Behind-the-scenes details of 93 23, straight from the source
A destination for effortlessly feminine motifs and the the silhouettes to match, there’s a reason that Kate Sylvester has carved out a cult following in her 30 years in business.
To mark the special milestone, the designer takes FashioNZ behind the cyan curtain with an intimate look at her favourite shots from the brand’s 93 23 spring/summer campaign, shot by Derek Henderson.
Fitting for a commemoration of three decades of creativity, Kate notes that this campaign is something of a homecoming for long-time collaborators and signature styles that make up the Kate Sylvester universe.
“We asked Derek Henderson to photograph the spring campaign for our 93 23 collection. We’ve worked with Derek a few times in the past and I love how he heroes beautiful, natural surroundings that perfectly balance our clothing. The campaign was shot in Sydney and styled by friend and long-time collaborator, Chloe Hill. To celebrate 30 years of Kate Sylvester this year, I created a collection that used the archive as inspiration, plucking my favourite prints, moments and silhouettes of bygone years and reinterpreting them. Here, I took a favourite print from my SS14 Romeo 4 Juliet collection and reworked it – the print was recoloured and blown up, transformed onto a billowy, georgette fabrication. Pictured is the blue colourway, with Chloe’s touch of a black scarf around her neck.”
“Our yellow Birdie dress is striking in the simplicity of this image. For our 93 23 collection I wanted to recreate the perfect yellow dress that was reminiscent of our hero Tartt (2015 collection) dress, worn by Juliette Perkins for the finale of our NZFW runway show. I think Derek has captured that same spirit here.”
“This mauve suit is my favourite piece from the collection and the item I am most enjoying in my wardrobe. It’s equal measures immaculate and slouchy, and I love the energetic colour.”
“I love how the rose print camouflages with the rock formations in this image. This print was a reinterpretation from my Royally Screwed ’08 collection. It was blown up and made oversized and I love how effortless it looks here.”
“Developing unexpected colour combinations is an important part of my design process. I enjoyed exploring colour blocking in our spring collection, and this combination of poppy, cinnamon and black is a favourite of mine.”
Photographer: Derek Henderson
Styling: Chloe Hill
Model: Savannah at IMG
Hair and Makeup: Jasmin Lo