, followed closely by her children’s label Original angel.

In 2009 Sarah’s youngest was due to go off to school, so she had free time to pursue a possible dream, coercing her sister into joining her, the girls signed up at Wollongong TAFE for ‘Fashion Design Industry practices’ – after making the best group of friends and completing the course with much success, the pair decided in February this year to create the label ‘thread’, with the first collection Spring/Summer 2010/11 ‘Through The Looking Glass’ available now and inspired by Alice in Wonderland! This collection will be followed by the Autumn/Winter Range ‘An Education’.

What are your backgrounds and what different skills do you bring?

We grew up in a small country town, there’s 9 years between us, and we have 2 other sisters and a brother! We are both drawn to elements of nostalgia, vintage, gorgeous fabrics and prints.

Lauren – I have been studying fashion since 2004 starting with a Design course in Canberra and covering various areas of design including Clothing Production and Fashion Design. I think I offer skills such as attention to detail, fabric knowledge and pattern making. And being the younger sister, I bring a sense of fun!

Sarah – Having dabbled in interior design and children’s clothing, I then completed Fashion at TAFE. I guess I’m more the business mind! I make a lot of lists, phone calls and emails. And I really enjoy picking fabrics and putting colour combinations together!

Who or what inspires you?
Our Nanna, doilies, rain, kittens, Frankie Magazine, Alannah Hill, Fleur Wood, gorgeous cafes, french food, chai latte’s, nooks and cranny’s, Lula Magazine, gorgeous fabrics, bird cages.

What do you love most about working with fabric?

Sarah – I love what can be created from a most simple fabric with gathering and ruffles. I also love that a particularly gorgeous fabric such as a silk or bold print can stand alone in a very simple garment , for example a slinky Maxi dress. I love that fabrics can really influence and add to our designs.



What is your workspace like, and what things surround you when you work?

Lauren – We work out of Sarah’s home, so the atmosphere is great, kids here, there and everywhere, fabrics galore, new and vintage. Her dining room wall is our mood board! We are a little excited though, as we will soon have a Studio and Store in Wollongong!

What’s on the cards for 2011?

We will be very busy again in 2011, designing, creating and more markets! The Thread Design Studio/Store will be opening in February –  Shop 3, 157 Crown St, Wollongong (in the Mall, upstairs from Flight Centre).
Also in March/April we will launch our Autumn/Winter 2011 ‘An Education’ collection.

http://www.threadesigns.com.au/

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