In the New Zealand fashion industry there are a number of subsets, the most prominent two being the legion of ‘over sharers’ and then the gentle ‘quiet achievers’.
Designer Juliette Hogan is most definitely in the latter group, having built a brand over the years that has become synonymous with elegant, clever design and a general attitude of setting and meeting some pretty damn major goals, one milestone at a time.
When we spoke in mid April the designer was in the act of putting in motion her latest goal, which is an entrance into the lucrative United States market. Due to leave for Los Angeles just two days after we spoke, she has had a showroom there for the last few months which is holding an event to showcase her latest collection for that hemisphere mere days after she lands. “We are taking our summer collection up there to show to the local media and stylists,” she explains, “which is exciting but I feel like still we have a lot to do to get ready... it’s pretty crazy around here!”
When I ask “why America, and why now?” she says that it is a market that she has been interested in for a while, a feeling which was cemented whilst on an amazing holiday there towards the end of last year. “I had such an incredible time that I decided I wanted to spend more time over there, and it seemed really right for the label right now as well.” She adds that she has a pretty solid hold on the local market after all these years. “It was time to start pushing forward and setting some new goals.” She says that she always like to feel ”inspired and ambitious” when it comes to doing something new, and the city of Los Angeles is a place that definitely does that for her.
Talkative and confident, Hogan is definitely one of New Zealand’s freshest and most approachable designers, and the opening of the Juliette Hogan flagship store on Ponsonby Road back in 2007 was integral to cementing her position in New Zealand’s fashion industry. Juliette creates garments that blur the line between classic femininity and sexy, contemporary style. Her clean, minimalist approach to tailoring, along with her careful selection of textiles, textures and colourations, make for functional yet beautiful garments. Each piece is modern and also shrouded in a timeless quality, making it able to surpass the seasons. Above all, Juliette’s collections are sensitive to simplicity of form and are infinitely practical. Her dedication to quality, style and femininity and her coolly sophisticated design sense ensure that her collections will continue to be anticipated and celebrated with each new season.
I ask her if it’s easy for New Zealand designers to fall into the rut of opening a couple of stores, designing a new collection every few months and resting on their laurels, to which she diplomatically replies that if that’s what makes them happy then why not? “It really depends on what you want out of your business, and that is such a personal thing. I am a really driven person and am not satisfied with just that, but if you are, that isn’t a rut or a trap - just a different set of priorities.”
With her Ponsonby Road store hitting its ninth year she says she is still so proud of what she calls her ‘first baby’.
“I will always have a special place in my heart for the store and it is just so right for our brand,” she explains, and says she remains proud to be part of the first wave of designers to invest in the Ponsonby Road strip in a retail sense. Wasn’t she ever swayed by the lure of Newmarket all those years ago? “I don’t think so,” says Hogan, “Ponsonby just seemed so much more manageable and not the giant retail beast that Newmarket was back then.” She says she did have her fair share of naysayers about the central city suburb when she first looked at opening the store, “but if something feels right when I want to do it, then I will,” and she did. She says the only negative about the area is - quite obviously - parking. “And something definitely needs to change.”
With her latest milestone about to be achieved, and last year’s (the opening of her Newmarket store) already a runaway success, she also has a new baby on the way this July. It is her first child and she is understandably a little nervous but says, “I absolutely love what I do and don’t think I could ever completely switch off. It makes me so happy and I just can’t imagine not having it in my life.” Somehow I think that the talented, well mannered and devoted Ms Hogan will most definitely make it work. (HELENE RAVLICH)
JULIETTE HOGAN, 170 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 9347, www.juliettehogan.com